A clinical coordinator is a healthcare professional who manages and organizes the daily activities of various healthcare facilities. Their work is a mix of administration and patient care. Due to the wide range of responsibilities, being a clinical coordinator is a unique position to have.
The Tasks of a Clinical Coordinator:
The tasks of a clinical coordinator are hefty; they essentially help with every detail that helps a healthcare clinic run. They oversee many administrative needs such as budgeting, and managing supplies and inventory in a said medical facility. To do this they must work closely with medical professionals to make sure that the daily operations are smooth. Furthermore, to keep operations going smoothly, they help to manage contracts, assist with the training of staff, as well as supervising staff, and making sure that patient procedures are followed. A larger clinic tends to have more than one clinical coordinator to help manage the whole place while smaller clinics only have one.
Skills Needed:
Clinical coordinators need to have a variety of skills. For starters, they need to have time management skills. Clinical coordinators are the ones who need to send out the budget on time, create effective clinic schedules and make sure the clinic has supplies on time. All of these tasks require time management. Furthermore, communication and team management is another important skill to have. If you want to be a clinical coordinator you need to be able to communicate effectively to those who work in the clinic to make sure operations are going smoothly, check that there isn’t a lack of supplies, and to make sure that patient care is at the highest level they can have.
The Pros and Cons:
There are many pros and cons of being a clinical coordinator. Clinical coordinators tend to have a high salary and flexibility in scheduling. Furthermore, many clinical coordinators feel a strong job satisfaction because of the difference they make in a patient’s life. Being able to see something positive in a patient’s treatment is rewarding to many. However, they do have to deal with long hours and irregular schedules depending on how the clinic is operating that day. The workload is immense for clinical coordinators however the difference you can make in a patient’s life is worth it.
Pathway to Become:
For starters, clinical coordinators need a bachelor’s degree in health administration, nursing, or any other related field. Earning a masters degree could help further job opportunities and give you a boost in competitiveness. After that, most states require that you must be licensed. Licensure can be earned through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, or Society of Clinical Research Associations.
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