Applied Advocacy Experience: Patient-Centered Care and Health Advocacy Clinical
This educational opportunity enables students to participate in our advocacy clinical without pursuing a certificate.
We are currently accepting applications for Summer ’13
Logistics and Prerequisites
Participation in the Clinical can be through enrollment in our clinical course Law, Med Sci, Nursing 789: Patient-Centered Care and Health Advocacy, a field placement or clerkship, or an internship.
Student Advocates and Center Staff
The clinical experience requires an application and is consent of instructor.
Our Introduction to Patient Advocacy course is a prerequisite. We offer an alternative path for Graduate students who wish to have a concentrated advocacy experience in the summer. The summer offering includes an extensive 50-hour orientation (35 hrs in person; 15 hrs online) during the first two weeks, which replaces the Introduction to Patient Advocacy course prerequisite.
Clinical Seminar, a component of the course, is held Wednesday evenings throughout the semester from 4:30-6pm.
Our Curriculum
Students who complete our advocacy experience learn how consumers with serious and life-threatening health conditions experience the health care system. They also acquire applied skills and substantive knowledge for health care advocacy, including health care financing and delivery, as well as how to work collaboratively across disciplines.
Student patient advocates help clients and families negotiate insurance disputes, apply for financial assistance/charity care, and access existing and new support networks. They assist in finding new or experimental treatments, participate in patient care teams, protect employment rights, secure private and public disability benefits and secure access to appropriate medical care.
Weekly seminars offer a venue for students to discuss client cases and creatively and collaboratively problem- solve with colleagues. Practicing professionals frequent the Center to discuss potential legal, financial, ethical and medical issues associated with public and private disability appeals, employment law, medical debt management, medical treatment research, end-of-life issues, and advocating for system change.