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	Patient Representative
	Job description
	Patient Representatives work with hospital or medical center patients and their families to address concerns or special needs that may arise in the course of treatment. They work directly with various medical departments such as surgery, oncology or radiology, and also with the administration to solve problems that patients and their families may have. Their work may result in changes in policies and procedures and may bring about improved service for patients. This is a relatively new field; most hospitals or medical centers have hired Patient Representatives only in the last five years.
	Activities may include
	●	acting as an intermediary between the serving hospital/medical center department and the patient to bring about the most effective healthcare treatment
	●	evaluating patient satisfaction with the hospital/medical center experience and making suggestions for changes or improvements
	●	acting as an intermediary to administration on behalf of patients and their families
	●	investigating, directing inquiries and complaints to appropriate staff
	●	interpreting philosophy, policies, procedures and services to patients and their families, and to visitors
	●	helping to educate healthcare professionals and employees of the need to humanize a patient's experience
	●	collecting data about patient care problems and reporting information to the appropriate department
	●	participating in the hospital's or medical center's risk management program to ensure better service
	Salaries and benefits*
	Entry level wages for patient representatives begin at about $15,000 annually. The average salary for those with one to five years of experience is around $35,000. Salaries for patient representatives may go as high as $51,000 annually. Most patient representatives receive full benefits. Patient Representatives may work in specialized health-care facilities, such as nursing homes, specific illness clinics, public health programs for the elderly or disadvantaged, or they may work in a hospital. In some hospitals they are a part of the social service department, in others they are an independent department. In all cases they have direct contact with patients and their families, administration, staff and visitors.
	Training and requirements
	There are no official, specific requirements for this field. Hospitals and other employers establish their own educational and work experience requirements to meet the specific needs of their institution and community. A significant number of people entering this profession have health backgrounds. The National Society for Patient Representatives and Consumer Affairs suggests that persons in this profession have education or experience in human relations/human services, communications, supervision, management, conflict negotiation and medical terminology. Most employers require a Bachelor's degree.
	Necessary skills
	●	ability to be empathetic, tactful, objective
	●	excellent oral and written communication skills
	●	ability to problem solve
	●	knowledge of hospital/medical center functioning
	●	ability to relate to a wide variety of people
	Licensure/Certification
	No certification or licensing requirements exist.
	Helpful high school courses
	General high school course work with emphasis on health, human services and psychology are helpful.
	Outlook*
	Due to healthcare reform, predicting the future for this field is difficult. Health advocacy services are among the benefits proposed in several of the state and federal healthcare reform plans. Also affecting the job outlook will be the increasing population and increasing elderly population. Weighing these factors, it is expected that there will be a steady growth in this field over the next ten years.
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	* Note: General career descriptions are updated as necessary, however salary expectations and projected outlooks have not been updated since 2000. Go to Workforce Explorer Washington and search your career for the most up-to-date salary and job growth expectations. Washington Healthcare Careers and Workforce College are also good resources for job information.

	For additional information, contact your school's career counselor or
WWAHEC 2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310 Seattle, WA 98121 Ph: 206.441.7137 Fax: 206.441.7158	E-mail WWAHEC with a question

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	Page updated 9/15/04