Many times a Patient Advocate is someone involved with lobbying and legislative affairs. Other times they function as a liaison between patients and medical staff. My position as Patient Advocate is neither of those. Nor am I a social worker or counselor. I probably am most like a chaplain for our patients.

Listed below is how we define a Patient Advocate for our setting in a private solo-practice oncology office. This model can be adapted for many other clinical settings and specialties. We believe every oncology practice could benefit greatly from a patient advocate, as well as other specialties such as pediatrics, OB-Gyn, cardiology, surgery and family practice.

A list of additional patient advocate resources is available by clicking here.

An advocate by definition is one who speaks in favor of, supports and intercedes for. A Patient Advocate gives verbal encouragement, emotional support and spiritually intercedes on behalf of the cancer patient and his/her family. The Patient Advocate comes along side patients to help keep up their spirits and to lend strength during the stressful time of dealing with cancer. We may not be able to cure every patient, but we can offer to heal them emotionally and spiritually. We believe the healing process involves body, mind and spirit and the Patient Advocate is an important part of the team approach to healing the whole person. How we feel emotionally affects how we feel physically and we believe patients who feel cared for and understood tend to heal better.

1. Newly diagnosed cancer patients
2. Cancer patients undergoing surgery
3. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy
4. Hospice patients
5. Family members or caregivers of cancer patients

Ever since my book was published and my job publicized in national magazines, I get inquiries from people who want to become patient advocates. I certainly have no formula for how to achieve this (I still marvel at all God did to make this happen in my own life!), but I do have a few suggestions that may help get the process started.

Contact the Christian Medical & Dental Association www.cmdahome.org to find physicians of faith in your area. Approach one of them or one of your own physicians with your proposal. I would suggest showing them one or more of the articles about my position so they can see how the idea works. Those articles can be accessed at:

www.TodaysChristianWoman.com
July/Aug. 2003 issue
"Everyday Hero" article

www.Family.org
Focus on the Family website
"Physician" magazine Nov/Dec 1999
Also my book When God & Cancer Meet was excerpted in Mar/Apr 2003

www.CMDA.org
Christian Medical & Dental Association website
"Today's Christian Doctor" Spring 2002 and Winter 1997

You may be able to convince a group of physicians to hire you to provide emotional and spiritual care. It doesn't have to be a full-time job. I started working about 28 hours and now work 32, but even 15 or 20 would be wonderful. You might offer to volunteer for a few months and then see if they will hire you. My boss, Dr. Marc Hirsh has an article with mine in the Spring 2002 CMDA journal that shares how he feels my job saves him time and money. To read that article on this site click here.

An oncology practice is certainly the "perfect" setting for a patient advocate because of the life-threatening nature of cancer, but other specialties could benefit from a patient advocate as well: pediatricians, OB-GYNs, surgeons, family practice etc. I would look at your life experience and see in which area you might be the most encouragement. One caution: it is important what you have worked through your own life experience (especially cancer) so that you don't see your job as a way to emotionally deal with your own situation. I agree that wounded healers do make the best comforters, but the wound needs to have a "scar" on it so it's not pouring "fresh blood" on those you meet. In other words, I think the Patient Advocate has to have experienced sufficient emotional/spiritual healing him/herself in order to be an effective healer for others.

As far as qualifications, I don't believe you need a medical background or a counseling degree although either one would certainly be a positive. The doctor I work with lists these as necessary qualifications for an advocate: caring; loving; understands what patient is experiencing; empowered by the Spirit; able to pray for and with patients; well-versed in Scripture; understands biblical view of illnes, suffering and death; spiritually mature; emotionally stable; and has a balanced lifestyle.

Personal experiences that have aided me in my job as a patient advocate include: cancer survivor, facilitator for various secular and spiritual support groups, and one-on-one counseling as a pastor's wife. I am by nature a people-person (an extrovert) and my main spiritual gift is encouragement. I am an empathetic person, but mercy is not really my spiritual gift. I constantly remind myself that my job is not to "take on" other people's burdens, but to help guide them to the One who can and will carry those burdens (Matthew 11:28-30).

We hope someday to be able to provide free training at our site for people who want to become patient advocates. In the meantime keep praying fervently. If your desire to become a patient advocate is from God, He will give you the desire of your heart. Keep praying for Him to open the doors to make it possible!

Accountability: This position reports directly to the Doctor

Name of Practice: Marc A. Hirsh, M.D., P.C.

Summary of position:
The Patient Advocate provides emotional and spiritual care for patients and their families/caregivers through verbal and written encouragement, emotional support and spiritual intercession. Such care will be based on and consistent with Judeo-Christian biblical teachings.

Responsibilities:
1. Provides emotional and spiritual encouragement for patients and their families/caregivers
2. Schedules appointments with patients and/or family members to offer support as requested
3. Prepares New Patient Packets and distributes to patients at the time of their initial visit
4. Greets new patients to the practice, making them feel welcome and comfortable in their surroundings, while introducing physician and staff
5. Provides ongoing emotional/spiritual care--through notes, phone calls and personal talks--with patients undergoing treatment
6. Routinely visits hospitalized cancer patients
7. Visits Hospice patients in their homes at their request
8. Prepares progress notes on patients
9. Keeps doctor informed of any special emotional/spiritual needs in patients, or concerns about their treatment, and confers with him about courses of action
10. Refers medical questions to doctor or nurses
11. Refers to doctor any emotional needs which may require medication or professional counseling
12. Refers patients to appropriate social service agencies when such needs arise
13. Orders and distributes literature for patient encouragement
14. Sends condolences in a timely fashion to families of patients who have died
15. Attends conferences/seminars relative to patient counseling, wellness and spirituality and healing
16. Prepares public relations materials for the practice, as needed
17. Completes all other duties as assigned by the doctor

Supervisory Responsibilities:
This position does NOT have supervisory responsibilities.

Skills/Abilities:
Proficient in English, grammar and spelling skills. Organized and well-versed in support groups and organizations offering emotional, financial and spiritual support to families and patients. Able to design forms and implement same.

Interpersonal:
Must possess extremely compassionate understanding of cancer and the far-reaching emotional and spiritual effects it has on patients and their families and/or caregivers. Able to listen without judgment and offer comfort and support.

1. Feel patients' pain.
Job 2:11-13 (NIV)
11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.
12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.
13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

2. Lend strength for patients to fight their battle with illness.
Exodus 17:8-13 (NIV)
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-- one on one side, one on the other-- so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

3. Comfort patients with the comfort I received from God as a patient.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

4. Share gently and respectfully about Messiah, as patients want to hear.
1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.