Career Exploration Beyond the Bedside

October 2025

Welcome to this edition of The Nontraditional Nurse Newsletter!

The Nontraditional Nurse spotlight

Today we’re highlighting a role that’s growing rapidly — and still flying under the radar for many nurses: Patient Advocacy. It’s a career path built on the heart of what nursing already does best — guiding, supporting, and advocating for people through a complex healthcare system.

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We sat down with Lori Schellenberg, RN, who brings over 40 years of experience across acute care, home health, case management, and beyond. Today, she works independently with clients and families to make sure no one falls through the cracks. Lori shares what this role looks like, the skills nurses already have to succeed in it, and how to get started — even if you’re still in a traditional role today.

“ This is a job that you are doing every day in your life as a nurse. — Lori Schellenburg

In this episode, Lori shares how her diverse nursing background led her to patient advocacy — and why it felt like a natural next step. We dive into what this work actually looks like, the types of clients advocates serve, and why nurses are uniquely qualified to lead in this space. Whether you’re curious about leaving the bedside or just want more meaning and flexibility in your role, this episode is packed with insight.

Key Takeaways

Patient advocacy is a natural extension of what nurses already do — but with more autonomy and impact.

You’re already advocating for patients at the bedside — coordinating care, educating families, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. As an independent advocate, you get to follow through beyond the hospital walls and tailor your support to each patient’s needs.

There’s no one path to becoming an advocate. Start part-time, build slowly, and lean into your strengths.

Many nurses begin with just one client or a side project, testing the waters before diving in fully. Your unique experience — whether it’s case management, education, or bedside — can shape the way you serve.

Business skills are learnable. The real foundation? Trust, clinical knowledge, and communication.

If you want to work independently, you can always take a course on marketing, contracts, or pricing. What makes an advocate successful is their ability to build relationships, solve problems, and be a steady presence during chaotic times (all things that nurses are naturals at!)
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​The market is growing. More patients and families are actively seeking trusted professionals to help them navigate the healthcare system.

Nurses bring the right mix of experience and empathy — and with the right support, advocacy can become a sustainable, patient-centered path forward.

Career Deep Dive

Patient Advocacy

Independent patient advocates are hired directly by patients or families to guide them through the complexities of the healthcare system. This role is highly individualized — no two clients or care situations are exactly the same — but in general, advocates help make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Here are just a few examples of what a patient advocate might do:

• Attend medical appointments to ask questions and take notes
• Coordinate care across multiple providers and specialists
• Help patients understand new diagnoses or treatment options
• Review and organize medical records
• Assist with hospital discharge planning and transitions of care
• Identify billing errors or explain confusing medical charges
• Provide emotional support and act as a consistent point of contact
• Help families manage long-term care or complex chronic conditions
• Navigate insurance appeals or medication access challenges
• Research and vet second opinions or out-of-state providers

This list isn’t exhaustive — and that’s the beauty of advocacy. Services are often tailored to the specific needs of the individual patient, and the relationship is built on trust, consistency, and truly patient-centered care.
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​Not all patient advocates are nurses — but nurses are uniquely positioned to thrive in this space.

With clinical knowledge, communication skills, and a deep understanding of how the system works (and where it breaks down), nurses bring both trust and expertise to the table.

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Perks

• Flexibility: Many advocates build schedules that align with their life; including part-time, per diem, or remote work.
• Autonomy: You define your services, pricing, and client load — no productivity quotas or clock-punching.
• Deep Impact: You become a lifeline for individuals navigating difficult health journeys, often making a visible difference in outcomes.
• Mission Alignment: You’re hired directly by the patient or family — not the hospital or insurance company — so your loyalty stays 100% with them. That means you can truly advocate for what’s best for the patient, without pressure from system priorities or cost-cutting agendas.
• Variety: Each case is different. You may be supporting an elderly patient through post-hospitalization recovery one week, and a young family managing a new chronic diagnosis the next.

Challenges

• Private Pay Model: Most roles aren’t reimbursed by insurance, so you need to clearly communicate the value to clients and families.
• Business Operations: If you choose to work independently, you’ll need to define your services, establish a brand, and market yourself. There can be a learning curve — but it’s one that many nurses successfully navigate with the right support and mentorship.
• Awareness: Many patients and families still don’t know this kind of support exists. Part of the job often includes educating others about what you do and how you can help.
• May not be full-time right away: Many advocates start part-time, building up a client base over time. It’s a gradual path that may require patience, especially as you establish credibility and trust in your community.

Alternative: Agency or organization-based roles: Some nurses begin their advocacy journey by working for an agency, nonprofit, or larger advocacy group. These roles can provide a more immediate client base, structure, and mentorship while still allowing you to do meaningful, patient-centered work. Lori has built her own business, Stepping Stone Advocacy Services where she hires nurses and other professionals as patient advocates.

Work-life balance

This role offers exceptional flexibility for nurses seeking better balance. You can choose your caseload, many advocates work remotely, and you structure your availability around personal priorities. Many advocates, like Lori, continue their work while traveling or working in other areas — maintaining client communication via phone, email, and virtual check-ins.

Nursing Skills that Translate

• Critical Thinking: You’re constantly assessing needs, spotting gaps, and developing creative solutions.
• Care Coordination: Think discharge planning, med reconciliation, referrals — just in a different setting.
• Communication: You’re the translator between clinical language and patient understanding.
• Compassion & Advocacy: You already do this every day. This just formalizes the role in a more direct, individualized way.
• Billing and coding familiarity: Nurses with experience in charting, clinical documentation improvement (CDI), or understanding how care is billed can help patients navigate claims and medical bills with more clarity.

How Much Experience Do you Need?

There’s no strict requirement, but most independent advocates have several years of clinical experience under their belt — typically in areas like acute care, care coordination, case management, home health, or discharge planning.

That said, it’s less about years and more about your ability to think critically, communicate with confidence, and guide patients through complex situations. If you’ve helped patients or families navigate difficult decisions, managed transitions of care, or advocated for someone to get what they needed, you’re already doing the work. Now it’s about shaping that into a defined role.
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Getting Started:

If you’re curious about patient advocacy, you don’t have to make the leap all at once. Here are a few ways to explore and build experience:

• Start where you are: Look for informal opportunities to advocate within your current role. That might mean helping a patient understand their discharge plan, coordinating across specialties, or flagging gaps in communication that affect care.
• Take inventory of your experience: Reflect on situations where you’ve acted as a connector or advocate. These stories become powerful assets when speaking to your value in this space.
• Shadow or talk to a practicing advocate: Whether independent or employed by a hospital or agency, speaking to someone currently in the role can give you clarity on what the day-to-day looks like.
• Pursue foundational training: There are various advocacy and navigation training programs available (some with CEUs), though none are required to get started. Choose one that aligns with your goals and values.
• Decide on your path: You might pursue employment with an agency or nonprofit, or eventually build your own private practice. Starting part-time is common — many advocates build a small caseload while keeping other work for financial stability.
• Learn the basics of business (if going independent): If you choose to open your own practice, you’ll need to understand marketing, contracts, pricing, and operations — but these are all learnable skills, especially with the right mentorship or community.

Patient advocacy is a field where action builds clarity. You don’t need to have it all figured out — just take the first step.

Salary

Independent patient advocates usually begin by learning about a client’s needs and estimating how many hours their case might require. From there, they often collect a retainer upfront, which is drawn from as services are provided. Most advocates charge between $100 to $200 per hour, depending on factors like experience level, case complexity, specialization, and whether on-call or concierge services are involved. Rates may vary, but transparency and a clear scope of services are key to setting expectations and building trust.

Thanks for reading!

Next up, we’re diving into Nursing Informatics — where clinical expertise meets data, tech, and innovation. You’ll learn how nurses are using informatics to shape better systems and improve care from the inside out.

In the meantime, catch up on past interviews, share this with a friend, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Appreciate you being here.

Ellie