Each fellow is assigned a UCLA phone number that goes directly to voicemail. This number is different from your office phone, which is a live line and has its own extension.
Guidelines:
- Messages should be checked at least once daily and returned within 24 business hours 11 (M-F). For after-hours emergencies, create a safety plan with each family detailing the measures they should take in case of an emergency (e.g., medication side effect, suicidality, dangerous behavior). If you wish for them to page you after hours, provide your pager information.
- When you receive a voicemail, you will automatically receive an email notifying you that you have a message. This is a great system and means you don’t need to manually check your voicemail daily–just check your UCLA email!
- When calling patients from your cell phone, use either *67 to block your cell phone number, or set up a proxy dialing system through Doximity app (highly recommended). Doximity can make it appear as if you are calling from your office phone. It can also provide you with a free fax number, which sends faxes via PDFs (an amazing service!).
- Very important: remember to change your voicemail when you go on vacation. Indicate the days you will be out of the office and provide the contact information for the covering physician. Ideally, you will also provide this information to your patients in person prior to leaving town.
Voicemail Access:
- Call 5-2222 on-campus, or 310-825-2222 off-campus
- Enter mailbox number (last five digits of phone number) then “#”
- Enter security code. If you need to reset the code, email vm@it.ucla.edu.
Creating a Voicemail Greeting:
- Access mailbox, then press 80
- Press 1 for Personal Options
- Press 3 for Personal Greeting
- Press 2 to record; listen for record tone, then speak
- Press 2 to stop recording
- Press 5 to save, 6 to review, or 4 to discard and re-record
Setting an Out-Of-Office Message:
- Press 3 for Personal Greeting
- Press 3 again for Out-of-Office greeting, follow instructions
- Press 4 to turn off Out-of-Office greeting
Sample Voicemail Script:
“Hello, you have reached the confidential voicemail of Dr. ____ . For routine clinical matters, please leave a detailed message including your name and telephone number, and I will respond within 24 business hours, Monday through Friday. For urgent clinical matters requiring immediate clinical assistance, please call the LA County Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 800-854-7771 for support. For emergent and life-threatening clinical matters requiring 12 immediate assistance from a physician, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. For all other calls, I will respond to your message as soon as possible. Thank you and have a great day. ”
Sample Away Message Script:
“Hello, you have reached the confidential voicemail of Dr. ____ . I am out of the office from ____(date) until ____(date) and will not be checking voicemail during this time. For routine clinical matters that can wait until my return, please leave a detailed message including your name and telephone number, and I will respond within 24 business hours of my return. For routine matters that require a response within 24 business hours, please call Dr. ______, the covering psychiatrist, at __________(number). For urgent clinical matters requiring immediate clinical assistance, please call the LA County Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 800-854-7771 for immediate support. For emergent clinical matters requiring immediate assistance from a physician, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. Thank you and have a great day. ”