Medical Secretary African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE)
full-time
The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) Abuja is a 500-bed specialty hospital offering world-class comprehensive diagnostics and treatment in oncology, cardiovascular, and haematological care, and general medical and surgical services, along with top notch research and education. The AMCE will provide exceptional care to people on the African continent, regardless of their financial means. Developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in clinical partnership with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust., AMCE Abuja is the first of five centres planned for development in Africa.
Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities
Medical Committees Secretariat & Minute-Taking:
Research Unit Secretariat & Administrative Support:
External Audit Support & Evidence Preparation:
Documentation, Filing & Record Management:
Confidentiality, Compliance & Data Protection:
Quality Improvement & Professional Development:
Qualifications & Experience
The Medical Secretary will be responsible for providing central, high-level secretarial and administrative support to medical committees and the research unit at the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE).
This role is critical for ensuring effective governance, decision-making, research operations, and regulatory compliance by managing committee documentation, recording accurate minutes, supporting research administration, and preparing evidence for external audits.
The role holder will act as the official secretary for key medical committees and the research unit, demonstrating exceptional attention to detail, discretion, proficiency in medical and research terminology, and a strong commitment to operational excellence.
Serve as the official secretary for designated medical committees, including the Medical Advisory Committee, Credentials Committee, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Infection Prevention and Control Committee, and others as assigned.
Prepare committee meeting agendas in collaboration with committee chairs, ensuring all required documentation is distributed to members in advance.
Attend all committee meetings to record accurate, clear, and comprehensive minutes, capturing key discussions, decisions, action items, and recommendations.
Draft, review, and distribute approved minutes to committee members within specified timeframes, maintaining a secure archive of all committee records.
Track action items from meetings, follow up with responsible parties, and provide status updates to committee chairs.
Ensure committee processes comply with hospital bylaws, governance standards, and accreditation requirements.
Act as the dedicated secretary for the hospital's research unit, providing comprehensive administrative support to the Head of Research and research coordinators.
Prepare and format research-related documents, including study protocols, informed consent forms, ethics committee submissions, and grant applications.
Schedule and coordinate research unit meetings, Ethics Committee meetings, research progress meetings, and journal clubs etc.
Record and transcribe minutes for research unit meetings and ethics committee deliberations, ensuring accurate documentation of approvals, conditions, and rejections.
Maintain an organized filing system for all research-related documents, including active and closed study files, investigator correspondence, and regulatory approvals.
Assist in tracking research project timelines, milestones, and deliverables, providing regular updates to the research team.
Prepare, organize, and compile documentation, evidence, and supporting materials required for external audits, including accreditation body surveys (e.g., JCI, ISO, COHSASA), regulatory inspections, and donor compliance reviews.
Work closely with clinical and administrative departments to collect, review, and format audit evidence in accordance with audit standards and requirements.
Maintain a master audit evidence repository, ensuring all documents are up-to-date, properly version-controlled, and easily retrievable.
Assist in drafting responses to audit findings, corrective action plans, and follow-up reports as directed by committee chairs or the research unit lead.
Coordinate logistics for external audit visits, including scheduling meetings, preparing meeting rooms, and organizing document access for auditors.
Track audit cycles and deadlines, providing reminders to relevant committees and departments to ensure timely completion of audit preparations.
Maintain a secure, organized, and accessible filing system for all committee, research unit, and audit-related records, both electronic and physical, in compliance with hospital policies and data protection regulations.
Ensure proper version control of all documents, including terms of reference, policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), meeting materials, and audit evidence.
Archive closed committee files, completed research study documents, and past audit records according to institutional retention schedules.
Assist in preparing documentation for internal audits and readiness reviews prior to external audit visits.
Adhere strictly to patient, staff, and institutional confidentiality at all times, in compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., NDPR) and hospital policies.
Ensure secure handling, storage, and disposal of sensitive committee deliberations, research data, audit evidence, and personnel information.
Sign and adhere to confidentiality agreements specific to committee, research unit, and audit-related activities.
Report any breaches of confidentiality, data security incidents, or governance risks to the supervisor immediately.
Contribute to the continuous improvement of secretarial and administrative processes within committees, the research unit, and audit preparation workflows, including streamlining minute-taking templates, document tracking systems, and audit evidence organization.
Participate in departmental meetings, training sessions, and performance improvement initiatives.
Support the onboarding and training of new administrative or secretarial staff within the department.
Maintain professional development in medical secretarial best practices, governance standards, research administration, and audit compliance requirements.
Bachelor's Degree in Secretarial Studies, Office Administration, Business Administration, or a related field from a recognized institution.
Professional certification in Medical Secretarial, Healthcare Administration, or Governance is highly desirable.
Minimum of 3-5 years of experience as a medical secretary, committee secretary, research administrator, or audit support officer within a hospital, academic medical centre, research institution, or accredited healthcare facility.
Proven experience in taking accurate minutes for high-level committees or boards, with excellent command of English grammar, punctuation, and formatting.
Demonstrated experience in preparing documentation and evidence for external audits or accreditations (e.g., JCI, ISO, COHSASA, regulatory inspections) is highly desirable.
Proficiency in medical terminology, research terminology, and clinical correspondence, with strong typing speed, exceptional attention to detail, and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), document management systems, and virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Teams, Zoom).
Demonstrated experience in preparing documentation and evidence for external audits or accreditations (e.g., JCI, ISO, COHSASA, regulatory inspections).