Patient Representative |
Career OverviewThe patient representative is an employee of the hospital that is hired to represent the interests of the patients and their families. The patient representative works with the patient if there is a problem or compliant to ensure that it is resolved to the patient’s and hospital or healthcare facility’s satisfaction. They also note and report on areas that patients feel that the hospital or healthcare facility is exceeding expectations or doing extremely well at.
The patient representative may be required to complete satisfaction surveys of hospital or healthcare facility treatment, organization and overall experience with the discharging patient and their family. The patient representative may then need to address areas of dissatisfaction with various management teams or departments within the hospital.
A patient representative must have excellent communication skills with both written and verbal material. They should have good record keeping skills and be familiar with the various data entry and analysis programs required by patient care department managers and directors. The patient representative should be able to work with people of all ages and abilities and their families and may be required to speak more than one language.
Problem solving skills and an ability to work with dissatisfied individuals is a definite asset. The ability to work with staff with regards to education around patient needs and wishes is also very important for a patient representative. Most patient representatives work standard business hours but may be required to travel to interview patients or may have evening or weekend hours depending on patient needs.
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Career RequirementsMost patient representatives require a minimum of a high school diploma although many hospitals and healthcare facilities now require an associates or Bachelors degree in health services or social work.
Some formal or informal training in conflict resolution and communication is considered an asset by most employers.
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Job OutlookSince the job of a patient representative is considered an entry level job there is a constant demand for qualified individuals as more senior employees move into other fields. In addition hospitals and healthcare facilities constantly strive to improve services and feedback through patient representatives is one of the major ways that this is achieved. The career outlook for patient representative continues to be strong for the next several years.
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Career TrackPatient representatives may decide to move into management or supervisory roles within the patient care area of the hospital or they may move to specialized areas of service. Patient representatives with social work backgrounds often move into LMSW, licensed master social work, and work directly with patients and the families prior to and after discharge assisting with transitions and other needs.
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CompensationAn entry level patient representative can anticipate earning $20,000 to $28,000 per year for the first several years. Those patient representatives with some work experience or a Bachelors or associates degree may earn up to $40,000 per year. Travel and other expenses for this career are usually handled by expense accounts or travel allowances by the hospital or healthcare facility.
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