What is a patient liaison and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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Patient liaisons work as an intermediary between patients, patient's families, and healthcare providers. As a patient liaison, you will determine the state of your patient's health, suggest any improvement when needed, keep a record of all information regarding your patient's health, and report to the healthcare provider when needed. Furthermore, you are responsible for explaining medical terminologies to your patient and all necessary details concerning the patient's health. You will also inform the healthcare provider about any concerns of your patient and relay the reply to them as you're working as an intermediary between them.

As a patient liaison, you must have excellent communication skills, interpersonal skills, time management skills, compassion for people, and you must understand medical terminologies. As a patient liaison, you should have at least a bachelor's degree in psychology, nursing, or any related course. The average annual salary for this position is $28,865 per year.

ScorePatient LiaisonUS Average
Salary
2.5

Avg. Salary $32,314

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
8.3

Growth Rate -4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 6.88%

Black or African American 11.53%

Hispanic or Latino 20.14%

Unknown 5.29%

White 55.45%

Gender

female 83.77%

male 16.23%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress Level
8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Patient Liaison career paths

Key steps to become a patient liaison

  1. Explore patient liaison education requirements

    Most common patient liaison degrees

    Bachelor's

    50.5 %

    Associate

    21.8 %

    High School Diploma

    10.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific patient liaison skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Patients37.24%
    Customer Service16.23%
    Medical Terminology4.36%
    Health System3.37%
    HIPAA2.74%
  3. Complete relevant patient liaison training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New patient liaisons learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a patient liaison based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real patient liaison resumes.
  4. Research patient liaison duties and responsibilities

    • Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
    • Conduct all insurance verification and obtain authorization to treat sub-acute rehabilitation patients.
    • Attend Michigan state eligibility hearings, when necessary to assist and gain Medicaid disability benefits for patients.
    • Interview patients of hospital facility to obtain necessary documentation to secure Medicaid coverage as payment of inpatient hospital charges.
  5. Prepare your patient liaison resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your patient liaison resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a patient liaison resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Patient Liaison Resume templates

    Build a professional Patient Liaison resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Patient Liaison resume.
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
    Patient Liaison Resume
  6. Apply for patient liaison jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a patient liaison job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Patient Liaison Job

Zippi

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Average patient liaison salary

The average Patient Liaison salary in the United States is $32,314 per year or $16 per hour. Patient liaison salaries range between $24,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average Patient Liaison Salary
$32,314 Yearly
$15.54 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do patient liaisons rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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Patient Liaison reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

Working with elderly, recovering addicts, and homeless.

Cons

People being mistreated


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Putting that patient/customet first and directing (directions) that person to their Doctors office and setting or cancelling their appointments, just helping people.

Cons

There's nothing to dislike.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

Meeting new people and working with other healthcare specialist

Cons

Sitting for long periods


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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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