A Board Certified Patient Advocate, or BCPA, is a professional who has earned the national patient advocacy credential from the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB). It tells you that the person helping your family has met a national standard for knowledge, experience and ethics in patient advocacy.
Patient advocacy is a young field. Advocates come from nursing, social work, insurance, medicine and personal experience caring for someone they love. The BCPA credential gives families a common way to judge whether an advocate has the skills to do the job well.
What it takes to earn the credential
To become board certified, an advocate has to:
- Qualify to sit for the exam through their education and experience, with two letters of recommendation
- Pass a national exam on the knowledge and skills of patient advocacy
- Agree to follow PACB’s ethical standards for patient advocates
- Recertify every three years, either by completing 30 hours of approved continuing education or by passing the exam again
The renewal requirement matters. Healthcare changes constantly, and the credential is a promise to keep learning.
What a patient advocate does
A patient advocate works on your side of the healthcare system. Depending on what you need, that can mean:
- Helping you understand a diagnosis and your treatment options
- Preparing questions before appointments and going with you
- Keeping track of doctors, specialists, test results and medications
- Speaking up during a hospital stay and planning for discharge
- Helping you get medical records and make sense of insurance benefits
- Keeping family members informed, especially those who live far away
What a patient advocate doesn’t do
A patient advocate does not replace your doctor. An advocate doesn’t diagnose, prescribe or treat. The job is to help you understand your choices and make sure your wishes are heard. Patient advocates also don’t give legal advice, so questions about wills, powers of attorney or guardianship belong with an attorney.
When the advocate is also a registered nurse, you get someone who reads a chart, a discharge plan or a medication list with a clinical eye. That background makes the advocacy stronger, but the role is still the same: working for you.
Questions to ask before you hire an advocate
- Who do you work for? An independent advocate is hired by you, not by a hospital or insurance company.
- What is your background? Ask about clinical training and how long they have been advocating.
- Are you board certified? Ask for their certification details. You can confirm a credential with the Patient Advocate Certification Board.
- Can you come in person, or do you work by phone? Many advocates do both.
- How will you keep my family informed? Agree on how often you’ll hear from them and how.
- How do you charge? Independent advocacy is usually paid privately, so ask up front.
About Cheryl
Cheryl A. Scharoun earned the BCPA credential in 2018, after more than 30 years as a registered nurse. She is based in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, goes to appointments in person in the area and helps families anywhere in the country by phone. The first consultation is free.