Finding your dream job is the process of figuring out where your professional passion lies while finding a job that matches it. influencing factors such as salary, future growth, work environment, and personal satisfaction are often taken into consideration when deciding on a career path. Many choose to enter the industry of healthcare due to the increasing demand as well as the satisfying earnings in the field. Today, we’re going to discuss a popular career choice from the healthcare industry, Health Unit Coordinator.
What is Health Unit Coordinator?
Health Unit Coordinators (HUCs) support patients, physicians, facilitators and other medical staff in many healthcare settings. It is their duty to keep the facility organized and coordinates communication between patients and facility staff.
Health Unit Coordinators primarily work in an office environment in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, or nursing homes. A lot of HUC’s tasks involve paperwork, scheduling, as well as a variety of different clerical duties. All health facilities are in need of at least on Health Unit Coordinator, and many employ multiple HUCs. Potential locations for HUC employment include hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, insurance companies, private physician practices, public health clinics, rehab centers, and more. With such a high demand, finding employment in the field is a fairly straightforward process that yields results quickly.
What does HUCs do on the job?
As a Health Unit Coordinator, it is your responsibility to greet and check in patients, schedule appointments, manage patient database, and perform other clerical duties. You may also be in charge of compiling patients’ charts, transcribing physicians’ orders, and preparing birth or death certificates. The job duties of a Health Unit Coordinator vary depending on the work environment. Some of the HUC’s responsibilities include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
- Order supplies
- Schedule procedures and appointments
- Collecting and organizing medical records
- Greet and receive new patients as they arrive
- Prepare discharge or admission forms
- Graphing vital signs readings
- Prepare death or birth certificates
- Compile charts
- Transcribe orders from physicians
In summary, Health Unit Coordinator is an essential supporting role in the healthcare sector. They help maintain the overall order of the facility, coordinate communications between staff and patients, as well as handling a wide range of clerical duties. Most of HUC’s work is performed under the supervision of registered physicians or nurses.
What kind of education is needed?
The education required to become a health unit coordinator varies depending upon the employer. In common situations, a degree or diploma from high school, vocational institution, or community college is sufficient for entry level HUC positions. Also, most HUC jobs provide a few weeks of on-the-job training. At the Academy of Learning College, we have a professionally designed Health Unit Coordinator Program to get students employment-ready and comprehensively-trained. Successful graduates will achieve the Certified Medical Assisting Professional (CMAP) designation in addition to their certificate. These graduates are fully qualified to work in a hands-on administrative and clinical support capacity in the medical industry. This program provides students with the base knowledge, skills, and work experience to become permanently employable in a medical or hospital setting.
How much are they paid?
In Canada, the average pay for a Health Unit Coordinator is C$41,503 per year, or $21-$23 per hour. The pay for HUCs is mainly influenced by location, followed by the specific employer and experience level. Women make up for the majority of Health Unit Coordinators. Most Health Unit Coordinators like their work and job satisfaction is high. Also, for HUCs, medical benefits are awarded to a strong majority, and a fair number earn dental coverage.
The popular next-step career options for a lot of HUCs include Registered Nurse, which brings a significant increase upon the income, Health Unit Clerk, or Administrative Assistant.
As the largest career college in Canada with 50 campuses across the country, Academy of Learning College attributes the growth in our success to identifying the gap between the formal education available and the realities of the working world. We fulfill the needs of learners by developing customized programs for each student, while meeting the requirements for convenient and effective training at an affordable cost. Browse our program list by province and find the best program that suits your needs!