Advocate for Yourself in the Workplace and with Your Healthcare Providers

Advocating for yourself both at work and within the healthcare system requires confidence, clear communication, and an understanding of your rights and needs. Let’s talk about strategies for effective self-advocacy in both contexts:

Self-Advocacy at Work

Know Your Rights and Policies:

• Familiarize yourself with your company's policies, employee handbook, and your rights under employment law.
• Understand policies related to harassment, discrimination, reasonable accommodations, and leave entitlements.
• Maintain an awareness of any location specific offerings like state leaves that are in your area. This information would be available on the website for your state government.

Communicate Clearly and Assertively:

• Practice clear, concise, and assertive communication. Use "I" statements to express your needs and concerns.
• Be specific about what you need, why you need it, and how it can benefit both you and the company.

Document Everything:

• Keep detailed records of all work-related communications, especially those related to disputes, requests, or incidents of concern.
• Document dates, times, participants, and content of meetings and conversations.
• Use a small notebook or journal so that everything is in one place.

Seek Support and Allies:

• Identify colleagues, supervisors, or mentors who can support you or provide advice.
• Join employee resource groups or professional associations for additional support.

Prepare for Meetings:

• Before meetings, prepare an agenda or a list of points you want to discuss.
• Practice what you want to say and anticipate possible questions or objections.

Set Boundaries and Prioritize Self-Care:

• Be clear about your boundaries regarding workload, working hours, and work-life balance. Most importantly, maintain those boundaries. Once you make an exception, it’s easy to be pressured to do that again (and again).
• Take care of your physical and mental health to maintain resilience and effectiveness.

Self-Advocacy in Healthcare

Educate Yourself:

• Learn about your health condition, treatment options, and potential side effects.
• Use reputable sources and seek second opinions if necessary.
• An often underutilized resource is your pharmacist – get all of your prescriptions at the same pharmacy so that they have a clear picture of what you are taking. Inform them of any over the counter (OTC) medications and supplements that you take.
• While there is an abundant amount of information on the internet, don’t believe everything you read. Use reputable websites such as those listed below:
  • Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic are world-renowned hospitals that offer trustworthy information on their websites.
  • Non-profit organizations like the American Lung Association and MindSpring Mental Health Alliance offer reliable information and some well-constructed webinars.
  • Professional organizations like the American Psychological Association and American Association for Respiratory Care offer great consumer information.

Communicate Effectively:

• Be honest and clear with your healthcare providers about your symptoms, concerns, and preferences.
• Use care to not dismiss symptoms that you don’t think are connected to the reason you are at the doctor’s office.
• Don’t hesitate to ask questions and request clarification if you don’t understand something.
• If a referral was to be made and you haven’t been contacted in a week for an appointment, follow up. If there is a long wait time for new patients, ask to be placed on a cancellation list (but still make an appointment in case you are unable to be seen sooner).

Be Prepared:

• Prepare for appointments by writing down your symptoms, questions, and any changes in your condition. Keep a list (using a notes app on your phone is easy and convenient) and share the entire list with your providers at each appointment.
• Bring a list of all medications you are taking, including dosages and frequency. If it’s an “as needed” medication, tell them how often you take it and when the last time was.

Keep Records:

• Maintain copies of your medical records, test results, and treatment plans.
• Keep a health journal to track symptoms, treatments, and any side effects. One great example of this is a “headache diary” that you put an entry in every day. It’s easy to over or understate frequency of symptoms and use of “as needed” medications.
• When appropriate, use a rating scale and make sure that your family and providers have an idea of your tolerance for pain, shortness of breath, etc. A rating of 6 may be excruciating for one person and tolerable for someone else. When we fail to do this, others may instinctively apply their own standards which can be misleading, especially if you have a high pain tolerance.

Know Your Rights:

• Understand your rights to privacy, informed consent, and the ability to make decisions about your care.
• Familiarize yourself with patient advocacy resources available through your healthcare provider or insurance company.

Seek Support:

• Bring a friend or family member to appointments for support and to help remember information. Even if you have strong knowledge of healthcare, someone else can offer a different perspective that can make a big difference. As an example, my husband recently went with me to my first appointment at a local headache clinic. He brought up things that I would never have if I had been there alone. I was shocked that almost my whole list of complaints was potentially associated with chronic migraines.
• Connect with patient advocacy groups or support groups for your condition.

Follow Up:

• Ensure that all referrals, test results, and follow-up appointments are handled promptly. If your provider uses an app, download it and log in regularly. I no longer have to write down my lab results as I can pull them up on my phone.
• Don’t hesitate to contact your healthcare provider if you have concerns or if your condition changes.

General Tips for Effective Advocacy

• Stay Informed: Continuously educate yourself about your rights and the resources available to you.
• Build Confidence: Practice self-advocacy skills in less critical situations to build confidence.
• Remain Professional: In both work and healthcare settings, maintain a professional and respectful demeanor.
• Be Persistent: Advocacy often requires persistence. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks.
• Seek External Help if Necessary: If internal efforts are unsuccessful, consider external resources such as legal advice, HR departments, or patient advocacy organizations.

By being proactive, informed, and assertive, you can effectively advocate for your needs and rights in both the workplace and healthcare settings. If you have questions or want to discuss your specific needs, I’m happy to meet with you. You can make an appointment with me at www.resiliencecareercoaching.com.