Interview: Health United Coordinator Working

Interview: Health United Coordinator Working in the Emergency Department

Health unit coordinators have a variety of different responsibilities, and those responsibilities are somewhat dependent upon the unit in which a coordinator works. "Health Unit Coordinators are members of the supporting cast that helps maintain a health care facility's service and performance" (MHA Health Career Centers, 2004). Therefore, a health unit coordinator in an emergency department is responsible for helping ensure that the emergency department functions in a smooth and efficient manner. The goal of this interview was to find out the background skills and education a unit coordinator would need and what daily changes a unit coordinator would expect to face.

Narrative

I spoke with a woman named Glenda, a 63-year-old emergency department unit coordinator at my local hospital. Glenda had been working at the hospital for 32 years, and had been in the emergency department for 7 years. She has always been a clerical or supportive position at the hospital. Her specific duty is to be in charge of supplies, including medications. The emergency department at the hospital is large and receives significant business, so this is a large task. She is under the non-medical administrative branch of the hospital, though the floor nurse and supervising positions are considered managers for her position, as well. She says that she works the most closely with the nurses to monitor supplies and assess on-going supply needs.

Glenda is a high school graduate. She did not receive any education specific to her career prior to working for the hospital, but has received training classes during her time at the hospital. She does not have a 2 or 4-year degree of any sort, including healthcare. For her hospital, the base salary range for unit-coordinators is from $22,000 to $38,000, but the hospital also has a pay system based on tenure, so that the upper end of the salary range is actually just above $50,000.

The hospital does have standard written policies and procedures for her position. These policies and procedures are based upon National Association for Health Unit Coordinator's Standards of Practice (2012). Furthermore, they incorporate relevant legislation. The most important legislation referenced in the policies and procedures is HIPPAA. Many of these standards do not apply to Glenda, because her scope of duties is specifically limited to supplies. Her performance is evaluated by a manager in the administrative branch, though the head nurse and supervising physicians are also asked to evaluate her performance.

Glenda finds interactions with others to be one of the most difficult parts of her position, although she mainly communicates with other medical professionals. While she does not use any special communication skills, she has taken medical terminology classes to help her understand medical jargon. Because she is in charge of supply monitoring, she has a duty in her job position to report suspicious drug usage and prescribing by the duty physicians. This is not an ethical or legal duty that subjects her to liability, but is still a job duty. Her employer has set up a reporting system for all unit coordinators who are in charge of supplies. Furthermore, the hospital has set up privacy procedures to ensure HIPPAA compliance. Glenda is not responsible for helping meet clinical or non-clinical guidelines for patient care.

Conclusion

As a long-term hospital employee in a specialized position, Glenda's experience as a unit coordinator may differ from the average unit coordinator's experience. In addition, that she began her job so long ago suggests that her educational background may not be relevant for a modern emerging professional. However, her specialized position demonstrates that there is substantial opportunity available in the field.

Appendix 1: Interview Questions

1. How long have you been working in the hospital?

2. What are your specific duties?