OVERVIEW
What Is a Patient Navigator?
Patient navigators provide support, advocacy, and assistance to healthcare recipients. For the average person, wading through the complexities of the healthcare system can be challenging under the best of circumstances, and factors like limited mobility, financial hardship, and language barriers can make accessing quality medical care even harder. Patient navigators help patients overcome barriers so they can receive the medical care they need. In addition to addressing practical issues like appointment scheduling and transportation, they help patients cope with personal hurdles to receiving treatment. For example, some patients must overcome a distrust of medical professionals or have difficulty accepting a diagnosis. Patient navigators educate patients about medical conditions, treatment options, and medication management, helping patients make informed healthcare decisions. They can work for hospitals, community health clinics, rehabilitation centers, and public health departments.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that disparities caused by poverty, stigma, discrimination, and lack of education contribute to poor health outcomes for underserved populations. Patient navigators are persistent patient advocates who work toward promoting inclusivity and health equity for all. By empowering patients with knowledge and helping them maneuver through the healthcare system, patient navigators play a crucial role in ensuring that patients’ voices are heard.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Patient Navigator Do?
A patient navigator’s primary goals are to guide individuals through the medical system and facilitate access to healthcare services. They act as liaisons between patients and providers, helping to eliminate any obstacles and challenges that may hinder the patients' progress. By fostering a trusting relationship, patient navigators encourage individuals to actively participate in their own medical care. To achieve their goals, patient navigators undertake various responsibilities, including:
- Connecting patients to community resources such as transportation services, financial assistance programs, and legal aid organizations.
- Communicating with health professionals on the patient’s behalf.
- Assisting with administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments and organizing medical records.
- Collaborating with social workers, community health workers, and medical professionals to facilitate a holistic approach to patient well-being.
- Informing patients about medical concerns and available treatment options.
- Supporting individuals undergoing cancer care or coping with chronic disease.
- Providing patients with information about clinical trials they may be eligible for.
- Acting as a patient advocate by informing patients of their rights and equipping them with a sense of personal agency.
- Explaining complicated medical information to individuals with limited health literacy.
- Educating patients about medical screenings, tests, and preventative care.
- Keeping detailed records about patient medical information and navigation services.
- Ensuring that patients understand post-discharge instructions when they leave a medical facility.
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a Patient Navigator?
While education beyond a high school diploma is not always required to become a patient navigator, obtaining a college degree can offer several advantages. A bachelor’s degree can increase your employability and qualify you for more advanced positions with better pay. Additionally, earning a degree can provide valuable knowledge and skills that better enable you to support patients during their healthcare journeys. If you want to become a patient navigator, consider earning a B.S. in Psychology. This degree will equip you with effective communication skills, cultural awareness, and a deep understanding of human behavior—abilities that are vital in assisting patients with healthcare accessibility challenges. You may also enter the patient navigation field with a degree in nursing, social work, or healthcare administration.
Hospitals, government agencies, and other organizations employing patient navigators typically provide training programs that teach patient navigators how to fulfill their job responsibilities. Patient navigator training typically involves instruction about care coordination, cultural competency, and patient education.
Best Degrees for a Patient Navigator
Health & Nursing
Psychology – B.S.
An online psychology program for students who want to make a difference in...
An online psychology program for students who want to make a difference in their life, and the lives of others.
- Time: 95% of students finish similar programs in less than 4 years.
- Tuition: $4,085 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 34 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé included in this program:
- Social psychology
- Consumer psychology
- Adult psychology
- Mental health awareness
- Psychopathology
This degree allows you to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the field of psychology and can prepare you for additional certifications or careers.
Health & Nursing
Nursing (RN-to-BSN Online) – B.S.
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added...
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added theoretical depth, employability, and respect that a bachelor's degree brings:
- Time: 61% of graduates finish within 20 months.
- Tuition: $4,685 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 23 total courses in this program.
- Transfers: Students can transfer up to 90 credits.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Healthcare Policy and Economics
- Information Technology in Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Applied Healthcare Statistics
If you don't currently have an RN and don't qualify for your nursing prelicensure program, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry in a unique way.
Health & Nursing
Master of Healthcare Administration
A master's focused on managing comprehensive, value-based care, directly...
A master's focused on managing comprehensive, value-based care, directly in line with innovations in health and healthcare.
- Time: 60% of grads finish within 21 months.
- Tuition: $4,755 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 12 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Collaborative Leadership
- Healthcare Models and Systems
- Healthcare Financial Management
- Enterprise Risk Management
- Healthcare Information Technology
Your rich experience in a health-related field can mean more when you bring a master's level of understanding to the problems that organizations need to solve.
Compare degrees
This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees.
How Much Does a Patient Navigator Make?
$46,190
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) categorizes patient navigators as community health workers. The current median annual wage for community health workers is $46,190. However, wages can vary depending on the employer, industry, location, and other factors. Patient navigator salaries range from less than $32,180 to more than $73,730 a year. Individuals with ample experience and advanced degrees typically qualify for salaries on the high end of this spectrum.
What Is the Job Outlook for a Patient Navigator?
14%
The BLS reports that the job outlook for patient navigators is favorable. From 2022 to 2032, the employment of community health workers is projected to grow by 14%. Job opportunities in this field are plentiful, with the BLS estimating an average of 8,000 openings each year. The increased demand for patient navigators is driven mainly by the growing number of older adults and the rise of long-term health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Patient Navigator Need?
To succeed in this challenging and multifaceted job, the best patient navigators utilize a combination of practical abilities and interpersonal skills, including:
- Verbal communication. Effective communication and active listening enable patient navigators to convey information to doctors, insurance companies, patients, and families.
- Written communication. Patient navigators prepare written reports detailing treatment plans, appointment schedules, patient medical information, and follow-up plans.
- Emotional intelligence. Managing medical issues is an emotionally charged process, often evoking fear, uncertainty, and even anger from patients. Patient navigators must regulate their own feelings while being attuned to the patient’s emotional and psychological needs.
- Cultural sensitivity. A patient’s cultural background can greatly influence their beliefs and perceptions regarding medical care. By understanding and respecting cultural nuances, patient navigators can build trust and provide tailored health navigation guidance.
- Empathy. Patient navigators must be sensitive to the patient’s needs and unique circumstances, striving to recognize and respect the patient’s perspective.
- Health literacy. Because they help patients navigate the healthcare system and provide health education, patient navigators should know basic medical terminology and understand how the healthcare system works.
- Technological competence. The rise in telehealth services, electronic health records, and digital scheduling systems creates a need for technical proficiency.
- Professionalism. Upholding legal and ethical standards and ensuring patient confidentiality are fundamental aspects of this vocation.
- Time management. Patient navigators multitask, prioritize, and manage time effectively to serve multiple patients simultaneously.
- Organization. Strong organizational skills are essential for coordinating patient health records, services, and follow-up care.
- Problem-solving. Challenges are bound to arise while participating in a patient navigator program. Navigators must resolve problems such as scheduling conflicts, insurance complications, delays, and other issues.
- Critical thinking. Patient navigators utilize critical thinking skills to help patients assess their treatment options and make informed decisions.
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