A referral manager is often a nursing professional responsible for communicating with individuals who inquire about admittance into a nursing facility. He or she is also responsible for performing marketing tasks, such as learning about competitors' behaviors and strengthening a facility's relationship with the community in which it is located. In many cases, a referral manager may also be responsible for dictating and upholding the principles and practices followed by his or her facility. In other words, this kind of manager takes part in determining the kind of image his or her facility has and how it should be perceived by a community.
Individuals who become referral managers tend to have backgrounds in nursing. This means that they often hold some kind of nursing certification and also have several years of experience treating patients. They also have experience as administrative professionals, which include organizing medical records and performing financial tasks. In many cases, referral managers also often have experience in marketing and advertising.
Marketing is a key function of a referral manager. When this kind of nursing professional works for a company that is made up of several facilities, he or she is responsible for learning about each facility's image in its respective community. He or she might work with marketing professionals to develop advertisements and other campaigns to improve a facility's image.
A referral manager is also a sales professional. He or she might go out into a community to meet with individuals who are interested in a facility's services. In some cases, he or she might develop strategic relationships with businesses and community organizations that are beneficial to a facility.
As a sales professional, a referral manager should be concerned with reaching closure. In other words, a manager might define his or her success by his or her ability to satisfy potential clients and business connections and finalize negotiations. It is also common for a referral manager to meet new referral sources, such as medical professionals, and to manage these relationships.
A referral manager is also responsible for communicating regularly with management and staff members. For example, he or she might meet with nurses to discuss new admittances into a facility and new initiatives that can help to improve the image and overall success of a nursing facility. He or she also meets with management to discuss the sales of data and to create strategies for market optimization and growth.
