How to hire a surgical coordinator

How to hire a surgical coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step surgical coordinator hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The surgical coordinator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A surgical coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, surgical coordinators 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 surgical coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Surgical Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Surgical Coordinator	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$12-23
   Surgery Scheduler	A surgery scheduler is responsible for organizing medical information, coordinating with doctors and other health professionals, and reaching out to patients to inform them of scheduled medical procedures and appointments. Surgery schedulers perform clerical and administrative duties, such as processing patients' payments, verifying insurance details, and updating their account information on the database... Show more	$12-20
   Surgical Nurse	Generally, a surgical nurse provides patient care before, during, and after surgery. Surgical nurses assist the surgeons and anesthetists whenever necessary... Show more	$18-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Patient Care
   • Medical Terminology
   • Patient Demographics
   • Insurance Verification
   • CPT
   • Front Desk
   • Surgical Scheduling
   • Medical Clearance
   • Orthopedic Surgeons
   • Insurance Benefits
   • Patient Charts
   • Appointment Scheduling

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
   • Input medical procedures and diagnosis using ICD-9 and CPT medical codes to generate claims for insurance and patient billing.
   • Recommend optimization of patient flow for office visits and HIPAA policy enhancements.
   • Coordinate meetings, schedule surgeries/procedures, verify insurance coverage, ensure HIPAA compliance.
   • Provide patients and parents information; explanations of treatment plans, post-operative instructions and oral hygiene instructions.
   • Promote to back office and surgical coordinator position which duties include scheduling patients with hospital for inpatient procedures.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your surgical coordinator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A surgical coordinator salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, surgical coordinators' average salary in missouri is 49% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level surgical coordinators earn 45% less than senior-level surgical coordinators.
   • Certifications. A surgical coordinator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a surgical coordinator's salary.

   Average surgical coordinator salary

   $36,765yearly

   $17.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level surgical coordinator salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

4. Writing a surgical coordinator job description

   A surgical coordinator 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 surgical coordinator job description:

   Surgical coordinator job description example

   Interested in a fast-paced, challenging, life-saving working environment that requires travel on private jets to hospitals throughout the western United States? Would you like to make a difference, knowing that you have coordinated sharing the gift of life through organ donation and transplantation? If so, come join our highly motivated surgical organ recovery team! Applicants with a strong operating room background, excellent communication skills, strong task organization abilities, and solid medical knowledge are encouraged to apply.
   
   The Surgical Recovery Coordinator (SRC) primarily functions as our OR circulator. The SRC leads the surgical team, ensuring compliance with various policies and regulations, documenting and charting all organ recovery activities, and performing hands-on procedures as necessary. The SRC also participates in organ preservation and transportation activities and provides machine preservation of kidneys for transplant. You play a critical role in ensuring donated organs for transplant are handled and packaged correctly, with all required documentation to ensure they are available for the designated recipients.
   
   Hours may vary, and you will participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation. 24/7 call shifts will inevitably result in working some nights and/or weekends, and holiday's too. DonorConnect provides generous On-Call pay for these call shifts.
   
   This is a full-time, expected 40 hours/week position. You will often encounter extended workdays associated with being on-call. Generous shift-differential applies outside of normal business hours.
   
   DonorConnect provides a competitive benefits package of medical/dental insurance, vacation pay, sick leave, and a highly competitive 403b (401K for non-profits) plan for your retirement.
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: As part of our commitment to provide a healthy and safe work environment, DonorConnect has implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement*
   Training/Education/Certification: Associate's degree preferred, and/or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience Nursing licensure or Physician Assistant licensure preferred Completion of a Surgical Technologist course (CST preferred), or equivalent education and/or experience Industry certification (CTP, CPTC) within two years of hire Experience Required: Minimum one year of Operating Room experience, as a scrub, circulator, or surgical assistant Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Knowledge of medical terminology Knowledge of organ and tissue transplant fields Understanding of the operating room environment Attentive to detail and able to maintain accurate records Able to work well with all levels of personnel in hospital settings and within the differing guidelines of each institution Works well under stressful conditions Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time Ability to lift up to 70 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation Ability to stoop, squat, or bend frequently Exposure to patient elements including communicable disease, bloodborne pathogens, and other common hazards of a clinical setting Ability to reason logically and make sound decisions, to consider alternative and diverse perspectives, to communicate effectively both orally and in writing DonorConnect is a PROUD Equal Opportunity Employer who Values Diversity in Both Experience and Background! * Reasonable accommodations (valid religious or medical exemptions) may be made by contacting our HR department.
   
   
   
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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find surgical coordinators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your surgical coordinator job on Zippia to find and attract quality surgical coordinator candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting surgical coordinators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 surgical coordinator

   Once you have selected a candidate for the surgical coordinator position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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