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Patient Representatives

Under the title Patient Representatives, workers assist patients in obtaining services, understanding policies and making health care decisions. You may also need to coordinate communication between patients, family members, medical staff, administrative staff, or regulatory agencies. With a code of SIC, this is mostly a job for people drawn to helping, teaching or caring for people. Investigative interests also help, rated 4.1 out of 7. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in active listening, speaking, and service orientation helps most here. It tends to suit people who want helping, teaching or caring for people, and it offers little for anyone seeking hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.

What they do

Assist patients in obtaining services, understanding policies and making health care decisions.

Main tasks

  • Coordinate communication between patients, family members, medical staff, administrative staff, or regulatory agencies.
  • Interview patients or their representatives to identify problems relating to care.
  • Maintain knowledge of community services and resources available to patients.
  • Refer patients to appropriate health care services or resources.
  • Explain policies, procedures, or services to patients using medical or administrative knowledge.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, continue education, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the field.

Skills

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Coordination

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on active listening and speaking.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.3 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Also called

  • Access Representative (Access Rep)
  • Admissions Coordinator
  • BCPA (Board Certified Patient Advocate)
  • Case Manager
  • Patient Access Specialist

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.