Entry Points
Patient Navigator
Patient Navigator supports patients, healthcare teams, or health systems through specialized patient support & clinical operations work.
Years after high school
2–4 years
Degree
Bachelor's degree or certificate
Entrance exam
None or program-specific requirements
Median pay
$49,710 national median for community health workers (BLS, May 2025). Patient navigators frequently hold this or a related health-educator role.
What the job is actually like
Patient Navigator supports patients, healthcare teams, or health systems through specialized patient support & clinical operations work. Typical work is fast paced with high patient contact, usually in Hospitals, clinics, physician offices, and community programs. Procedure intensity is low to moderate, and schedules are typically described as: Varies by outpatient or hospital setting.
The path
- 01Complete the typical education pathway: Bachelor's degree often preferred; some roles accept relevant experience.
- 02Complete any program-specific admissions, clinical, or employer training requirements.
- 03Build supervised or role-specific experience for work in Hospitals, clinics, physician offices, and community programs.
- 04Meet credentialing or licensure requirements: Certification optional.
Good fit if
- Students whose interests align with patient navigator work and who are comfortable with the listed training, schedule, and responsibility level.
- Clear healthcare impact
- Transferable professional skills
Think twice if
- Education, scope, compensation, and daily duties vary by state and employer. Verify local requirements and shadow or interview a working patient navigator before committing.
- Requirements vary by state and employer
- Compensation varies by setting
Worth knowing
Career requirements can vary by state, employer, and credentialing body. Use this profile as a planning guide and verify current local requirements before enrolling in a program.
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View profileAll salary figures here are median annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 — the most recent full national dataset. 'Median' means half of workers earn more and half earn less. Three things to keep in mind: (1) pay varies enormously by state, city, setting, and experience — a nurse in California and a nurse in rural Alabama earn very different salaries; (2) training lengths are typical, not guaranteed, and programs differ; (3) these numbers change every year. Always verify current figures at bls.gov/ooh before making a decision. For context, the BLS median wage for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations had a median of $86,530 — one of the reasons health care is such a stable field.