What does a resident services director do?

A resident service director is responsible for developing, planning, implementing, supervising, and monitoring the resident services staff and program for residents consistent with regulations and established best practices. Their duties and responsibilities include maintaining accurate resident records and coordinating safety and emergency programs.
Resident services director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real resident services director resumes:
- Manage resident and facility accounts, budgets, social security applications, and Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
- Attend weekly Medicare meetings and notify families of available coverage and mail necessary Medicare letters to families for confirmation.
- Perform daily maintenance on boilers, HVAC unit and all mechanical system.
- Perform HVAC, plumbing and electrical repairs including older circuit breaker boxes and meter stacks.
- Assist with resident and family decision making regarding clinical and long term care (LTC).
- Develop system to track all housing applications and improve internal housing relocation methods in response to new DHS mandates.
- Assist in developing and implementing agency policies as well as DHS rules and regulations with regard to housing placement requirements.
- Coordinate placement with residents, family members, and IDT members; provide support and information to improve quality of life.
- Collaborate with CMS on Medicaid and Medicare state program modifications.
- Assist IDT with abuse/neglect investigations.
- Updated/Adapt agency policies and procedures to encompass changes require by regulatory requirement changes and EMR implementation.
Resident services director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Resident Services Directors are proficient in Resident Care, State Regulations, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Leadership skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Resident Services Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Resident Care, 12%
Standardized procedures and improved efficiency of resident care through gathering of documentation with subsequent initiation of assignment sheets and improved documentation.
- State Regulations, 9%
Created Medication Policies and Procedures to ensure efficiency and compliance to company and state regulations.
- CPR, 8%
Obtained CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certification.
- Social Work, 7%
Oversee Social Work aspect of Group Adult Foster Care (GAFC) for Assisted Living Residents.
- Memory Care, 6%
Managed all non-clinical care for 48-resident assisted living and memory care community.
- Independent Living, 6%
Planned, executed and evaluated Resident Services program in an upscale 143-unit Independent Living Community.
Common skills that a resident services director uses to do their job include "resident care," "state regulations," and "cpr." You can find details on the most important resident services director responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a resident services director to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." Resident services directors often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "maintained accurate and detailed records for cqi, infection control and long term care insurance applications. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling resident services director duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." According to a resident services director resume, here's how resident services directors can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "provide leadership and oversight of 40 employees. "
Technical skills. This is an important skill for resident services directors to perform their duties. For an example of how resident services director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a resident services director: "provide educational and technical information to providers and patients. ".
Analytical skills. A commonly-found skill in resident services director job descriptions, "analytical skills" is essential to what resident services directors do. Resident services director responsibilities rely on this skill because "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." You can also see how resident services director duties rely on analytical skills in this resume example: "compile data for monthly report and ensure that necessary records are maintained to support hud compliance. "
Communication skills. Lastly, "communication skills" is an important element of what a resident services director does. Resident services director responsibilities require this skill because "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." This resume example highlights how resident services director duties rely on this skill: "direct communication with administrator, doctors, family members, home health agencies, pharmacy and hospice services. "
The three companies that hire the most resident services directors are:
- Bickford Senior Living13 resident services directors jobs
- Five Star Senior Living6 resident services directors jobs
- Brookdale Senior Living5 resident services directors jobs
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Resident services director vs. Nurse manager
The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a resident services director are more likely to require skills like "resident care," "state regulations," "social work," and "memory care." On the other hand, a job as a nurse manager requires skills like "customer service," "performance improvement," "surgery," and "quality patient care." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Nurse managers tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $90,775. In contrast, resident services directors make the biggest average salary, $70,572, in the transportation industry.On average, nurse managers reach similar levels of education than resident services directors. Nurse managers are 1.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Resident services director vs. Pharmacist manager
A pharmacist manager is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a pharmacy, ensuring that all pharmacy personnel provides the right medication to the customers based on the prescription. Pharmacist managers assist in advising the customers for the instructions of their medications, including its dosage and instructions of intake. They manage the inventory and keep safe and clean storage for the products at all times. A pharmacist manager must have a comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry, as well as excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the customers' concerns and inquiries.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that resident services director responsibilities requires skills like "resident care," "cpr," "social work," and "memory care." But a pharmacist manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "compassion," "inventory management," and "federal laws."
Pharmacist managers may earn a higher salary than resident services directors, but pharmacist managers earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $100,580. On the other hand, resident services directors receive higher pay in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $70,572.In general, pharmacist managers achieve lower levels of education than resident services directors. They're 6.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Resident services director vs. Clinical manager
A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity. A clinical manager enforces strict sanitary and safety regulations for everyone's strict compliance. They also need to have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to promote medical processes and provide the highest quality care.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from resident services director resumes include skills like "resident care," "state regulations," "cpr," and "memory care," whereas a clinical manager is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "direct patient care," "quality patient care," and "patient education. "
Clinical managers earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $72,510. Comparatively, resident services directors have the highest earning potential in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $70,572.When it comes to education, clinical managers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to resident services directors. In fact, they're 6.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Resident services director vs. Assisted living manager
An Assisted Living Manager works at an assisted living facility where they are in charge of supervising the employees and overseeing the daily operations to ensure that they get optimal service and assistance. Part of their job is to conduct regular assessments, recruit and train new members of the workforce, delegate tasks among different teams and staff, and resolve issues and concerns should there be any. They may also participate in making decisions, coordinating with suppliers and other external partners, and providing emotional and physical support to the residents.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between resident services directors and assisted living managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a resident services director might have more use for skills like "patients," "direct supervision," "crisis intervention," and "social services." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of assisted living managers require skills like "customer service," "good judgment," "senior care," and "osha. "
The average resume of assisted living managers showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to resident services directors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.Types of resident services director
Updated January 8, 2025











