Resident Care Coordinator Career
How to Become a Resident Care Coordinator
An integral part of any successful care team, a resident care coordinator helps to ensure successful day-to-day operations at a nursing home, assisted living facility, or adult healthcare facility. Resident care coordinators make decisions that improve patient outcomes and implement treatment plans that help patients enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
Resident care coordinators are responsible for nearly all aspects of an adult care facility’s operations. They will implement treatment modalities, analyze data reports, connect with patients, meet with department representatives, and hire staff whenever necessary.
If you’re someone with a passion for adult healthcare and you’re looking to leverage skills in treatment planning and communication, then the role of a resident care coordinator could be ideal for you.
What Is a Resident Care Coordinator?
A resident care coordinator keeps a nursing home, assisted living center, or other adult care center functioning smoothly. They onboard new employees, correspond with care providers, and audit facility programs to ensure that goals are met and patients are appropriately cared for. A resident care coordinator oversees and manages the care provided to residents in assisted living or board-and-care facilities.
In certain healthcare environments, resident care coordinators can be referred to as residential care facilitators or residential care coordinators. The job responsibilities of this position remain essentially the same no matter the exact job title.
The role of a resident care coordinator requires both an undergraduate and master’s degree. In addition, employers will likely prioritize applicants with experience in the fields of leadership and healthcare.
What Does a Resident Care Coordinator Do?
As a resident care coordinator, you’ll be responsible for a variety of daily duties. On some days, you might communicate directly with patients to identify and satisfy their needs. On other days, you might collaborate with care providers to establish and fulfill patient treatment plans.
The exact responsibilities of a residential care coordinator can include:
- Overseeing all daily operations of an adult care facility.
- Implementing policies that contribute to short- and long-term patient health.
- Ensuring continued compliance with all local, state, and federal healthcare laws.
- Communicating with all facility staff members, including care providers, department representatives, and executives.
- Balancing facility budgets in ways that generate sufficient returns on all investments.
- Deciding on treatment plans that accommodate each patient’s current state.
- Empathizing with patient situations and working with them to achieve improved outcomes.
- Hiring new employees that complement an adult care facility’s existing workforce.
- Firing employees whenever necessary.
- Training new employees in all current policies and procedures.
- Evaluating and reporting on facility employee job performances.
These and other duties allow resident care coordinators to manage nearly all aspects of an adult care facility’s daily operations.
What Education Does a Resident Care Coordinator Need?
Before aspiring resident care coordinators can begin work, they will need to satisfy a few educational requirements. After obtaining your undergraduate degree, you’ll also need to complete a Master of Healthcare Administration or an MBA in healthcare management program. When determining the right healthcare leadership degree for you, consider your desired role.
Health and Human Services – B.S.
An online health degree program for students who are committed...
An online health degree program for students who...
An online health degree program for students who are committed to making a difference for patients in a variety of ways.
- Time: 95% of students finish similar programs faster than the traditional 4 years.
- Tuition and fees: $4,085 per 6-month term.
Sample careers and jobs this degree will prepare you for:
- Care coordinator
- Patient advocate
- Health services coordinator
- Patient educator
- Community health educator
This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also directly working with patients who need help.
College of Health Professions
Master of Healthcare Administration
A master's focused on managing comprehensive, value-based care,...
A master's focused on managing comprehensive,...
A master's focused on managing comprehensive, value-based care, directly in line with innovations in health and healthcare.
- Time: 78% of grads finish within 18-24 months.
- Tuition and fees: $4,755 per 6-month term.
Examples of careers and jobs this degree will prepare you for:
- Managed care executive
- Director of integrated care management
- Health center manager/clinic manager
- Director of integrated facilities
Your rich experience in a health-related field can mean more when you bring a master's level of understanding to the problems that organizations need to solve.
Compare degrees
This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees by clicking the button below.
College of Health Professions
Healthcare Administration – B.S. Business Administration
You can become a healthcare industry leader:...
You can become a healthcare industry leader:...
You can become a healthcare industry leader:
Compare with B.S. Health Information Management
- Time: 73% of graduates finish within 30 months.
- Tuition: $3,755 per 6-month term.
Sample careers and jobs this business degree will prepare you for:
- Health information manager
- Community service manager
- Clinical manager
- Medical records manager
- Social service manager
The online courses in this career-focused business degree program will prepare you with management-level skills and an up-to-date understanding of our healthcare delivery system.
College of Business
MBA Healthcare Management
Prepare for a career leading private or public healthcare...
Prepare for a career leading private or public...
Prepare for a career leading private or public healthcare organizations.
- Time: Graduates can finish within 12 months.
- Tuition: $4,755 per 6-month term.
Some careers and jobs this business degree will prepare you for:
- President and CEO
- Vice president
- Administrative director
- Chief financial officer
- Other executive-level roles
Healthcare is big business in today's complex economy. Steer your career with this specialty MBA.
Compare online business degrees
This program is not the only online business degree WGU offers that is designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees by clicking the button below.
College of Business
Our Online University Degree Programs Start on the First of Every Month, All Year Long
No need to wait for spring or fall semester. It's back-to-school time at WGU year-round. Get started by talking to an Enrollment Counselor today, and you'll be on your way to realizing your dream of a bachelor's or master's degree—sooner than you might think!
What Skills Does a Resident Care Coordinator Need?
Resident care coordinators depend on a variety of skills. Whether they’re implementing treatment plans or balancing a facility’s departmental budgets, resident care coordinators depend on developed skill sets to foster positive change each day.
The skills a resident care coordinator needs can include:
- Patient management. The ability to appropriately care for all residents at a nursing home, assisted living facility, or other adult care center.
- Treatment planning. The ability to draft and implement treatment programs that benefit residents on an individual basis.
- Budgeting. The ability to allocate financial resources appropriately across an adult care facility.
- Staffing. The ability to hire new employees that reflect a facility’s mission and mindset while firing employees who no longer fit that vision.
- Training. The ability to teach any new employees how to properly operate in an adult care facility.
- Interpersonal communication. The ability to correspond with care providers, residents, and facility employees whenever necessary.
- Public speaking. The ability to confidently address facility employees and residents.
- Leadership. The ability to guide an adult care facility toward sustained success, leading by example in advocating for high levels of residential care.
- Problem-solving. The ability to identify and solve problems that might affect facility operations, residents, or employees.
- Data analysis. The ability to assess data sets and identify patterns that can indicate opportunities for further improvements across an adult care facility.
These and other skills help resident care coordinators to guide adult care facilities toward success while working to ensure that each patient feels valued and prioritized.
How Much Does a Resident Care Coordinator Make?
$37,274
The exact income of a resident care coordinator can vary, based on factors that include their employer, employer’s location, years of experience, and education. On average, the salary of a resident care coordinator is $37,274, with a range of roughly $18,500 to $51,500 earned each year.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
32%
The job outlook for resident care coordinators is expected to remain positive in future years. Employment for all medical and health services managers is forecasted to grow 32% from 2019 to 2029, a growth rate well above the average across all occupations.
Where Do Resident Care Coordinators Work?
Varies
Resident care coordinators can work in a variety of locations, typically depending on the nature of their hire. Some resident care coordinators might work in larger healthcare environments alongside other coordinators to guide decisions and inform more efficient operations. Conversely, a resident care coordinator employed by a smaller facility might work in a more independent role, though responsibilities will remain largely the same.
Resident care coordinators can work in locations such as hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, inpatient or partial hospitalization facilities, outpatient facilities, private doctors' offices, or medical research centers.
Resident Care Coordinator FAQ's
What skills do you need to be a care coordinator?
A care coordinator should be empathetic and compassionate. They should also be strong communicators and have strong organizational and communication skills.
What is an RCC at a nursing home?
A resident care coordinator oversees and manages the care provided to residents in assisted living or board-and-care facilities. Their responsibilities include planning patient care, overseeing operations such as hiring, training, supervising, and scheduling care managers and MCS’s, as well as monitoring patient health care routines.
Is a care coordinator a good job?
The care coordinator is often the most important and impactful role in the care of an individual patient. As a result, it can be an extremely rewarding and challenging role.