How to hire a unit coordinator

How to hire a unit coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step unit 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 unit coordinator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new unit coordinator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a unit coordinator do?

Post a unit coordinator job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a unit coordinator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A unit coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, unit 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.

   This list presents unit coordinator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Unit Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Unit Coordinator	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-31
   Call Center Agent	A call center agent is responsible for answering calls and assisting clients by responding to inquiries. They also handle complaints and resolve issues, troubleshoot errors, and process applications... Show more	$11-19
   Unit Secretary	Unit secretaries are administrative workers in a medical facility, usually a hospital or a clinic. They are in charge of religious activities in the unit or department they are assigned to... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Terminology
   • CPR
   • Patient Flow
   • Physician Orders
   • Data Entry
   • Taking Care
   • Compassion
   • Emergency Situations
   • HIPAA
   • Patient Charts
   • Coordinators
   • Order Entry

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Review all patients EMR to ensure all appropriate power plans and quality measure consoles have been initiate.
   • Coordinate the daily events in an ICU setting and all other secretarial duties, including but not limit to maintaining equipment.

   More unit coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, unit coordinators' average salary in mississippi is 57% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level unit coordinators earn 55% less than senior-level unit coordinators.
   • Certifications. A unit 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 unit coordinator's salary.

   Average unit coordinator salary

   $43,688yearly

   $21.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level unit coordinator salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average unit coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$69,269	$33
   2	Connecticut	$60,809	$29
   3	New York	$60,797	$29
   4	Massachusetts	$53,155	$26
   5	Nevada	$50,961	$25
   6	Pennsylvania	$50,718	$24
   7	New Hampshire	$49,017	$24
   8	Washington	$44,285	$21
   9	Colorado	$43,439	$21
   10	Texas	$42,890	$21
   11	Arizona	$41,900	$20
   12	Virginia	$40,911	$20
   13	Minnesota	$40,677	$20
   14	Kansas	$37,873	$18
   15	Florida	$37,790	$18
   16	North Carolina	$37,783	$18
   17	Indiana	$36,375	$17
   18	Hawaii	$36,352	$17
   19	Georgia	$36,013	$17
   20	Ohio	$35,925	$17

   Average unit coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ohio's Hospice	$67,474	$32.44	1
   2	Centene	$60,680	$29.17	7
   3	Life Care Solutions	$58,341	$28.05	9
   4	California State University, Fullerton	$57,877	$27.83
   5	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$53,132	$25.54	61
   6	Rawhide	$51,604	$24.81	2
   7	Boston Medical Center	$51,238	$24.63	16
   8	Massachusetts General Hospital	$51,150	$24.59
   9	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$50,517	$24.29
   10	Ohio's Hospice of Dayton	$50,327	$24.20	1
   11	Shriners Hospitals for Children	$50,079	$24.08	4
   12	Baptist Health Home Care	$48,864	$23.49	46
   13	Amedisys	$48,251	$23.20	3
   14	UMass Memorial Health	$47,451	$22.81	26
   15	Dignity Health	$46,868	$22.53	137
   16	Life Care Centers of America	$46,677	$22.44	38
   17	HealthTrust	$45,519	$21.88	1
   18	Cottage Health	$45,352	$21.80	9
   19	Iowa Department of Transportation	$44,993	$21.63
   20	Northern California Medical Associates	$44,833	$21.55	1

4. Writing a unit coordinator job description

   A unit 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 unit coordinator job description:

   Unit coordinator job description example

   The Unit Coordinator is a key player in coordinating the activities of the patient care unit. This position positively interacts with patients promoting a welcoming environment. This position is primarily responsible for answering the telephone, greeting visitors, transcribing doctors' orders, facilitating consults and family meetings while providing clerical support to the clinical teams.Baptist Health Care is a not-for-profit health care system committed to improving the quality of life for people and communities in northwest Florida and south Alabama. The organization is a proud a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and includes three hospitals, four medical parks, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, and an extensive primary and specialty care provider network. With more than 4,000 team members, Baptist Health Care is one of the largest non-governmental employers in northwest Florida. Customer service: Demonstrates the ability to establish effective professional relationships with members of the interdisciplinary team. Finds out a contact person in various internal departments and begins to establish rapport and professional relationships Uses computer to complete assigned tasks. Acts as a resource person to nursing staff and support services. Is concise when relaying information to other professionals regarding patient issues, clarifies information when uncertain. Completes assigned reports accurately and efficiently. Instrumental in ensuring accuracy of information given to the physician. Updates census board to reflect changes in patient safety per MD orders in a timely manner as to not interfere with patient care. Facilitates MD Social Worker/Therapist appointments and consults. Responds decisively with follow-up action to patient and visitors complaints and concerns. Manages up issues that are not immediately resolved to charge nurse, clinical manager/director. Receives and directs phone calls and serves as the receptionist for the department. Answers call buttons. Acts as resource person to patients, families, nursing staff, and support services in the unit. Operates a variety of office equipment effectively.Assist in other duties as assigned to support the operational needs of the department and organization. May be required to remain on campus immediately before, during, and after severe weather and/or disasters. **Minimum Education**
   + High School Diploma or Equivalent Required
   
   **Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities**
   
   + Ability to communicate effectively and document information accurately.
   
   + Ability to deal efficiently and effectively with a wide variety of individuals.
   
   + Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
   
   + Basic computer knowledge.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right unit coordinator for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with unit coordinator 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 unit coordinator

   Once you've decided on a perfect unit coordinator 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new unit coordinator. 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a unit coordinator?