How to hire a surgery scheduler

How to hire a surgery scheduler, step by step

Here's a step-by-step surgery scheduler hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a surgery scheduler job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new surgery scheduler
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a surgery scheduler do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the surgery scheduler you need to hire. Certain surgery scheduler roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A surgery scheduler's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, surgery schedulers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of surgery scheduler salaries for various roles:

   Type of Surgery Scheduler	Description	Hourly rate
   Surgery Scheduler	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-20
   Patient Coordinator	A patient coordinator functions as the primary point of contact between health care professionals and patients in a medical facility. They mostly perform administrative tasks such as greeting visitors, answering calls, responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments, processing payments, gathering information, and keeping records... Show more	$12-19
   Patient Registrar	A patient registrar is responsible for receiving patients in a hospital or other health care institutions, verifying their information, and leading them to the appropriate facility for their health care needs. Patient registrars manage the hospital's database, updating patients' information, confirming insurance details, taking calls, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, and performing related administrative and clerical tasks as needed... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Medical Terminology
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Surgery Scheduling
   • Anesthesia
   • CPT
   • Pre-op
   • Insurance Verification
   • Data Entry
   • Phone Calls
   • Patient Appointments
   • Surgical Cases

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage medical records and patient information within HIPPA guidelines
   • Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
   • Request financial screening services for patients with limit Medicaid packages, as well as the uninsured.
   • Provide patients with information that explain hospital admission policies, time of admission and HIPPA privacy guidelines.
   • Execute administrative tasks such as ordering supplies and working with CPT and DX codes relate to accurate patient billing.
   • Maintain HIPAA and confidentiality standards.

   More surgery scheduler duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your surgery scheduler job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A surgery scheduler salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a surgery scheduler in Ohio may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level surgery scheduler usually earns less than a senior-level surgery scheduler. Additionally, a surgery scheduler with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average surgery scheduler salary

   $16.57hourly

   $34,472 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level surgery scheduler salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average surgery scheduler salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$43,267	$21
   2	California	$41,786	$20
   3	Washington	$40,732	$20
   4	Massachusetts	$37,398	$18
   5	Oregon	$36,561	$18
   6	New York	$36,346	$17
   7	Alabama	$35,805	$17
   8	Colorado	$35,254	$17
   9	Arizona	$34,310	$17
   10	Nevada	$33,465	$16
   11	Missouri	$33,009	$16
   12	North Carolina	$32,820	$16
   13	Utah	$32,731	$16
   14	Virginia	$32,663	$16
   15	Illinois	$32,524	$16
   16	Florida	$32,365	$16
   17	Pennsylvania	$32,175	$15
   18	Texas	$32,146	$15
   19	Indiana	$32,084	$15
   20	Ohio	$30,440	$15

   Average surgery scheduler salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$47,750	$22.96
   2	University of California	$43,916	$21.11	39
   3	Massachusetts General Hospital	$42,509	$20.44	1
   4	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$42,464	$20.42
   5	Student Conservation Association	$41,638	$20.02	2
   6	Wheaton Eye Clinic	$41,231	$19.82
   7	University of Rochester	$41,117	$19.77	34
   8	Medical University of South Carolina	$40,946	$19.69	10
   9	Oregon Health & Science University	$40,667	$19.55	1
   10	Invision Health	$40,190	$19.32
   11	True Care Home Care	$40,159	$19.31	15
   12	eyecarecenter	$40,010	$19.24	1
   13	Kettering Health Network	$38,023	$18.28	19
   14	Eisenhower Medical Center	$37,946	$18.24
   15	UofL Hospital	$37,726	$18.14	9
   16	Mayo Clinic	$37,631	$18.09	46
   17	Novant Health	$37,451	$18.01	77
   18	Children's Minnesota	$37,442	$18.00	12
   19	NMC Health	$37,322	$17.94
   20	Sutter Health	$37,257	$17.91	71

4. Writing a surgery scheduler job description

   A surgery scheduler job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a surgery scheduler job description:

   Surgery scheduler job description example

   Position requires utilization of clinical knowledge to schedule appropriate procedures/surgeries per provider’s templates. The Surgical Scheduler must schedule office based and out-patient based procedures consistent with the patient’s diagnosis and procedure request. Also requires excellent customer service skills with patients, employees and referring providers. The Surgical Scheduler must be able to respond to both written and oral correspondence regarding scheduling changes/cancellations in a timely, accurate manner. Individual must be organized and be able to manage demanding workload with accuracy.
   Responsibilities: Duties and Responsibilities
   • Schedules office and out-patient based medical procedures for patients with appropriate provider and time/location slot, utilizing appropriate scheduling templates.
   • Interfaces with appropriate staff to ensure a cohesive working relationship.
   • Enter notes/special instructions needed for scheduling in the electronic medical record.
   • Completes accurate documentation for patients for scheduled procedures and surgeries.
   • Provides accurate, detailed information to patients regarding appointment preparations, time of patients scheduled arrival, and any other directional information needed: takes appropriate action in responding to questions from patients.
   • Confirm patient’s insurance provider and work cohesively with internal staff to obtain prior authorizations/referrals and paperwork needed for the appointment.
   • Assists other members of the department as needed.
   • Completes other duties assigned.
   • Corresponding via email to both internal and external providers/practices in order to appropriately gather all the required information to schedule a patient. Qualifications: Education and Experience
   • Minimum of a High School Diploma and 1-3 years of experience in healthcare scheduling or equivalent combination of education and experience.
   • Familiarity with EMR systems.
   Qualifications and Requirements
   • Must demonstrate consistent professional conduct and meticulous attention to detail.
   • Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as interpersonal skills with patients, staff and other healthcare professionals.
   • Critical thinking skills and a positive attitude are essential.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right surgery scheduler for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with surgery schedulers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit surgery schedulers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your surgery scheduler job on Zippia to find and recruit surgery scheduler candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with surgery scheduler candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new surgery scheduler

   Once you've decided on a perfect surgery scheduler candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new surgery scheduler. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a surgery scheduler?