Patient Representative

The Ohio State University; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous employer contribution to retirement plans

Affordable health insurance options

Paid vacation and sick leave

Job summary

The Ohio State University seeks a Patient Representative to enhance patient relations and provide family support in the Specialty Waiting areas. The role involves providing critical information to families, ensuring their needs are met, and facilitating communication between families and hospital teams.

This is a key position requiring strong interpersonal skills, customer service experience, and the ability to work collaboratively across diverse teams.

Qualifications

• 1 year of full-time experience in a clinical or critical care area role.
• Evidence of highly refined interpersonal skills.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse individuals across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Provide family support, education, and issue resolution in Specialty Waiting areas.
• Respond to patient and family concerns through empathetic communication.
• Document interactions and keep a log of complaints/issues for management.

Skills

Customer service skills

Conflict resolution

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

High School Graduate or Equivalent

Bachelor's degree in healthcare-related field (preferred)

Job description

Job Title

Patient Representative

Department

James | Patient Experience

Scope of Department

The Ohio State University Medical Centers Specialty Waiting Area encompasses medical and surgical care areas in which patients families receive specialized care and benefit from revolutionary research which can improve lives. Physicians, nurses, researchers, and other health care staff within the Specialty Waiting serve adult patients with various medical and surgical health needs. As a Level 1 trauma and regional referral academic medical center, the OSUMC staff strives to provide the best care possible to the critically ill patients who receive care at the Medical Center.

Scope of Position

The Ohio State University Medical Center is committed to enhancing the quality of care provided to patients and families. This position is responsible for providing family support, education, mediation/issue resolution, project support, and patient information in the Specialty Waiting areas so that optimal quality and communication can be achieved. This position supports the development, implementation and coordination of programs and services that promote positive patient relations and patient/family satisfaction including promoting customer service behaviors and Service Plus skills.

Position Summary

Through personal interaction with families and visitors, collaboration with volunteers, and connections with other OSUWMC and OSUCC James services, the Patient Representative ensures family and visitor needs for information, visitation, physical comfort, and emotional and spiritual support. The Patient Representative functions include responding to patient, family and visitor concerns through empathetic verbal communication skills. This employee provides proactive customer service interventions by anticipating the needs and feelings of families and visitors. The Patient Representative utilizes, as necessary, interpersonal, diplomacy and conflict management skills, and service recovery approaches. Effective and timely communication is the primary tool and goal of the Patient Representative. Because the waiting area environment can sometimes become overwhelming and confusing to patients, families and visitors, the Patient Representative, actively communicates family issues, questions and concerns; regular rounding in the Specialty Waiting Area and units also facilitates communication and updates to families and visitors. This employee will be responsible for providing important non-clinical information, and clinical information when appropriate, to families and visitors. The Patient Representative reports directly to the Manager of Patient Experience. While on duty, the Patient Representative works with the Emergency Department team, registration and security staff. The Patient Representative provides regular updates to the on-duty charge nurse or Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department regarding customer service and patient relations issues. The Patient Representative documents interactions with patients and families and keeps a log of complaints/issues which is turned in daily to the Patient Experience Coordinator Lead and monthly to the Manager of Patient Experience.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be available to work Sunday to Wednesday 10:30 am to 7 pm
• HS Graduate or Equivalent Required.
• Experience equivalent to 1 year of full-time employment in a clinical or critical care area role.
• Evidence of customer service skills/training and ability to collaborate with a variety of individuals across the organization.
• Evidence of highly refined interpersonal skills, skills in conflict resolution, problem solving, program planning, and writing and verbal communication skills.
• Preferred: Bachelors degree in a healthcare-related field, communication, social science, or related field.

Benefits

• An array of retirement plan options, each with a generous employer contribution.
• Affordable health insurance options, including dental, vision and prescription coverage that begin on day one.
• Paid vacation and sick leave, including short and long-term disability and paid parental leave.
• Get the most out of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
• And much more!

Additional Information

• Location: James Cancer Hospital (0375)
• Position Type: Regular
• Scheduled Hours: 36
• Shift: Rotating Shift
• Career Roadmap: CAREER LEVEL T2
• Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.