Admissions Coordinator Requirements

[SilverBells, BSN]

Hello, 

So for the past year and a half, I have been working as a rehab manager at a SNF.   I enjoyed my position for the first year or so, however, COVID has brought changes in responsibilities and changes in leadership.  Instead of being a rehab manager (because my unit has been closed for about 3 months now), per se, my roles have varied from COVID Unit Support Nurse to LTC Support Nurse and now, possibly, a Treatment Nurse (in other words, I would do treatments such as wound care, bladder scanning/catheterization, skin care, ace wraps, and other tasks the med cart nurses don't necessarily get to because our medication passes are so heavy). 

An admissions coordinator role opened up which I think would really be up my ally.  I love completing admission assessments and I am very through in them.  I also have enough experience to be a good judge whether or not an admit would be a good fit for our facility.  Additionally, I am familiar with the means of communication regarding upcoming admissions which our staff prefer.  However, my offer to learn and take on this role has been declined multiple times.   I know previously the Executive Director and DON both talked about "hiring someone with the right personality and right skill set."  They have stated that "without the right personality, a person won't thrive in this role."  I am unsure what they mean by this, because I'm not convinced the person currently fulfilling the role has those skills.   Her admission assessments aren't very complete, she often fails to complete significant portions of the admission, staff are frustrated because she communicates information about admissions via word of mouth rather than using our electronic means (such as email, internet bulletin board, etc), etc.   So I am not sure what is keeping her in the role. 

Anyone familiar with what types of "personalities" or "skillsets" they would be looking for in an Admissions Coordinator/Admissions Nurse? 

Or, if my current facility is not interested in offering me the role, what another facility might be looking for? In other words, what does a competitive applicant for an Admissions Nurse role possess? 

Thanks

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

Your credentials alone will be helpful in landing the role along with your experience working in a SNF. In my area Admission Nurses in SNF's are required to have at least 1-2 years experience in skilled/long term, in some of the facilities they will also help with house supervision so they usually look for someone who is able to "run things". They also want someone with strong clinical skills in case you're accepting a patient that is complex requiring IV's, trach care, wound vac, or if your accepting something unusual you may have to provide education to the staff regarding how to care for that patient. They also want someone who is very diplomatic, since you will be working with case managers at the local hospitals they want you be a good representation of the facility so that the referrals keep coming.

Silverbells, it is concerning to me that they moved you from Covid Support nurse, to LTC support nurse, and now treatment nurse. The constant role change could be a very negative sign that they "don't know what to do with you", now that you're fulfilling the role of the Treatment Nurse, that's a non-managerial position are they having you do this in addition to your administrative duties or have they taken those duties away from you?

It sounds like you are still hung up on the competence of the current Admission Nurse, you have got to let this go. It is very likely that your contempt has been visible to others around you and could very well be hurting your career growth at this facility. Reading your various posts, I can feel the disappointment you had regarding not getting that role, and you feel you would have excelled in the role. I get it, I've been there, many of us have been rejected from a position we wanted at some point in our careers. But when that happens and we feel resentment, that can turn into bitterness, and that can torpedo any chance you have at obtaining a new role at a job. It is very possible that this person is competent in the eyes of their manager, and even if their not, it's not your concern if you are not her direct supervisor.

I'm glad you are looking at other positions, a word of caution, a lot of LTC facilities are emptier right now more so than usual, Winter time usually brings a lot of deaths and this year even more so with COVID in addition to that fewer people are having elective surgeries so in a lot of places admissions are down so depending on your area there may not be a huge demand for Admission Nurses. 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Admissions coordinator and admissions nurse are two different roles, at least in my area. 

Admissions nurse does just that. Admits patients to the facility once financial clearance and appropriateness for facility, etc, have been completed. You have to be thorough and ready to follow up on incomplete information. No particular personality, other than helpful, as you are the first face a new admit sees. 

Admissions coordinator goes to hospitals and other facilities, trying to get admits for the facility. They handle the details of financials, logistics, appropriateness of patient, to make getting them to the facility seamless and smooth. You will require an outgoing, bubbly personality as you are communicating with hospital discharge planners, doctors offices, and other facilities. If they don't love your personality, they tend to forget you, and send the better clients (financial, mental, physical) to the coordinators that they're more friendly with. Not fair, but truthfully how it rolls. 

I've done both jobs, and enjoyed them both. Apply for the position, you may get it. 

From you other posts, and the comment you made about being passed up for admissions nurse: if you apply and don't get it, your employer/management is giving you a direct message, you will need to listen. At that point you may want to look for that position with another company if that's what you really want. As Moon pointed out, be wary, as this year, things are so different with covid. Facilities are not filling up as usual.

I'm also tossing this caveat out there, and I'm not trying to be mean or negative. Just because you think you're wonderful or perfect at a task doesn't make it so in the eyes of the person employing or interviewing you. Many times in my years of nursing, I've been passed over for things that I thought that I was perfect for. Yes, I matched the basic requirements, but another applicant checked boxes that I didn't. Most times that requirements list isn't the all inclusive skill set needed for a job role. There's always other soft skills that people use to upsell themselves. 

[SilverBells, BSN]

10 hours ago, TheMoonisMyLantern said:

Your credentials alone will be helpful in landing the role along with your experience working in a SNF. In my area Admission Nurses in SNF's are required to have at least 1-2 years experience in skilled/long term, in some of the facilities they will also help with house supervision so they usually look for someone who is able to "run things". They also want someone with strong clinical skills in case you're accepting a patient that is complex requiring IV's, trach care, wound vac, or if your accepting something unusual you may have to provide education to the staff regarding how to care for that patient. They also want someone who is very diplomatic, since you will be working with case managers at the local hospitals they want you be a good representation of the facility so that the referrals keep coming.

 Silverbells, it is concerning to me that they moved you from Covid Support nurse, to LTC support nurse, and now treatment nurse. The constant role change could be a very negative sign that they "don't know what to do with you", now that you're fulfilling the role of the Treatment Nurse, that's a non-managerial position are they having you do this in addition to your administrative duties or have they taken those duties away from you?

It sounds like you are still hung up on the competence of the current Admission Nurse, you have got to let this go. It is very likely that your contempt has been visible to others around you and could very well be hurting your career growth at this facility. Reading your various posts, I can feel the disappointment you had regarding not getting that role, and you feel you would have excelled in the role. I get it, I've been there, many of us have been rejected from a position we wanted at some point in our careers. But when that happens and we feel resentment, that can turn into bitterness, and that can torpedo any chance you have at obtaining a new role at a job. It is very possible that this person is competent in the eyes of their manager, and even if their not, it's not your concern if you are not her direct supervisor.

I'm glad you are looking at other positions, a word of caution, a lot of LTC facilities are emptier right now more so than usual, Winter time usually brings a lot of deaths and this year even more so with COVID in addition to that fewer people are having elective surgeries so in a lot of places admissions are down so depending on your area there may not be a huge demand for Admission Nurses. 

When you say they aren't sure where to place me, that's probably true in a sense.  Right now, there just aren't enough patients for there to be two rehab managers working the position.  The other manager has seniority over me in her position (although only by three months), so her role gets to stay the same, which makes sense.  I do help to cover her for when she is gone, but that still leaves many other days to find something for me to do.   Thus, I have been sent to the LTC unit for now.  While my managerial role hasn't been completely eliminated--I fulfill any of those such duties on the unit--the LTC is more in need of additional nursing help than a manager.   When I first moved to the unit, the tasks the nurses expressed in need of most help with involved taking vital signs, assisting with medications, feeding people, obtaining daily weights, and completing treatments.  I've asked them several times about helping out with daily charting and assessments and they're usually not requesting much help in those areas, if at all. 

This is where the Treatment Nurse role comes in.  Many of the nurses on the LTC unit report that they simply do not have the time to complete wound treatments and so the thought is by designating a specific person to those treatments, they will get done and the floor nurses can focus on other duties, such as their heavy med pass.  In a way, it is not necessarily a bad role for me. My assessment and documentation skills regarding wounds have always been recognized for their detail and accuracy.  This is also a good way to make sure that the wounds aren't worsening or developing an infection.  

As for the admissions role, there's probably no way to know the full truth regarding their decision to assign the position to someone else.  It's possible that, with one person working in their full time, and two others who are partially trained to help, they simply do not need another person to assist with selecting and admitting patients.  It may have nothing to do with my personality, as there was another person whom they felt would do well in the role due to her personality but chose not to pursue her because she does so well in her current position.   Or it could be that I am lacking in an area and this is their subtle way of telling me so.  It's possible they are questioning my clinical skills since I was promoted before we started accepting higher acuity patients and have no previous nursing experience elsewhere.  I may find flaws in the way this person is doing her job, but, as you mentioned, maybe the supervisors don't feel the same way.  Regardless, it probably doesn't bode well for me if the only tasks/skills I ever express learning are hands-off skills or those that don't involve direct patient care.  It's also possible I may receive more 'honest' feedback than I would rather have if I keep pursuing admission tasks. 

[SilverBells, BSN]

Update:  I've decided to back off with my obsession with admissions.  Yes, it's great that I'm eager to assist with them, but when that interferes with my ability and willingness to complete other important tasks, then that is problematic.  Therefore, today I stepped back when an admission came in for the other unit.  I allowed the nurses working on that unit to take care of that patient's needs while I focused on my own patients.   I did not follow up on their assessments or look through orders to make sure everything is there.   Maybe everything is correct, maybe it is not...but this time it was someone else's responsibility. 

I actually felt a bit relieved to let someone else do an admission for a change.  It was nice to not have to work 16+ hours and stay until midnight or later. 

And who knows? Maybe the fact that I was staying late all the time completing admissions is part of the reason they've reduced my role in them. 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

You're right to back off. But remember, this is not going to change your reputation in a week or month. You'll need to do this long term. Keep up the good work. Stay in your lane, except when asked to step into another role. You'll slip up at times, but just back up and start new each day. Good luck with changes

[Golden_RN, MSN]

I just wanted to add that in my experience admissions coordinators need not only clinical skills/supervisory skills/communication skills but also knowledge in Medicare/Medicaid/Insurance.  If you're thinking of this in the future, consider seeking out training in the insurance/financial side of LTC.