Health Advocate, Mental Health Patient Advocate
The role of a patient advocate is to:
Patient advocates assist patients with navigating the health care system by performing some or all of the following duties:
Patient advocates are responsible for documenting and tracking their patients' progress through the above processes and offering follow-up services to clients based on these records. They may also be involved in writing reports or summaries based on their activities. Patient advocates' job descriptions vary, since patient advocacy is an emerging field.
Working conditions and environments vary depending on the patient advocate's job description and whether they are employed by a hospital or clinic or are self-employed. Patient advocates spend some of their time:
As with all professions related to health care, because of the time patient advocates spend in health care settings they may face increased exposure to infectious illnesses.
Patient advocates need the following characteristics:
They should enjoy helping others, solving problems and providing advice to individuals and groups.
Most emerging occupations develop from more than one occupation so patient advocates may come from a variety of education and training backgrounds. Prior to enrolling in an education program, prospective students should contact associations and employers in this field to investigate education options and employment possibilities.
Educational requirements for patient advocates vary based on the employer. A minimum of a two-year post-secondary diploma in a relevant discipline such as nursing, social work or business is sometimes required. Work experience related to patient advocacy may also be required by some employers.
Patient advocates who run their own businesses should be self-starters, have the ability to think creatively to market and promote their business, and be good at networking and developing business contacts.
No certification programs are currently available in Canada. However, certificate training programs are available in the United States through the Professional Patient Advocate Institute and some universities. These certifications are not necessarily required for employment or self-employment as a patient advocate.
For a broad list of programs and courses that may be related to this occupation try searching using keywords.
Certification is not required, as there is currently no legislation regulating this occupation.
Emerging occupations typically are the result of:
Often there are too few people working in an emerging occupation to gather survey information. Therefore, it can be difficult to define advancement opportunities or employment outlook. Some Albertans already are working in this emerging occupation but future demand for patient advocates is unknown.
Most patient advocates are self-employed although some are employed by health care institutions. For example, the Professional Conduct department of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta employs on-staff patient advocates.
The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors, including:
Often there are too few people working in an emerging occupation to gather survey information. Therefore, no current salary data is available for this occupation.
Alliance of Professional Health Advocates website: www.aphadvocates.org/
Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society website: www.openarmsadvocacy.com/
Professional Patient Advocate Institute (USA) website: www.patientadvocatetraining.com/
For more information on career planning, education and jobs call the Alberta Supports Contact Centre toll-free at 1-877-644-9992 or 780-644-9992 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.
Updated Mar 21, 2013. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.