Saturday, July 18, 2015

Roles Of A 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 is a new career in Sydney, AU and it is evolving faster. Everyone gets to know that patients need to be listened to and their rights taken care of. A number of those individuals working in hospitals have formed groups whose focus is to help patients. Because this career has come up, most health care individuals call themselves patient advocates after working in hospitals for long periods. Some of the universities are becoming aware of this confusion and have begun offering programs on this topic.

You will have advantages when you begin working because you can enter in any field. What is expected of you is that you consider the interests of patients and also make sure that no person violates rights of patients. The most important thing is patient representation.

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 of an advocate differ with the field of work. Some requirements are the same for all activists. They do not apply in every situation. Variations are seen in different areas. Those seeking for jobs should examine if they fulfill these requirements.

Because the patients spokes-persons work in various places and have differing responsibilities, they influence people differently. Your area of specialization will guide you on how you will assist. Those working as medical assistants work in health units, nursing homes and community clinics. Those working as insurance assistants work for insurance companies and nonprofit organizations. Government agencies can employ anyone from these fields.

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.




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