Patient Advocate

Welcome! We’re excited you’re considering an opportunity with us! To apply to this position and be considered, click the Apply button located above this message and complete the application in full. Below, you’ll find other important information about this position. The incumbent acts as a liaison between patients and the institution. The incumbent provides a channel through which patients, families, visitors, and hospital staff can seek solutions to questions, concerns, and unmet needs in an effort to ensure patients are receiving high-quality healthcare. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION, AND/OR LICENSURE: 1. High School Diploma or equivalent EXPERIENCE: 1. Three years of nursing, healthcare, management or administrative experience or equivalent with an emphasis in Nursing, Social Work, Counseling or Patient Advocacy preferred. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION, AND/OR LICENSURE: 1. Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Social Science, Customer Relations or other related majors. EXPERIENCE: 1. Experience in an academic medical center setting. CORE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The statements described here are intended to describe the general nature of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be constructed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties. Other duties may be assigned. 1. Coordinates activities involved in evaluating the level of patient satisfaction with the hospital experience, through daily rounding, meeting with patients and their families, in person or remotely. Also assists patients to appropriate service and resources as necessary. 2. Assist patients by providing the appropriate service and resources necessary. 3. Implements and maintains a patient, employee, and non-patient complaint tracking system to track incidents and patient feedback 4. Conduct training for medical and hospital staff based on feedback and needs presented. 5. Reports and summarizes patient complaints and incidents on a monthly and quarterly basis or as needed. 6. Refers information about patient care, quality of care, inquiries and concerns to the appropriate departments and services in order to address issues and make recommendations for changes in hospital procedures and policies. 7. Attend and participate in hospital committee meetings as requested. 8. Utilizes knowledge of the organizational structure, hospital policies, procedures, and services in order to provide assistance to patients. 9. Participates in family meetings and ethics consultations in coordination with Care Management. 10. Investigates patient concerns in a timely fashion which includes identification of issues, investigation of the facts, review of medical records and policies and discussion with appropriate hospital staff to address the patient’s problem and follow-up with the patient and other appropriate parties as required. 11. Develops and utilizes strong working relationships with hospital personnel and medical staff to enhance the delivery of care and patient satisfaction 12. Acts as a resource to other departments on patient-related concerns as warranted. 13. Maintains the confidentiality of patient and unit information and adheres to privacy laws. 14. Monitors and reviews, recalls, and directs appropriate follow-up actions. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 1. Must meet Department of Labor’s MEDIUM duty standard (MEDIUM WORK- exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly). WORKING ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 1. May be required to travel between facilities/buildings. 2. May be exposed to virus, disease, and infection from patients and specimens in working environment. 3. May be exposed to traumatic situations involving patients or visitors including psychiatric crisis, physical injuries and death. SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 1. Must possess a mastery of office skills, including answering telephones and transcribing messages. 2. Must be advanced in word processing and other electronic means of communication (Microsoft Office Suite). 3. Communicate verbally, written and electronically with healthcare personnel, families and patients. 4. Ability to provide a caring, courteous, and respectful attitude when interacting with patients and staff. 5. Ability to work cohesively within the work unit and with other departments. Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40 Shift: Exempt/Non-Exempt: United States of America (Exempt) Company: BMC Berkeley Medical Center Cost Center: 609 UH Risk Management Address: 2500 Hospital Drive Martinsburg West Virginia WVU Medicine recently moved to a new Applicant Tracking System. If you are unable to login, please create a new account to apply. Thank you for your interest in working for WVUM. Please explore our open opportunities in the list below and apply for any positions in which you would like to be considered. You'll be able to keep track of your progress on our site. The West Virginia University Health System, West Virginia's largest health system with more than 1,800 beds and largest private employer, is comprised of 16 member hospitals, including a children's hospital; three managed hospitals; and five institutes, all anchored by a 700-bed academic medical center in Morgantown, West Virginia.