They say you’re either in it for the love or the money. But for patient advocates, the reality is that their time-consuming efforts to transform the landscape of healthcare are careers. Their passion translates to hard work, time, and research. If they want to devote their lives to making a difference, it’s a necessity that they be paid for their time and effort. At WEGO Health, we encourage patient leaders to both ask and accept a paycheck for their work whenever possible and put on their own oxygen mask before assisting others.
To help adjust the mindset from volunteer to career, we’ve put together a list of 25 ways patient leaders use their skills to promote education, spread awareness, provide resources and elevate the needs of their community to the front lines of legislation.
The skillsets below take dedication and effort to learn how to do them right. While this isn’t an extensive list, it can get you thinking of your skills and how you can jump in and utilize them in the world of advocacy.
Patient Advocacy Skillsets
* Content Creation (e.g. videos, blog posts and more)
* Content Review/Editing (Helping companies or organizations to improve their existing content on websites or blogs from a patient perspective.)
* In-Person Speaking Engagements
* Virtual Speaking Engagement
* Recorded Speaking Engagements
* Podcast Creation
* Podcast Guest
* Private Product Testing and Review
* Product Promotion and Review (Generally though social media or a patient group.)
* In-Person Participation in Patient Advisory Boards
* Virtual Participation in Patient Advisory Boards
* WEGO Health Community Insight Groups
* WEGO Health Truvio® Mobile Surveys
* Paid Studies and Surveys
* Awareness Campaigns
* Influencer Marketing
* Online Community Building
* Patient Ambassador
* Video Testimonials or Patient Story
* Instagram Story Takeover
* Twitter Chat Participant
* Expert Commentary (For media)
* Graphic Design
* Video Content Creation
* Voice Over for Video Content
Want to hear how patient leaders like you turned their dream of a better world for patients into a dream job?
Check out our “Valuing Your Expertise as a Patient Leader Course for more!
Take the free full course “Valuing Your Expertise as a Patient Leader” and learn more about the essential role of patients in healthcare. You’ll learn more about the kind of industries that need working patients to help improve their products and services. Take the free, online course on the WEGO Health platform.
The course is open to anyone looking for the tools and resources to create an income from their advocacy efforts. Complete the educational course online, on your own time.
