Patient Advocate Jobs Overview
Do you want to help patients without getting a medical degree? Consider looking for patient advocate jobs. Patient advocates help people navigate the healthcare system. As an advocate, you'll help patients with their emotional, financial, and practical needs, such as finding a medical provider or getting reimbursed for a claim.
Patient advocates support patients who have long- or short-term medical issues. Here are some patient advocate job responsibilities:
- Help patients find providers.
- Prepare patients for doctor visits; suggest questions to ask.
- Attend doctor visits.
- Negotiate reimbursements with insurance companies.
- Help patients understand insurance details such as co-pays, in-network providers, insurance claims, and out-of-pocket limits.
- Help patients understand different treatment options.
- Explain patient rights laws.
- Help patients seek legal representation to file a lawsuit or create medical documents such as advanced directives.
- Help patients raise funds for treatments or get reimbursed through other means, such as government aid.
Salaries for Patient Advocate Jobs
The median salary for patient advocacy jobs is $50,905. Salaries will vary depending on experience level, job responsibilities, and location. You can compare median wages in different parts of the country using Monster's Salary Tool. Some cities with the highest demand for patient advocates are New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami.
How to Find Patient Advocate Jobs That Fit You
There are many different types of patient advocates. Some focus exclusively on one part of advocacy, for example, navigating insurance or coordinating treatments. They can also focus on a specific patient population or age group. Your focus will depend on the role and company you choose. Here are some common workplaces for patient advocates:
- A medical facility: When you work for a medical facility, you'll coordinate care and serve as a liaison between the staff and the patient.
- A health insurance company: If you work for a health insurance company, you'll typically help the patient navigate reimbursement options for treatments.
- A government entity: As a patient advocate for the public sector, you'll typically help patients navigate Medicare, Medicaid, and similar programs.
- A patient advocate company: Working for a private company means you'll support patients who hire the company, often with their own money.
- A nonprofit organization: You can also work for a nonprofit organization focused on patient advocacy or a nonprofit supporting patients with specific diagnoses.
Working for a medical facility or insurance company means you may have to balance the employer's needs with the patient's, meaning the job will be more collaborative. When you work for a business or nonprofit advocating for patients, you might have more freedom to question claim rejections and other matters and make a bigger impact. However, you'll need to have a more assertive personality. Other factors to consider when choosing between patient advocacy jobs include room for advancement, a flexible schedule, the ability to work remotely, and pay and benefits.
How to Apply to Patient Advocate Jobs
Patient advocates are sometimes called "care navigators," "patient navigators," "patient representatives," or "health advocates." Search for these job titles to find more related jobs.
What to Write in Your Job Application
When it's time to apply for jobs, make sure you have a compelling job application. Because of the personal nature of the job, your cover letter should mention why you want to be a patient advocate.
Your resume should describe your qualifications and skills. Place the most relevant skills and qualifications highest. You can use a well-written resume summary or list of skills to do this. Previous experience in healthcare, healthcare administration, or other similar areas can be advantageous. For more advice on how to put together a compelling job application, read Monster's articles on how to write perfect resumes and how to write cover letters.
Get Professional Help With Your Resume
Do you feel like your resume is missing something, but you don't know what? Get help from Monster's Professional Resume Writing Services. A writer familiar with your industry will create a resume customized to your background and experience. You'll get a response within just a few days.
Apply to Patient Advocate Jobs on Monster
Start by creating a Monster profile. This gives you access to free services for job seekers, such as the option to make your resume visible to recruiters. You can also sign up for alerts when employers post new job openings, get career advice in your inbox, and use your profile to send job applications quickly.
How to Follow Up With an Employer
Are you still waiting to hear back from an employer about your job application? Give them a call or email them to ask about the status of the recruitment process. Following up shows that you're interested in the job, motivated, organized, and take the initiative.
The main purpose of a follow-up is to give your application a boost so you get asked to interview. That's why your follow-up should include a summary of your key strengths.
When following up, ask about the status of the recruitment process, but don't directly ask if you'll be asked to interview because you don't want to put the recruiter on the spot. You can also ask if they need anything from you.
Don't follow up repeatedly on the same application. If you don't hear back after your follow-up, it's probably time to move on. If you get called to an interview, send thank you email within 24 hours.
Interviewing Tips for Patient Advocate Jobs
Prepare for your job interview by preparing answers to common most common interview questions and job-specific ones. Expect questions related to healthcare, insurance, and other reimbursement options, working with healthcare staff, and patient confidentiality. These are some examples of questions you might get at an interview for a patient advocate job:
- What do you know about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?
- What do you do when a patient disagrees with the doctor about a treatment plan?
- What do you recommend when a patient's health insurance claim is denied?
- How do you stay informed of changes in the healthcare industry?
What to Do When You Get an Offer
When a job search finally culminates in an offer, it's easy to get carried away. Keep cool and evaluate the offer carefully before you accept. These are some things to look for:
- Is the salary what you expected?
- What are the benefits, and who is eligible?
- What are the typical hours? Are you guaranteed a certain number of hours or pay a month for contract work?
- When is the starting date?
- Do you need to sign a non-compete agreement, and if so, what are the details?
- What are the hours of the position? Will you be on call?
If the answers are not what you expected, consider negotiating. For a salary negotiation, be prepared to advocate for yourself by discussing why you think you should get more pay. Consider what you bring to the table that makes you a strong candidate, and use Monster's Salary Tool to see the median regional salary. If the salary offer is reasonable for your location and experience, you may not be able to get more, but it rarely hurts to ask if you aim for a fair amount.
Patient Advocate Jobs and Career Paths
There isn't a specific degree that you need to become a patient advocate. Requirements will depend on the employer. Some require a college degree in a similar field, such as healthcare or social work. It's common for patient advocates to start in a related job, such as nursing, and develop an interest in advocating for patients.
These are some career paths that patient advocates often transfer either to or from:
- Healthcare support: With a degree or training in healthcare support, you can transition from patient advocacy to medical office jobs, such as billing and insurance administrators. Having experience in these areas can also help you get a patient advocacy job.
- Nursing: Some nurses transition to patient advocacy to tackle some of the flaws in the healthcare system. Being a nurse can be an advantage when looking for patient advocacy jobs.
- Social work: Patient advocacy shares similarities with social work, making this a common career move. For many of these careers, such as a case manager, you'll need at least a bachelor's degree in social work.
- Management: After a few years of experience as a patient advocate, you can move up to a leadership position, such as a manager of a patient advocacy department or organization.
A patient advocate certification can help you get a job and increase your salary. The Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and Patient Advocacy Certificate Training (PACT) are two common certifications.
Similar Occupations to Patient Advocate Jobs
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