Resident Advisor Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post presents detailed information on the resident advisor job description, including the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements that you may be expected to meet to be hired for the resident advisor role.

What Does a Resident Advisor Do?

A resident advisor is responsible for observing, documenting, and reporting of the residents’ behaviors, enforcing the rules and regulations of the facility and attending to emergencies.

The resident advisor job description entails making rounds every hour during their work shift to ensure that each resident is in their rooms, not in an inappropriate state or situation.

It also involves providing assistance as needed, such as getting glasses of water or medications.

The specific duties carried out by the resident advisor depend on the type of residence they are working in, such as residence for elderly people or for students.

Resident advisors working in a residence facility for the elderly interact with the patients during scheduled times such as meals, activities, and treatments in order to observe their behavior and gauge the effectiveness of the treatment being implemented.

They ensure that all medical forms are filled out accurately and that they are properly signed by all parties involved, including patients and other nursing and medical staff.

It is also the duty of the resident advisor to ensure that all residents are properly dressed according to their level of risk.

They are also responsible for ensuring that all bed rails and lockers are in working order.

It is also their responsibility to make sure that there is adequate lighting and ventilation in each ward (i.e., rooms or areas)

The resident advisor work description also involves ensuring that the facility complies with all state and federal laws.

It also entails reading and understanding all documents to ensure compliance.

Resident advisors may be asked to perform other duties as requested by the administrator or medical director of the facility.

They inform patients about their rights and provide them with the necessary paperwork in case of an emergency or death (i.e., patient’s bill of rights, advance directives, etc.).

They also perform daily cleaning chores such as disinfecting furniture, making beds and taking out trash in order to maintain a clean environment for both patients and staff.

Resident advisors ensure that all equipment necessary for patients are present and functioning properly.

They make sure that all schedules for different areas of the facility are up-to-date at all times.

Resident Advisor Job Description Sample/Example/Template

The resident advisor job description in a student’s residence will consist of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Observe resident to ensure that the resident is conducting himself or herself in an acceptable manner
• Address questions and concerns of residents
• Maintain a log of all interactions with residents, including date and time, nature of interaction, and responsible party (including self)
• Mediate conflicts or complaints between residents, when necessary
• Remind residents to lock common area doors at night and report any problems regarding security of residence hall rooms to appropriate staff member/department head immediately upon discovery (e.g., windows left open)
• Report any problems with facilities to appropriate staff member/department head immediately upon discovery (e.g., broken sinks/faucets, flooding)
• Review the conduct status of residents on a regular basis with appropriate staff members
• Maintain a file of all incident reports, violations, and problems that occur in the residence hall room of each resident and maintain a file of all incident reports, violations, and problems that occurred in common areas
• Perform room inspections at least weekly or as often as duty dictates and report to residence life management any suspicious/illegal items, circumstances or conditions found during inspections (e.g., alcohol consumption, drugs)
• Complete daily assignments/calendars as directed by residence life management/staff
• Assist with general maintenance (e.g. sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming) and provide end of shift/weekend reports on maintenance completed to appropriate staff/department head
• Assist with general cleaning (e.g. cleaning sinks, doors, windows, baseboards, dusting), and provide end of shift/weekend reports on cleaning completed to appropriate staff/department head
• Assist with moving in and out of resident student rooms when necessary
• Perform public relations functions such as greeting students in a friendly manner, answering questions, helping with directions, and distributing literature, etc.

Resident Advisor Job Description for Resume

If you have worked as a resident advisor before or are presently working in that position and are making a new resume or CV, then you can make a compelling Professional Experience section for your resume by applying the sample resident advisor job description template provided above.

You can express the duties and responsibilities you have performed as a resident advisor or are currently carrying out by utilizing the ones contained in the resident advisor job description example above in your resume’s Professional Experience.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been effective performing the role of a resident advisor, which can greatly enhance your chances of being hired for the new position that you are seeking, especially if it requires someone with some resident advisor work experience.

Resident Advisor Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements that you may be asked to fulfill if you are seeking the resident advisor job:

• A sophomore or above and have completed at least 60 semester hours at the time of application
• Must have demonstrated leadership abilities through an on-campus organization, work, or extracurricular activities for at least two of the last three years prior to applying for the residence hall advisor position
• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to anticipate problems and act quickly in crisis situations, as well as handle interpersonal relationships with tact and diplomacy (e.g. interact with residents, staff, and administration)
• Strong listening and interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to a wide range of individuals and situations in order to gather information accurately
• Ability to work well independently as well as be able to work collaboratively with other staff members
• Must be able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize them accordingly
• Good understanding of appropriate behavior with regard to campus policies and procedures; standards of conduct; discipline procedures; health care directives; campus safety policies, protocols, and procedures; drug/alcohol policy/procedures; federal, state and local law enforcement regulations; etc.
• Ability to perform self-evaluations as well as deal with criticism and errors.

Resident Advisor Salary

According to Glassdoor, the national average compensation for a resident advisor in the United States is $32,803 per year.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the resident advisor career. They will be able to learn all they need to know about the resident advisor duties and responsibilities to decide if it’s the right career for them.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers in making a detailed job description for the resident advisor position for their organization for use in hiring for the role.