How to Become a Patient Access Representative in West Virginia

For those who love working in customer service and healthcare settings, becoming a Patient Access Representative in West Virginia can combine the best of both worlds.

This role offers healthcare professionals the chance to see more of the customer service side of healthcare.

For folks who have more experience in customer service, patient access representative positions are a great way to transition into healthcare administration from retail or food service.

To learn more about how you can become a patient access representative in WV, keep reading our article below.

Steps to Become a Patient Access Representative in West Virginia

1. Scroll through job boards to review potential Patient Access Representative opportunities in your town or city

Depending on how populated your region may be, there may be a lot of Patient Access Representative openings or precious few.

If you are planning on staying in your area as you make this career change, you might want to do a quick search on a job board such as Indeed.com to see if there are commonly openings for this role in your town or city.

Otherwise, you may go through all of this training and experience building only to find that this role hardly opens up in your town.

You should also consider seeing if there are openings within reasonable commuting distance if you live in a relatively remote part of West Virginia.

Sometimes, these jobs will be available for remote work, as well.

This means that even if you live in a region that does not have any local openings, you may still be able to land your dream job as long as you have reliable internet and phone access.

2. Identify potential future employers and review their qualification requirements

One of the best ways to start your job search out right is doing the research beforehand to fit your skills and experience into the role.

If you know that most local employers prefer some experience in healthcare or customer service before applying, you can gain experience before you apply that suits their preferences.

If most employers in your region require at least an H.S. Diploma or GED, you can start studying for your GED if you haven’t obtained one previously before you apply.

Your future employer will thank you for putting in the time and research.

What’s more, the hiring process will be a breeze if you know that you fit the qualifications before you start applying.

3. Take a course on Patient Access Representative skills before applying

If you have absolutely no experience as a Patient Access Representative, taking an online training through online programs like Ed2Go can make it easier to show future employers that you are qualified and serious.

While there don’t seem to be any schools in West Virginia that have a Patient Access Representative program, some employers will consider medical assistance training to be valuable for entry-level candidates.

4. Brush up on your customer service skills at work or as a volunteer

Although most entry-level Patient Access Representative positions understand that this may be your very first job in the field, most hiring managers would prefer that you have at least some customer service experience before taking a chance on your application.

Working with people, especially in a medical setting, can be draining, fast-paced work that requires a specific demeanor and set of skills to handle on a daily basis.

If you don’t have any customer service experience, you may be able to gain at least part-time experience through a local charity that needs volunteers or a popular retailer in your area.

5. Take on a medical administration job for experience

On top of gaining customer service experience, you can prepare to become a Patient Access Representative by entering the medical field as a medical assistant, medical office administrator, or related role.

If you even have nursing experience, this can be valuable to future employers when you transition to a Patient Access Representative role.

6. Send out applications to Patient Access Representative openings

After you have gained the experience and education to qualify for Patient Access Representative job postings, it’s time to start applying.

When you fill out applications, make sure that your resume is polished and reflects your most recent experience.

If you have gaps in your resume, it can be helpful to consider how you will explain these during the interview process.

If you took a break from employment to raise a family, recover from an illness, or earn an education, you can practice talking about these experiences professionally before the interview.

7. Interview for Patient Access Representative roles

While most of us don’t love interviews, they are a crucial part of the hiring process here.

If you want to get your dream job, you’ll need to complete the less dreamy aspects of this process such as interviewing.

8. Accept an offer for a Patient Access Representative

Once you have completed interviews as a Patient Access Representative and found your ideal role, it’s time to accept the offer.

Salary

Patient Access Representatives can expect to make between $41,290 to $50,720 on average.

Regional Salary in West Virginia