Individuals Working As Patient Advocate

By Francis Riggs


There are individuals whose specific work is to help the patients, their caregivers and the survivors. They speak on behalf of the patients and either work as individuals or as workers of organizations. They may specialize on a certain group of ailments or work for all patients regardless of their diagnosis. Regardless of where they work, they put the interests of the patient at hand. Some individuals working as patient advocate actually do so in hospitals that the patients attend.

This role of advocating for patients is new in the city of Sydney, AU and also evolving. As everyone starts to be aware of the rights of patients, a number of health workers have come together to defend the rights of the patients. Because it is a new career, almost all health professionals brand themselves as patient advocates after long experience in their fields. However, some of the universities have begun to offer degree programs of the same.

The advantage of working as an advocate is that you can specialize in any field. The most important thing is that you should put the interests of the patients at hand and also ensure that no one violates their rights. What this implies is that the most important bit is that patient is well represented.

These activists are normally specialized on various areas. No matter their field of specialization, the goal is to advocate for patient rights. What is implied here is that no matter your specialty, you will be helpful if you concentrate on patients matters.

Requirements for one to work as an advocate depend on where he is working. Some of requirements are similar for all these individuals. They will not obviously apply in all the situations and variations are expected from area to area. A job seeker should inquire of the specific requirements needed by the organization.

Because people work in many fields, the responsibilities assigned to these individuals somehow differ. They will assist in different aspects according to their areas of specialization. Those specialized in medicine work in hospitals, nursing homes and in the community clinics. Others may choose to specialize in insurance and nonprofit organizations. Some of them will get their jobs in government agencies.

You are not expected to drop your job when you make a decision to help take care of rights of patients. You will be of help any time because hospitals will always be having patients. Your contribution will be appreciated always. It is a new venture and few learning institutions are offering certificate and degree courses in their colleges. Those assigned with the role of advocating for the rights of patients are supposed to represent them well in their activities.

If you already have the interest of advocating for rights of the patients, you will not require any formal training. All you need is to specify your area of work and then start getting the experiences as you work in that area. As pointed out earlier, most people working as patient advocates partly work in the hospitals and already have a wide base of experiences. They do these volunteer services when they are free after completing their shifts. It is not an obligation for them to do but actually they do this extra chore willingly out of their hearts.




About the Author:



أحدث أقدم