Care coordinators are healthcare professionals trained to assist patients with chronic or extended illnesses. Care coordinators are largely women and have historically worked more in private institutions as opposed to public or government institutions. To do well in this position you will need to have a healthcare background and educational experience. Only around 40% of care coordinators have bachelor's degrees, with most others having associate's degrees, diplomas, and other certifications. This guide will show you 3 care coordinator positions, give you a recruiter-approved resume sample for each, and list tips that will help elevate your resume to cinch your dream care coordinator job.
Jump to a resource:
Get advice on each section of your resume:
A care coordinator is first and foremost a trained healthcare professional. In this position, you are tasked with helping a patient manage their healthcare. You may be dealing with patients with a disability, deteriorating health, or slow recovery. Your tasks will include educating the patient and their families about their condition, creating a plan for their care, scheduling hospital visits, coordinating with other healthcare professionals dealing with the patient, evaluating the patient’s progress, etc. Healthcare certification is critically essential, as is experience. Show both in your resume to attract recruiters. This position also requires you to be empathetic and discreet. Take a look at this resume from an accomplished care coordinator.
Outside of your interactions with the patient, there is also significant administrative and management work involved in coordinating the care for patients. Ensure that your resume also shows recruiters that you are skilled in this aspect of the job. This applicant ‘coordinated care for 700 patients’ and ‘ supervised a staff of 33 home health aides’.
Having the right educational background or certification is essential in the healthcare field, so ensure that you have checked the requirements for the job you are applying for and that you fit the bill. Because of the regulations in the field, it is unlikely that you will be considered for a position that requires certification you do not yet have.
As the name suggests, a patient care coordinator is very patient-focused. You could almost call them advocates and caretakers for patients suffering prolonged illness or disability. Your tasks will include creating a care plan, educating patients on their illness and treatment plan, being the middleman between healthcare institutions and the patient, etc.
Apart from having the required certification, you will need to have excellent communication skills as well as empathy and patience when it comes to the patient. Use this resume sample to elevate yours.
Because this position requires interaction with patients and coordinating with other healthcare professionals interacting with patients, highlight experiences where you dealt with patients regularly and any noticeable success or recognition you got as a result. It will show recruiters that you are well versed in how patients need to be cared for and that you are experienced doing the same.
There are industry standard tools that healthcare professionals use to care for patients. Show recruiters that you are qualified and experienced by having your tools list reflect industry standards. Also, make sure you continually update this list as you learn to use new tools. Lastly, if you complete any courses that teach you how to use these tools, list these as well.
A home care coordinator ensures that elderly patients or any other patient who is receiving care at home has everything they need in the way of healthcare. You will be responsible for ensuring an adequate healthcare program is in place, you will supervise and evaluate home care technicians, you will coordinate the delivery and use of all medical equipment, and you will make recommendations to improve care, among other functions.
This job requires different certifications and/or licenses depending on where you would like to work. Do your research to make sure you are properly licensed in the region you would like to work in. Also, ensure you state your certifications and licenses clearly in your resume to avoid being overlooked.
As a coordinator, you are bound to be in charge of the care of multiple patients at once. If you have a history of handling an impressive amount of patients in a given period, make sure you highlight that and include figures. It’s an easy way to impress recruiters and show them what you can do/handle.
We interviewed hiring managers at top healthcare companies like UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and Centene Corporation to get their insights on what makes a great Care Coordinator resume. Based on their feedback and our expertise, here are six essential tips to help your resume stand out and increase your chances of landing an interview.
Hiring managers want to see that you have relevant experience in care coordination. Be specific about your roles and responsibilities in previous positions.
Avoid vague or generic descriptions that don't showcase your unique contributions.
A resume summary for a Care Coordinator role is optional, but it can be a great way to provide additional context about your experience and skills that may not be immediately apparent from the rest of your resume. It's especially useful if you're changing careers or have a lot of relevant experience to highlight. However, avoid using an objective statement, as it's outdated and doesn't add value to your resume.
When writing your summary, focus on showcasing your most relevant qualifications and achievements, using metrics where possible. Tailor it to the specific Care Coordinator role you're targeting, and include relevant keywords to help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS). Keep it concise, ideally no more than a paragraph, and avoid duplicating information that's already in your resume.
The work experience section is the core of your care coordinator resume. It's your chance to show hiring managers how you've excelled in previous roles. To make the most impact, focus on your most relevant experiences and highlight your key accomplishments.
Let's look at how to write your work experience section step-by-step, with examples of what to do and what to avoid.
A care coordinator needs to be a good manager/leader and good healthcare professional. Highlight both functions using strong action verbs. For example, using verbs like ‘led’ ‘coordinated’ and ‘trained’ are all strong action verbs that point to your leadership capabilities.
Here is a list of action verbs to help you highlight the dualistic functions of your job. Using action verbs like these will show recruiters your balanced skill set and previous experience.
For more related action verbs, visit Nursing Action Verbs.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
Care coordinators need to have a mix of both administrative/management skills as well as healthcare-related skills. You need to ensure your skills list is balanced between these two functions.
We have compiled a list of recruiter-approved skills that will help elevate your care coordinator resume. Add all those that resonate with your skill set.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Care Coordinator job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
