People of Pulse – October 2025 – Shlomit Liberty, BCPA

Shlomit Liberty is a relatively new member of Pulse, having joined this year, but she is already an active and committed participant.

Pulse: Hi Shlomit.

SL: Hi David.

Pulse: Before we talk about Pulse, let's talk about your work. Do I remember that you're in speech therapy in some way?

SL: I'm originally trained as a medical speech language pathologist, but I became a Board Certified Patient Advocate earlier this year. I currently don't practice as a medical speech language pathologist. While I maintain my license, I don't diagnose and treat anymore.

Earlier this year, I founded Patient Path NYC, which is an independent patient advocacy service based here in New York City. And what I do is I serve as what I like to term a “personal medical crisis manager” for adults and their families during their inpatient hospital stay.

This can happen either in acute care hospital, rehab, transitions, or their post-discharge planning. I make sure their discharge plan is safe and adheres to their goals and wishes, and my services these days include bedside support, daily medical chart review, translating medical language into plain English, and communicating directly with the care team. I research discharge facilities and I ensure that the discharge plan, is, as we said, safe and aligned with the goals.

And you know, like other independent advocates, I don't work for the hospital or insurance companies. I work only for my clients and that's where my allegiance lies.

Pulse: And the word “crisis” in your description of your role?

SL: If you're in an acute care hospital then you’re experiencing some health crisis, or feeling overwhelmed or feeling disempowered or confused — and that's when people reach out to me.

Pulse: A far as I can recall, the first time I remember seeing you around the scene was at the FCPA training in March.

SL: Exactly.

Pulse: And how did you learn about that?

SL: From the lovely Nicole Broadhurst. [Nicole is with Tennessee Health Advocates LLC and collaborates with Pulse on the TakeCHARGE Campaign: 5 Steps to Safer Health Care. – Ed.)

SL: I was just starting as an advocate, kind of snooping around, learning which organizations are credible and have good people involved. And she had wonderful things to say about Pulse, so I decided to check out the website. And there I saw that there is training in March 2025. That was my first involvement, and I was really imp

ressed by the dedication of Pulse, and its patient safety education. I loved how it is steered towards advocates but also caregivers out there that are not professionals. Because I think if you really want to spread the word of patient safety and quality care, it can't only be in the hands of specialists. You know, it's a mistake to assume that all responsibility lies with the medical team.

Pulse: Absolutely. And I believe you ran a meeting of one of our monthly programs?

SL: Yes, it was an ACES (Advocates Collaborative Educational Series). I presented two case studies discussing dysphagia — swallowing disorders — which is a clinical field that I have expertise in. I was talking about the interplay between best practices and patient safety and patient autonomy. These things don't always align.

I feel like it worked really well because my work really, really closely aligns with Pulse's mission of empowering patients and caregivers through education and advocacy.

And I'm just very grateful to be able to share some of my knowledge and experience with other community members.

Pulse: And how do you see your role in Pulse going forward?

SL: I don't know. Currently, I'm a community member and a contributing speaker. I would love to get more involved. I am an avid learner and educator, very dedicated to that. So I think getting more involved in educational work would be something that I'm really looking forward to.

I have some ideas as to — I actually have been doing this outside of Pulse, but I would love to collaborate with Pulse — training clinical and nonclinical staff in facilities about best practices that have to do with swallowing, cognition, and language for people that are aging or have dementia or a brain injury. I believe there is a lot that facilities can improve, in how they're adhering to patient safety in those respects.

Pulse: And that's great because that kind of fills a gap. I don't know anybody else who's really working in those particular areas.

SL: I know.

Pulse: So just to wrap up, if you met somebody who knew nothing about Pulse, what would be your elevator pitch? What would be the first thing that, you know, you would want to say to them to describe it?

SL: I would say that Pulse is much more than just an advocacy organization. I look at it as a vital resource for anyone who wants to be prepared and informed in today's healthcare system. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or a professional advocate, Pulse offers practical tools and thoughtful training, and more than anything, a supportive community that can help you navigate healthcare with confidence.

Pulse: Well put, thank you very much.