You want to help patients, but you’re not sure how. What are the benefits of being a patient advocate?

Being a patient advocate offers the chance to truly impact lives. Beyond navigating healthcare, it's about empowering individuals, driving systemic change, and fostering resilience. Advocacy amplifies voices, pushing for policies enhancing accessibility and quality. It's a calling—a commitment to dignity, respect, and quality care. Ultimately, it's about making a profound difference in people's lives.

- The knowledge that you are being part of the human solution - Knowing that one day, if we live long enough, we will all be patients - Helping another navigate an obstacle without having to reinvent the wheel - To paraphrase Mother Teresa "If you can't help 100 persons, help one" - The unexplainable blissful reciprocity of knowing that when you help another person you just helped yourself - Share the blessings/skills you've been gifted with - Altruism satisfaction - Knowing that you don't need to be thanked (but nice if you do get thanked/a feeling of appreciation) - Perhaps an opportunity to transcend racial/disability/socioeconomic bias - Knowing that you can be a patient advocate for just a moment or for a lifetime

Making a difference in the lives of others as a Board-Certified Patient Advocate & CellCore Biosciences Practitioner gives me as much joy as it does for them. I take great pride in being able to help them take the hassles OUT of Healthcare while saving valuable time, money & energy. As a medical malpractice survivor caused by undiagnosed mold illness (CIRS Disease), and complications from autoimmune disease, I’m able to turn my “pain into purpose” and guide others through the medical maze more efficiently and effectively to avoid the many challenges I faced. By offering my special insights and support, I not only get them to better health outcomes, but I also find a profound sense of peace in being able to give back and make a difference.

As a Speaker and Advocate, I MUST remain in touch with other advocates in order to ensure my talks are the most comprehensive, accurate, and current as I present.

By engaging with diverse patients and healthcare providers, you gain unique insights and perspectives, fostering continuous learning and expanding your skill set. From honing communication and problem-solving skills to pursuing further education and certifications, each experience challenges you to adapt and innovate in a dynamic healthcare landscape. Embracing leadership opportunities and fostering collaboration drive positive change, empowering you to make a meaningful impact while evolving as a leader in patient advocacy.

Building meaningful relationships as a patient advocate is more than a perk—it's crucial for effective healthcare. By listening, respecting preferences, and empowering patients, we foster trust and rapport. Collaborating with colleagues and organizations amplifies our impact, enhancing care quality. These connections are transformative, enriching both professional and personal fulfillment. Being a patient advocate means forging bonds that transcend the clinical setting, creating a supportive ecosystem where every voice is heard and valued.

To add to this, building relationships with other advocates and organizations allow you to gather more resources that can help patients across different disease communities. In doing so, advocates can expand their resource knowledge and in turn help more patients and patient families.

Since starting my journey as a patient advocate in the year 2000, I've built lasting, meaningful relationships that often span generations. This aspect of my work, where I start by helping one family member and then helping another and another, extending to parents, grandparents, and children is something I deeply cherish. Witnessing the direct impact on not just individual lives but entire families has been incredibly fulfilling. It’s a testament to the powerful, lasting bonds that Patient Advocacy can bring, making each interaction not just a part of my job but a part of my life.

It took me over 40 years to fix my health and get to my own best wellness. Now, I've turned my pain into purpose by becoming a Board-Certified Patient Advocate. Helping others uncover the 'root cause' of their health issues allows me to give back and prevent them from enduring the same hassles and hardships I faced. Witnessing their transformations and knowing I've made a positive impact brings me immense fulfillment and validates my journey. I feel like I get more than I give from this experience, and it brings me peace of mind.

The benefits are that you model for others how their voice can be heard on their health journey. Patient advocacy is a great place to start if you don't know how you want to help patients because you learn and are exposed to so many different dynamics and scenarios.