Clinical education coordinators play key roles in the education of future health professionals

These professionals work behind the scenes to ensure that students have positive, specialty-aligned experiences during their clinical rotations

Clinical education coordinators — also referred to as clinical coordinators, placement coordinators, or a host of other titles — play a vital role in the medical field. Although there are often several differences between job descriptions from one organization to another, these professionals generally connect students in health professions, such as nursing, with the healthcare systems that will provide hands-on training opportunities.

These clinical coordinators manage clinical assignments, track the completion of requirements, and manage agreements between educational institutions and healthcare settings like hospitals and health systems. They typically have a background in healthcare and are often educators in their specific fields.

Autumn Greco, a clinical nurse educator at McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital, described her role fondly: "What I love most about being a clinical nurse educator is creating a safe space for new graduate nurses to learn and grow in their first few months of working at McLaren. I love engaging in dialogue about complex concepts, using our SIM mannequin to integrate into scenarios, and seeing the 'aha' moment happen when our nurses have connected the dots. I believe that creating a space for them to feel supported in their learning is one of the best things I can do!"

What skills are needed for this role?
Professionals who serve in this role may have the title of clinical education coordinator and serve full-time in this position, while others perform these duties as part of their role in other positions.

Clinical education coordinator jobs require a diverse array of talents, including leadership abilities, an ease with interpersonal interactions, and excellent verbal and written communication, along with data tracking, time management, and organizational skills. Coordinators are often clinicians, such as nurses, who transition from direct patient care roles to this role, allowing them to use their expertise to ensure students achieve their educational objectives.

Stacy Gradowski, who works with clinical coordinators in her role as Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for ACEMAPP, says that she enjoys working with professionals in this field because they are invested in helping students transition from their educational programs to full-time employment.

"Clinical coordinators are really invested in the education of students in health professions," Gradowski says. "Not only do they work hard to help students have a positive experience in their clinical rotations — the tracking and assessments they undertake to ensure that educational goals and objectives are being met every step of the way."

What resources are available to clinical education coordinators?
When it comes to organizing rotations and assessing requirements, a clinical coordinator may build manual trackers using spreadsheets or rely on specially calibrated software designed for their needs. Coordinators around the country utilize ACEMAPP, a long-established software platform developed by the nonprofit Michigan Health Council (MHC).

ACEMAPP provides consultation throughout the onboarding process and helps to establish a customized set-up process for each organization based on its needs. ACEMAPP representatives meet with the organization to identify goals and make recommendations. The implementation team works across multiple departments to ensure everyone has access to the information they need to make the experience seamless. Traditionally, healthcare institutions with established departments operate independently of each other, making it inefficient for coordinators to do their work.

ACEMAPP offers high-level insights and support to coordinators. The ACEMAPP support team works across multiple disciplines and is available to answer questions through a help desk. ACEMAPP provides articles and video training in its ACEMAPP Help Desk to keep essential information and instructions at a coordinator's fingertips. ACEMAPP also offers remote training events to keep coordinators up-to-date on evolving practices.

Do we need more clinical education coordinators?
The demand for healthcare professionals continues to grow in the United States, especially as significant shortages are predicted in the coming years.

Craig Donahue, Vice President, and COO at MHC, which tracks the prospects of health professions through its MHC insightdata center, says the need for clinical education coordinators cannot be overstated.

"Solving the looming shortage of health sector professionals will require coordinated efforts across states and the nation," Donahue says. "Clinical education coordinators serve as key links between institutions that educate future health professionals and the workplaces looking to fill positions urgently — for this reason, the importance of these roles will continue to grow over time."

As the essential link between educational institutions and the workplace, clinical coordinators need to maximize their capacity to get as many of these health professional students into their rotations as possible. The healthcare field is in need of workers and clinical coordinators to help provide the on-site training opportunity that rounds out the educational experience and prepares the student to enter the field. ACEMAPP excels at providing tools that allow coordinators to keep up with this fast-paced role, helping health systems access a valuable pool of qualified candidates.

How can you connect with additional resources related to clinical coordinators?
Clinical education coordinators who have not yet transitioned to an online platform that helps save time and resources can set up a free demo of ACEMAPP by going to acemapp.org/contact.