Patient advocates help people to have a better quality of life during medical care.
A patient advocate works with patients as a liaison during and after their medical care. For example, a patient advocate helps a patient understand a doctor's visit, deals with customer service issues related to quality of care, and handles case management that may include serious matters of health affecting a patient's life including job, debt and insurance matters. Because they work with people, health care and records, a patient advocate may be a social worker or a case manager.
Average Salary Range
Hourly wages range from the lowest 10% of $14.17 to the highest 90% of $34.60 per hour. Annual salary ranges from $29,460 to $71,970. The average hourly rate is $22.71 with an average annual salary of $47,230. The type of working facility can also affect wage ranges. Family services tend to pay less than others with an average salary of $41,380. Nursing care facilities average a salary of $43,890. Home health care services average $51,330. Hospitals average $54,550. Government salary averages are $46,800 according to the bureau, as of May 2010. Salary is based on full-time employment.
Nature of the Work
Patient advocates, social workers or case managers assess the needs of patients and help to improve their quality of life. There are many different areas within the medical field where patient advocates can assist patients, including hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatry, psychology and social work. Some job responsibilities have little supervision and others work closely with health professionals. Workers should have a strong desire to help others.
Working Conditions
Conditions vary according to the type of work, which can include an office environment, clinic setting, hospital, visiting patient home or nursing home. The hours may vary from month to month including some weekends and evenings as well as on-call status.
Education
The minimum education for this profession is a high school degree. Other desirable traits include strong communication skills, a sense of responsibility and good time management skills. Formal education is typically a requirement in nursing, such as a bachelor's or master's degree in human services, counseling, social work or a related field. Most states have licensing, certification, or registration requirements. On-going training may be required. Typically, the higher the education level, the more responsibility and higher the salary.
Advancement
A patient advocate who is also a social worker may have the opportunity to advance to a supervisor, program manager, assistant director or executive director position depending on the employer. Opportunity exists to go into private practice, which includes being a clinical social worker providing psychotherapy. A master's degree is required. Additional opportunity includes college and university teaching positions, which typically require a doctorate degree.
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