How To Become A Unit Coordinator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a unit coordinator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Unit coordinators are people who act like the hub of a health facility. This health care is a kind of post at which, if you get hired, you won't be able to leave. It is the perfect entry level career step that provides them an introduction to several other health care jobs. Patients, families, and staff will come to you for any inquiries and concerns. No one else interacts more with professionals than them within their workplace.

Your work is to offer several top notch health care services to patients. Medical professionals supervise you so that you can do daily operations in the hospital. These operations include paging physicians, answering call lights and phones, and other departmental activities. Non-direct patient or nonclinical care is also your responsibility.

Health care facilities are looking for individuals with associates degrees, or at least a certified program, before hiring them. They usually offer a salary of $20.51 per hour, but it may rise depending on previous experience. They have a shift of traditional 40 hours per week at different private and government hospitals, care centers, clinics, etc.

ScoreUnit CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,688

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.2

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 3.77%

Black or African American 9.57%

Hispanic or Latino 11.96%

Unknown 3.77%

White 70.56%

Gender

female 79.29%

male 20.71%

Age - 51

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 51

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.3

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a unit coordinator

Explore unit coordinator education requirements

Most common unit coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

45.6 %

Associate

24.8 %

High School Diploma

10.3 %

Start to develop specific unit coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	26.13%
Customer Service	11.51%
Medical Terminology	8.04%
CPR	3.20%
Patient Flow	3.17%

Complete relevant unit coordinator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New unit coordinators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a unit coordinator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real unit coordinator resumes.

Gain additional unit coordinator certifications

Unit coordinator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific unit coordinator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for unit coordinators include Certified Health Unit Coordinator and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

More About Certifications

Research unit coordinator duties and responsibilities

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Demonstrate care and compassion toward all patients and family members at all times.
Receive all incoming phone calls; triage calls from the hospital emergency room.
Display ability to identify and prioritize degree of urgency via assignment of triage.

Prepare your unit coordinator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your unit coordinator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a unit coordinator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable unit coordinator resume templates

Build a professional unit coordinator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your unit coordinator resume.