Heath Unit Coordinator (HUC) – An Important Role
The role of the Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) is vital to the operations of the patient floor in any healthcare facility. Veterans Memorial Hospital health unit coordinators help maintain the flow of patient care, providing support and communication to all staff and families on the patient floor.
A large piece of the role of the Health Unit Coordinator is registering ER patients, receiving incoming calls, and coordinating patient admissions, transfers, and discharges. The work is very different every shift keeping the job interesting.
Becki Estebo has been a Health Unit Coordinator at Veterans Memorial Hospital for five years. She feels the position is an important role for both the inpatient floor and ER departments. She states, “I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field and felt this would be a good fit as I love helping and caring for others.”
Erin O’Neill, who is also a HUC, states, “I love working as a HUC. I get to be a support for the nurses, making sure paperwork and behind-the-scenes work are being taken care of. Being able to make their day go soother is very rewarding. I have loved it so much that it has even inspired me to go back to school for nursing myself! And I can do that thanks to the flexible hours the hospital allows me to have.”
Alyssa Hilleshiem is also a Health Unit Coordinator and states, “I did not even know there was a position out there like this until I saw it advertised. The HUC position is not talked about often, but it has a huge role in health care!”
The Health Unit Coordinator at Veterans Memorial Hospital can be found at the nurse’s station or the ER registration desk.
“Our HUCs play a very important role here, saving nurses and paramedics a significant amount of time,” states Jayne McCormick, Chief Nursing Officer. “They also play a pivotal role in collecting information needed to properly bill insurance companies.”
