Health Unit Coordinator Career & Jobs: Training, Salary & Certification Requirements

We’ve all seen hospital dramas on television that act out the intense situations that doctors and nurses have to deal with on a daily basis. The doctors and surgeons stride into the room and immediately grab the patient’s charts off of the end of the bed, flip through the pages, and then deliver the diagnoses with a concerned look. Although the drama isn’t necessarily involved in real medical situations, the charts are real, and they are vital to medical care. The professionals that are responsible for creating and maintaining these charts, as well as a host of other administrative duties, are known as health unit coordinators. It is the responsibility of the health unit coordinator to communicate patient concerns and requests to the doctors and nurses, as well as to record their vital signs and alert medical staff of any abnormalities.

Salary Outlook

Average Annual Salary
$25,400
Salary Range
$21,600 - $33,300

Work Environment

Because they are needed anywhere medical treatments occur and where medical records are kept, health unit coordinators are employed at a large variety of different institutions. It is most common for them to be employed at hospitals, nursing homes, government agencies, public health clinics and hospice organizations. These are not always salaried positions, and it might be possible to work both full and part time.

High School Preparation

Those students who think that they might enjoy a career as a health unit coordinator should be aware that although they will not be administering treatment like a doctor, they will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining patient’s level of comfort and records. This means that subjects like algebra, biology, chemistry, psychology, foreign language, and sociology should be studied in high school. Knowledge of computers and data processing is also helpful.

Requirements

After completing high school or receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma, it is important that students seek out a program that will train them to become a health unit coordinator. These programs are usually offered at community colleges or medical vocational schools. Although it is not required, there is a national certification exam for health unit coordination offered by the National Association of Health Unit Coordinators.

Career Outlook

It is predicted that the health unit coordination industry will increase at a rapid pace over the next ten years. This means that there will be an expected twenty-five percent growth in the number of jobs that are available for trained health unit coordinators. Because of increased access to medical care, the elderly population is expanding, and will be seeking medical treatments much longer into their lives. Health unit coordinators are needed to help keep records and patient information organized.

Professional Organizations

National Association of Health Unit Coordinators
1947 Madron Road
Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: (888) 22-NAHUC
www.nahuc.org