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How to Become a Health Unit Coordinator: Education & Licensing

Discover what you’ll do in a health unit coordinator career.

The Basics

What you’ll do: You’ll handle everything from maintaining patient charts and scheduling diagnostic tests to ordering supplies and transcribing doctor’s orders. You’ll also receive new patients and give information and directions to visitors. Because you’ll serve as an important link between departments, physicians, nursing staff and patients and their visitors, you’ll need to have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Where you’ll work: Hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, public health care agencies, nursing homes

Degree you’ll need: High school diploma plus 6-month to 1-year certificate or diploma program

Average annual salary: $38,090*

Health Unit Coordinator Training

In addition to having your GED or high school diploma, you’ll need to complete a unit coordinator program, usually a 6-month to 1-year certificate or diploma program. In the training programs, students receive a combination of classroom and clinical training. You’ll learn clerical skills, medical terminology, hospital organization, legal and ethical responsibilities, and transcription of doctors’ orders.

Health Unit Coordinator Licensure

National certification is optional, but some employers may require it. After you graduate from an accredited unit coordinator program, you’ll qualify to sit for the National Health Unit Coordinator Certification Examination (NHUCCE). Successful completion results in the title of Certified Health Unit Coordinator (CHUC).

_{Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics; Medical Secretaries.}

*The salary information listed is based on a national average, unless noted. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors. National long-term projections of employment growth may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth.