"Patient Advocate" Job Title

[Lanceman]

I was browsing through the Sunday want ads and came across a hospital position I was unfamiliar with. It was Patient Advocate. The ad went like this. Seeking Patient Advocates, FT nights, excellent customer service skills, CNA or Phlebo experience preferred, HS diploma or equivalent required. I was wondering if anybody had any experience with this position in their hospitals ? I was under the impression that the nurses were the patient advocates but now some places are creating this as a full-time position ? Or do you all think this is simply a customer service representative with an important sounding title ? Do you all think having such a position would give patients or families the impression that they need full-time "protecting" from the hospital or staff in general, so much so they have an advocate to see that their needs are met ?

[suzanne4, RN]

They are hired as problem solvers, to free up the RN for other duties. This is very common at many facilities already.

They usually handle non-nursing problems that happen..............

And at some facilities, they are actually registered nurses...........

[steelcityrn, RN]

This position has the strangest requirements. How can a phlebotomist be able to address situations that involve nursing?I usedt o be one, and let me tell you,I knew nothing about the complexity of nursing!

I was browsing through the Sunday want ads and came across a hospital position I was unfamiliar with. It was Patient Advocate. The ad went like this. Seeking Patient Advocates, FT nights, excellent customer service skills, CNA or Phlebo experience preferred, HS diploma or equivalent required. I was wondering if anybody had any experience with this position in their hospitals ? I was under the impression that the nurses were the patient advocates but now some places are creating this as a full-time position ? Or do you all think this is simply a customer service representative with an important sounding title ? Do you all think having such a position would give patients or families the impression that they need full-time "protecting" from the hospital or staff in general, so much so they have an advocate to see that their needs are met ?

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

This position has the strangest requirements. How can a phlebotomist be able to address situations that involve nursing?I usedt o be one, and let me tell you,I knew nothing about the complexity of nursing!

I have to agree. This position sounds almost like more dumbing-down of nursing duties, another way to use a UAP in place of staffing with nurses.

Big red flag there, IMHO.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I had a patient who was angry at a lot of things, a very difficult patient, ask to speak to the patient advocate. Since we don't have those, I referred her to the manager and left her number. Perhaps it's just a way to pacify difficult patients. The patient advocate would have only come to me and said "the patient is angry they aren't getting enough pain relief, the doctor hasn't talked to her about her surgery, etc. etc. etc...." without any real power to do anything but listen. But perhaps that's all some patients need, is someone to let off steam to. Not a job I would want to have.