Surgical Coordinator Job Description
Surgical coordinators spend a lot of their time on the telephone, hashing out the details of each surgery procedure that they are responsible for. But their work is certainly not limited to the telephone.
They also spend a lot of time in surgical units or rooms where they make sure that appropriate arrangements are made for all due surgical procedures.
The main employers of surgical coordinators are large hospitals or clinics that are dedicated to surgical procedures. These facilities hire the services of a surgical coordinator to make sure that all the aspects of the surgery are handled in an efficient manner so that the actual surgery is done without hitches or problems.
There is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of a surgical coordinator as he or she has to make sure that each procedure is done on time, and that any emergency procedures are also fitted in.
It is imperative to possess an organized mind and the ability to handle multiple things at the same time if you want to work as a surgical coordinator. A high school diploma or equivalent is necessary to qualify for this position – relevant experience in the field may increase your chances of employment.
Here is a list of job duties that a surgical coordinator is expected to perform when working in this position. You can use these job duties statements to build a surgical coordinator resume.
Surgical Coordinator Duties for Resume
- Schedule surgical cases to assigned medical staff, based on priority and medical emergency basis.
- Work with the surgical scheduling team to ensure that all cases are scheduled in a timely manner and in accordance with the physician’s direction.
- Coordinate surgical interventions and arrange for all necessary equipment and instruments to be present at the time of the surgery.
- Provide pre-operative instructions to patients and explain what to expect in recovery rooms.
- Monitor incoming patient information from various sources and ensure that all information is properly scanned and entered into patients’ files.
- Ensure that all pre-surgical forms and medical clearance documents are present, complete, and accurate.
- Coordinate efforts with the clinical operations manager to improve surgery block time and release any unused time.
- Determine emergent cases and ensure that they are fitted into the surgical schedule on a priority basis.
- Seek approvals surrounding physicians’ schedules and schedule and follow up on post-operative visits.
- Interact with patients and families to facilitate the accurate flow of information and ensure increased responsiveness.
- Work with patients’ insurance companies to obtain necessary documents and authorizations for payments for surgical procedures.