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Volunteer patient representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a volunteer patient representative. Volunteer patient representatives usually study business, biology, or psychology. 67% of volunteer patient representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,390 real volunteer patient representative resumes to see exactly what volunteer patient representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for volunteer patient representatives are the Brigham Young University and the Brigham Young University.

There are also many online volunteer patient representative courses to help get the education required to be a volunteer patient representative.

There are certain volunteer patient representative certifications that you should consider. These volunteer patient representative certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI).

What education do you need to become a volunteer patient representative?

What degree do you need to be a volunteer patient representative?

The most common degree for volunteer patient representatives is bachelor's degree, with 67% of volunteer patient representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Associate, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 8%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a volunteer patient representative?

You should major in business to become a volunteer patient representative. 18% of volunteer patient representatives major in business. Other common majors for a volunteer patient representative include biology and psychology.

Most common colleges for volunteer patient representatives

Volunteer patient representatives often get their degrees at Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, and Utah Valley University. Here are the most common colleges for volunteer patient representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Volunteer patient representative common collegePercentages
Brigham Young University57.80%
Brigham Young University - Idaho10.58%
Utah Valley University6.75%
University of Utah5.69%
Utah State University2.78%

Best majors for volunteer patient representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business18.0%
2Biology10.5%
3Psychology10.4%
4Nursing6.9%
5Finance4.8%

Best colleges for volunteer patient representatives

The best colleges for volunteer patient representatives are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A volunteer patient representative with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for volunteer patient representatives. 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 volunteer patient representatives.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

20 best online courses for volunteer patient representatives

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5. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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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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Top 10 most affordable universities for volunteer patient representatives

The most affordable schools for volunteer patient representatives are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and university of florida.

If the best universities for volunteer patient representatives 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 volunteer patient representatives.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for volunteer patient representatives

The hardest universities for volunteer patient representatives to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for volunteer patient representatives 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 volunteer patient representatives 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for volunteer patient representatives

The easiest schools for volunteer patient representatives to get into are Barry University, d'youville college, and bluefield college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a volunteer patient representative 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 volunteer patient representatives.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average volunteer patient representative salary by education level

Volunteer patient representatives with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $47,550 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, volunteer patient representatives earn a median annual income of $46,170 compared to $42,884 for volunteer patient representatives with an Associate degree.
Volunteer patient representative education levelVolunteer patient representative salary
Master's Degree$47,550
High School Diploma or Less$41,714
Bachelor's Degree$46,170
Some College/ Associate Degree$42,884

Volunteer patient representative education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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