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Health Unit Coordinators are members of the support team that helps maintain a health care facility's, services, and performance. These trained individuals may also be known as unit clerks, ward clerks, or unit secretaries. Some of their daily operations include preparing special documents such as birth/death certificates, maintaining patient charts and records, coordinating patient activities for the unit, ordering supplies, and communicating with the dietary department. They may also perform other duties such as graphing the temperature, pulse, and blood pressure readings for patients, as well as transcribing medical orders and completing admission and discharge forms.
Health unit coordinators usually work under the supervision of the registered nursing staff or the health information administrator. One of their main responsibilities is to act as a liaison between the patients and staff. They must have excellent communication skills in order to serve as this vital link between the physicians, nursing staff, various departments, patients, and visitors. Since these unit coordinators may serve as receptionists on patient floors, they must possess a pleasant and professional disposition in dealing with the public. Anyone interested in this health related profession should pay close attention to detail, be reliable and dependable, and have the ability to follow instructions and procedures.
Health unit coordinators work in a variety of health care settings such as hospitals, clinics, public health care agencies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), nursing homes, home health agencies, and government agencies.
Health Unit Coordinator Course
The 142 hour health unit coordinator course at El Paso Community College provides students with entry-level skills and the knowledge necessary to perform the required duties. Topics include medical terminology, medical ethics and law, nursing station management, medication orders, nursing procedure orders, and patient charts.
Admission Requirements
- Students must be 17 years old by the first day of class
- Current CPR (American Heart Association Healthcare Provider)
- Tested 10th grade reading level
- Physical exam by a licensed US physician or nurse practitioner
- Proof of measles, tetanus, and hepatitis B immunizations
- Negative TB test
- Background clearance
- Drug Screen