Wilson College Online Blog

There are many steps involved in navigating the healthcare system that can be daunting to patients who are unfamiliar with the process. Patient advocates are professionals who help make accessing and managing the logistics of the healthcare process smoother for patients, families, caregivers, and anyone involved in deciding the best type of care for a patient. 

Patient advocates function as guides for patients, helping them manage various aspects of the healthcare process, from speaking with specialists to scheduling medical procedures. Individuals who are interested in pursuing a career as a patient advocate should consider the responsibilities of the role, the education and experience required, and the potential salary they may earn. 

What Does a Patient Advocate Do?

Patient advocates support patients and their families and caregivers. Their primary responsibilities are educating, communicating, and scheduling. 

Educate Patients

Patient advocates have a wealth of knowledge about the healthcare industry, making them an invaluable resource for translating medical jargon into language that patients can understand. A patient advocate helps all parties involved build a greater understanding of a diagnosis and what the next steps entail. The greater understanding a patient has of their situation, the more informed their decisions can be.

Verify Insurance Coverage

Though a patient may be familiar with their insurance policy, a patient advocate will verify their coverage before appointments. This assistance ensures the patient can make the most informed and financially sound decisions about their treatment plan. 

Communicate With Other Health Professionals

Patient advocates highlight their patients’ needs to specialists involved in their treatment. A patient advocate’s healthcare background puts them in a position to be able to effectively communicate information about a patient’s ailments and health history to a specialist within a care team on behalf of the patient. 

Help Manage Schedules

From appointments to prescription refills, the scheduling involved in a medical regimen can quickly become overwhelming to some patients. Patient advocates relieve patients and their caregivers of this stress by stepping in and helping them coordinate the patient’s various schedules. 

Where Do Patient Advocates Work?

Patient advocates work in a range of work environments. Here are a few typical work environments for patient advocates:

• Healthcare Facilities: Hospitals and treatment centers hire patient advocates to expand their patients’ support system within the facility.
• Nonprofit Organizations: People who have a strong connection to community-based services work as patient advocates in nonprofit organizations. 
• Independent Practices: After establishing experience within the field, some patient advocates start their own consulting practice. Consulting can involve providing specialized services to individuals or advising healthcare providers.

Key Skills for Patient Advocates

Patient advocates must have a unique set of both hard and soft skills to succeed in their position. In researching how to become a patient advocate, individuals will commonly find they need to gain the key skills listed below.

Medical Understanding

Patient advocates review patient charts, prescription details, and other medical-specific documents, so it’s crucial that they have excellent healthcare literacy. Gaining knowledge of medical humanities provides aspiring patient advocates with the medical and social understanding they need to be able to clearly relay healthcare information to patients and confidently support them in many aspects of their healthcare treatment.

Interpersonal Communication Skills

Since communication between varying parties plays such a large role in a patient advocate’s day-to-day responsibilities, interpersonal skills are a must. Being able to effectively communicate with medical personnel, insurance representatives, patients, and caregivers helps patient advocates ensure that the patients they work with interact smoothly with the healthcare system and receive the best care. 

Emotional Intelligence

Guiding someone through a medical diagnosis and other aspects of the healthcare process can be an emotionally charged experience. Every patient is unique, and patient advocates need to be attuned to their clients’ emotions, so they understand how best to support them. Individuals with a high degree of emotional intelligence are better equipped to help patients and find patient advocacy to be a fulfilling career.

Patient Advocate Salary and Job Outlook

The patient advocate’s role in improving the healthcare process for both patients and care teams is invaluable. As such, the demand for advocates is strong. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment of health education specialists, which includes patient advocates, will grow by 7% between 2022 and 2032.

Per the BLS, the median salary for health education specialists in the U.S. is $62,860 as of May 2023. Health education specialists, including patient advocates, had the following median salaries based on their place of employment:

• Hospitals: $79,460
• Government facilities: $65,340
• Educational services: $59,060
• Social assistance: $46,220

With the continued high demand for professionals across healthcare occupations and work environments, patient advocacy seems likely to remain a considerably stable profession.

Learn More About Becoming a Patient Advocate With a Bachelor’s Degree From Wilson College Online

Patient advocates help ensure patients receive the best care available to them. Patient advocates support the patients they work with, empowering them to make informed decisions about their healthcare. The Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare and Medical Humanities program at Wilson College Online offers students the knowledge and experience they need to pursue a fulfilling and impactful career in patient advocacy. 

Learn more about how Wilson College Online can help you build the foundation for a gratifying career.

Recommended Readings

What Is Medical Humanities?

Occupational Therapy Assistant: Salary and Job Description

How to Become an Addiction Counselor

Sources:

AAGL NewsScope, “Patient and Physician Advocacy: Do You Hear Me? Can We Talk?”

Indeed, “What Does a Patient Advocate Do? (Duties and Salary)”

Priority Physicians, “What a Patient Advocate Is (And Why You Need One)”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Education Specialists

VeryWellHealth, “How to Become a Patient Advocate or Navigator”