Surgery Coordinator vs RN

[Arcasian]

Hello Everyone,

A friend of mine that is a COO of a cosmetic surgery group in the Greater Los Angeles asked me if I would be interested in working for his company. The position would be a surgery coordinator and may have career advancements to some degree. Problem is I don't know anything about this field...

To give you a little background of myself and my current situation. I am a 42 year old male and have my own business in the commercial real estate brokerage industry. I have a BS degree in Business Administration. I have been in sales since my college days 24 years ago. The reason I'm exploring nursing is I really want to help others and place a smile on their face, and also have some financial security. Currently, I am planning to attend WCU in August, 2018. My original plan is to work in the ER for 2-3 years before settling into something else (possibly attaining a MSN to become an NP or exploring the notion of becoming a traveling nurse so I can also sell residential real estate). I understand there are many career paths in nursing.

Does anyone have any insight or advice? My instinct tells me to stay the course for nursing, but I don't want to leave any opportunities out. Thank you.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

What exactly is the role of surgical coordinator that is being referred to? In my hospital OR, the surgical specialty coordinators are responsible for management of the specialty team, ordering supplies and maintaining par levels, working with vendors to bring in specialty requests, and facilitating the scheduling of cases when those who work in the actual scheduling department have questions about conflicts where too many of a supply or piece of equipment is needed at the same time/asking about length of time to book the OR for a case involving multiple surgeries, etc. It's not a position for someone without experience. If that is the type of position you are being offered, I would have to say that it's not the fit for someone who doesn't have experience working in an OR.

[Arcasian]

Here's the job posting they placed a couple weeks ago. My friend just reached out to me 2 days ago.

TITLE: SURGERY COORDINATOR

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Management of multiple projects/tasks simultaneously

• Honesty, discretion and well-organized with attention to detail

• Superior Customer Service skills, flexible and proactive

• Excellent written, oral communication skills, and knowledge of medical terminology

• Analytical

• Literate in medical management software and Microsoft Office preferred

• Familiarity with Electronic Medical Records

• Ability to work independently and as a team member

• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines

• Strong sales and marketing experience preferred

• Regular travel

Additionally, my friend told me that the position would be pre-op and possibly post-op working with the scheduling of surgeries. He told me they use NextGen software so I would have to be well-versed in that before coordinating the dates, times, and location with the applicable doctors and patients. There would be some front desk duties too.

Thanks for your quick response. I really appreciate it.