A clinical facilitator or patient care facilitator fills a nursing role, seeking to deliver quality care and ensuring the continuity of care for patients in a medical facility. A clinical facilitator provides a patient with the comfort of one professional coordinating nursing services during his stay. While a patient may see several nurses during a stay in the hospital, the patient care facilitator is a constant presence, ensuring the nursing staff meets the patient's care needs. The average salary for a patient care facilitator as of March 2011 is $74,000, according to Indeed.
Job Duties
The clinical facilitator coordinates the planning of care for a patient with the patient, family and physicians. The facilitator ensures the patient and family have access to the care plan and understand the goals of the treatment or recovery plan. The facilitator schedules meetings with physicians, family and patient and acts as a liaison between the patient and caregivers. The facilitator plans the discharge of the patient and ensures the patient and family members are educated in proper at-home care.
Education
A clinical facilitator must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in nursing to qualify for a position. Facilitators are registered nurses and must meet the qualifications for licensure in the state they practice, such as passing the Nursing Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses.
Certifications
Employers may require certification in a specialty area to qualify as a clinical facilitator. The certifications required may vary from position to position, depending on the type of facility or the acute care unit. For example, the St. Vincent Heart Center requires Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certification for a patient care facilitator.
Experience
The professional must have experience as a registered nurse to work as a clinical facilitator. The hospital or healthcare facility determines the level of experience the facilitator must have to work in the position. For example, the Baptist Hospital of Miami requires three years experience within the last two years to work as a patient care facilitator.
