How do I become a good patient care coordinator?

As a healthcare professional, being able to put yourself in a patient's shoes allows you to understand their feelings and anticipate their needs. For care coordinators, you will have to get a detailed medical history of your patient, which requires trust and compassion.

Communication skills

Merely understanding a patient or a health care practitioner isn't enough. In order to translate your understanding into meaningful action, you need to be able to communicate effectively.

As a care coordinator, you're expected to truly get to know the patients you work with, as well as a wide variety of caregivers and health care practitioners to make sure that care delivery is smooth.

Time management skills

The ability to manage your time is closely related to resilience. Dealing with stress means prioritizing the tasks that need to get done and figuring out how to complete them in a timely manner.

When the health and wellbeing of patients are on the line, the pressure to complete tasks quickly can be especially intense. In your role as a care coordinator, you've likely encountered stressful situations where time is of the essence.

Resilience

It's no secret that nurses and physicians have to be resilient. Being on the front lines of care can be physically, psychologically, and emotionally draining. And because health care dollars are stretched to the limits, there's constant pressure to provide better care while operating within budgetary constraints.