Job Description for a Nursing Care Coordinator
- Nursing care coordinators develops patient care plans following the orders given by physicians. Based upon the plans they develop, coordinators then work with all staff members to ensure the plan is implemented correctly.
- Nursing care coordinators assign nurses, therapists and personal care and nursing aides to work with certain patients at specific times and also make schedules for administering therapies or treatments to patients. Coordinators then read notes and charts left by the individuals who work with the patients, noting any problems with how or when care is delivered and then handling these problems when they arise.
- Most employers hire only registered nurses to work as nursing care coordinators. To become a registered nurse, students complete either a two-year associate, three-year hospital training, or four-year bachelor's degree program.
- After graduating from an education program, nurses must take an examination known as the National Council Licensure Examination in order to receive a registered nursing license in the state. To become a nursing care coordinator, nurses must typically work as registered nurses for several years, and many employers prefer this experience to be in long-term or home health care.
- As of March 2010, nursing care coordinators averaged annual salaries of $72,000, according to Indeed.com.
