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Patient care advocate education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a patient care advocate. Patient care advocates usually study business, health care administration, or nursing. 29% of patient care advocates hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 5,844 real patient care advocate resumes to see exactly what patient care advocate education sections show.
The most common colleges for patient care advocates are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online patient care advocate courses to help get the education required to be a patient care advocate.
There are certain patient care advocate certifications that you should consider. These patient care advocate certifications include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).
What education do you need to become a patient care advocate?
What degree do you need to be a patient care advocate?
- Bachelor's, 29%
- High School Diploma, 25%
- Associate, 24%
- Diploma, 11%
- Other Degrees, 11%
What should I major in to become a patient care advocate?
Most common colleges for patient care advocates
| Patient care advocate common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 16.13% |
| Valencia College | 10.28% |
| Pueblo Community College | 10.28% |
| St. Louis | 6.45% |
| University of Memphis | 6.05% |
Best majors for patient care advocates
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 20.4% |
| 2 | Health Care Administration | 11.2% |
| 3 | Nursing | 10.6% |
| 4 | Medical Assisting Services | 8.6% |
| 5 | General Studies | 7.2% |
Best colleges for patient care advocates
The best colleges for patient care advocates are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A patient care advocate with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for patient care advocates. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become patient care advocates.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
3. Maria College of Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$15,140
Enrollment
876
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
20 best online courses for patient care advocates
Advertising disclosure
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Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
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13. Patient Safety
Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians’ mistakes, but from systemic problems -- communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.\n\nThe Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers...
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17. Pharmacy Technician Fundamentals
In this foundational Pharmacy Technician Career Training Specialization, students will take four courses to master the fundamentals of a career in pharmacy. The first two courses teach how to communicate and engage professionally in any healthcare setting and the necessary knowledge of human anatomy and physiology required for any medical role. Next, students dive into two pharmacy-related courses - Pharmacy Technician Essentials and Pharmacy Dosages & Prescriptions Essentials - to round out...
18. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
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Top 10 most affordable universities for patient care advocates
The most affordable schools for patient care advocates are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for patient care advocates are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for patient care advocates.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for patient care advocates
The hardest universities for patient care advocates to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for patient care advocates are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for patient care advocates based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for patient care advocates
The easiest schools for patient care advocates to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a patient care advocate without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for patient care advocates.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
Average patient care advocate salary by education level
| Patient care advocate education level | Patient care advocate salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $43,432 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $33,529 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $40,975 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $35,413 |
Patient care advocate education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025