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Return to Step
1: Certification and Licensing |
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Step 2:
Determine where your advocacy paycheck will come
from. |
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Will you go to work for an
employer, like a hospital, an insurance company,
or a non-profit focused on health advocacy? |
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Or will you decide to start
your own practice, working independently,
serving the patients you choose to work with,
within your own timeframe, commanding your own
income? |
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| There are pros and cons to both
approaches, of course. It's a balancing
act between wanting and needing a regular
paycheck provided by someone else (meaning that
someone else gets to make the rules) - and -
being willing and able to forego the steady
paycheck for the reward of independence, which
eventually may produce far more satisfaction and
a bigger income than the "security" of an
employer might produce. |
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If you hope to take the route
to independence by starting your own practice,
then skip to Step 3 for
private advocacy. |
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If
you hope to get an advocacy job with an
employer, then your next steps are right
here....
Step 3:
Do your employer-bound gap analysis.
While it may seem there are plenty of jobs
available for advocates, a closer examination
shows that they are mostly customer service type
jobs, not about advocacy, but about accepting
complaints about the hospital, insurance
company, or other provider or facility.
Most people who find their way to this article
are more interested in being a real advocate,
working one-on-one with patients (clients) to
help them navigate the healthcare system or
correct their medical bills. For these
kinds of advocacy, there are
very few jobs available for patient advocates
who work directly with patients without another
party coming between them.
But yes, if you are employer-bound, then the
answer to the education and experience question
will be determined by them. Their requirements
may be outlined in the help-wanted listings, or
if you have identified an employer you would
like to work for, send an email or make a phone
call to their Human Resources Department.
With that information in hand, make an
assessment of each point to determine whether
those are skills or experience you already have.
If so, then the only course work you might need
might be for refresher purposes. If not,
then start a "Gap List" - a list of knowledge,
skills and experience you must still develop
prior to your advocacy work. |
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If you would like to
learn more about
private, independent (self-employed) advocacy,
then go on to Step 3 for
private advocates
to develop your skills and experience gap
analysis. |
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If you plan to
follow through with
employer advocacy, then your next step
will be
Step 4: determine which
programs are the right ones for you. |
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