Patient Advocate Resume Samples, Tips, and Templates

Patient Advocates are employed by hospitals, health care facilities or even NGOs to help patients understand their rights and duties, answer their questions and sometimes solve their issues. It all boils down to educating the patient and having the patient’s approval of procedures after being properly and correctly informed about what is going on, what are the outcomes that one can expect and what are the possible negative effects.

A Patient Advocate would ideally free some of the doctors’ and nurses’ time by using their job as a resource center for the patients. They need to have great communication skills, in order to identify the problems and calm patients and their families, maintain a good relationship with the other staff members, including the legal department and specialists.

When applying and interviewing for a Patient Advocate, one should highlight their interest in helping others, patience, as well as resistance to stress and heavy emotions.

Tips for Patient Advocate Resumes

Interpersonal Skills

A patient advocate is supposed to interact with patients usually in distress, the family of the person they are helping on one hand and the legal advisers, doctors and nurses on the other. This buffer role that they are playing requires tact, diplomacy, the right choice of words and a capacity to build trust fast and effectively. Even if they are paid by the healthcare facility they should be on the side of the patient, informing him or her about the best choices in a simple and accessible language.

This job calls for an open individual, with good communication skills, a lot of empathy and who can weigh the situation fast, finding the best solutions to delicate situations.

Persuasion Skills

Patient advocates are sometimes required to make patients or their families take difficult decisions such as opting in or out fur a potential lethal surgery, continuing or not vital support for patients in long term coma.

They are also responsible for negotiating with complaining patients the best solutions which are in their interest and the hospital’s benefit. This includes acting highly professional in difficult malpractice situations, helping the patients present complains and requirements to higher forums and getting possibly a second professional opinion, from another physician.

Most importantly, the patient advocate should ensure the patients and their families of absolute confidence of data and discussions.

Coordination Skills

As the liaison between patients, doctors, legal advisers and hospital management, the patient advocate works on a tight schedule to bring together all the parts involved. Being able to switch fast between tasks and departments is a plus in this job.

Patient Advocates Resume Samples

The following resume samples and templates for patient advocates can help you get a better idea of what your resume can look like.

Patient advocates are encouraged to show their previous experience in catering to people in need and some real empathy.

Additional Patient Advocates Resume Tips

• Conflict handling – Especially in malpractice cases tensions could escalate quickly, putting the physician-patient relationship in danger. A patient’s advocate should be able to calm down spirits, offering viable solutions for the short and long term, defending their colleague’s reputation and the patient’s rights.
• Legal knowledge–The patient advocate should able to provide at least some legal guidance for patient complains or at least know to whom to refer the patient in need. If they see recurring problems, they could suggest policy changes to prevent it in the future.

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