Inside the Program
Get a week-by-week look at the topics, tools, and training that will prepare you to launch and grow your patient advocacy business.
The Landscape, History, and Values of Professional Advocacy
This module introduces the foundation of professional patient advocacy, including what it is, why it exists, and how it has evolved within modern healthcare. Students learn the core values that guide advocacy work—empathy, patient safety, ethical integrity, and relationship-centered care—and why nurses are uniquely equipped to serve in this role. Teri also explains how the fragmentation of today’s healthcare system created the need for independent, private patient advocates who work solely in the patient’s best interest.
The Road Map Simplified
This module breaks down the Nurse Advocate Entrepreneur journey into a clear, simplified roadmap. Students are introduced to the big picture of how the course fits together, what comes first, and how each phase builds on the last. Teri explains how to move from clinical experience to advocacy practice without becoming overwhelmed, helping students understand where to focus their energy, what to ignore early on, and how to progress step by step with confidence.
Getting Off to the Right Start With Your Company
This module focuses on the early decisions and mindset required to launch a patient advocacy business the right way. Teri walks students through foundational considerations such as business structure, legal and ethical boundaries, defining scope of services, and avoiding common startup mistakes. Emphasis is placed on starting simply, staying compliant, and building a business that aligns with professional standards while remaining flexible enough to grow over time.
Networking and Sales
This module introduces practical, relationship-based approaches to networking and sales within patient advocacy. Teri explains how trust, credibility, and education—not pressure or persuasion—form the foundation of ethical sales. Students learn how to talk about their services confidently, identify referral opportunities, and build professional relationships that naturally lead to clients, while staying aligned with advocacy values and professional boundaries.
Next Level Sales – Modifying Your Value Proposition
This module builds on earlier sales concepts by helping students refine how they communicate their value as patient advocates. Teri explains how to adjust messaging based on who you are speaking with—families, referral partners, or professionals—while remaining authentic and ethical. Students learn how to clearly articulate what makes their services valuable, how advocacy solves real problems, and how to speak about their work in a way that resonates without overselling or compromising professional integrity.
Engaging With New Clients Effectively
This module focuses on how to engage new clients with professionalism, clarity, and compassion from the very first interaction. Teri walks students through the importance of active listening, setting expectations, building trust, and establishing boundaries early in the relationship. Emphasis is placed on helping clients feel heard and supported while clearly explaining the advocate’s role, scope of practice, and how the advocacy relationship works.
What Advocates Need to Know: Long-Term Care and Community Resources
This module introduces the long-term care continuum and the community-based resources patient advocates must understand to support clients effectively. Teri explains the different levels of senior living and care options, how placement decisions are made, and where families often become overwhelmed or misinformed. Students learn how advocates help clients navigate these systems, evaluate options realistically, and coordinate resources that align with both medical needs and personal circumstances.
Basics of Insurance and Medicare
This module provides a practical overview of insurance and Medicare fundamentals that patient advocates need to understand. Teri explains how coverage impacts care decisions, common sources of confusion for patients and families, and where advocates can offer clarity and support. Students learn how to help clients navigate benefits, identify coverage limitations, and ask the right questions, while staying within scope and recognizing when to refer to insurance specialists.
Hospital Advocacy and Medical Ethics
This module focuses on advocacy within hospital systems and the ethical responsibilities that come with it. Teri explains how hospitals function, how care teams communicate, and where breakdowns commonly occur. Students learn how to advocate effectively while maintaining professionalism, respecting scope of practice, and upholding ethical standards. The module emphasizes protecting patient rights, supporting informed decision-making, and navigating complex situations with integrity and confidence.
Laws That Protect Patients
This module introduces the foundational laws and legal protections that safeguard patients within the healthcare system. Students learn how these laws impact advocacy work, patient rights, informed consent, privacy, and ethical decision-making. Teri explains what advocates need to know—not to practice law—but to confidently recognize violations, support patients appropriately, and know when to escalate concerns or involve legal professionals.
Techniques for Getting Clients to Accept Help
This module addresses one of the most challenging aspects of advocacy—helping clients and families accept support when they are resistant, overwhelmed, or fearful. Teri explains why people often push back against help and how advocates can respond with empathy, patience, and effective communication. Students learn techniques for building trust, reducing defensiveness, and guiding clients toward accepting assistance without pressure or coercion.
Making the Case for Patient Advocacy to Hospitals
This module focuses on how patient advocates can effectively communicate their role and value within hospital systems. Teri explains how to approach hospitals professionally, articulate the purpose of advocacy, and position advocates as collaborative partners rather than adversaries. Students learn how to speak the language of healthcare institutions, build credibility, and demonstrate how advocacy supports better outcomes for patients, families, and care teams alike.
Case Studies of Successful Patient Advocacy
This module uses real-world case studies to illustrate how patient advocacy works in practice. Teri walks through examples of successful advocacy, highlighting decision points, challenges, and outcomes. Students learn how advocates apply clinical knowledge, communication skills, ethics, and persistence to navigate complex situations and support patients and families effectively across different care settings.
Essential Skills for Advocacy Self-Leadership
This module focuses on the internal skills required to sustain a successful advocacy practice over time. Teri discusses self-leadership, accountability, boundaries, and resilience, emphasizing the importance of managing yourself before managing clients. Students learn how to stay grounded, avoid burnout, and maintain professionalism while navigating the emotional and logistical demands of advocacy work.
How to Become a Board Certified Patient Advocate
This module explains the process and importance of becoming a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA). Teri outlines what certification represents, how it supports professional credibility, and why ethics and standards matter in advocacy. Students learn when to pursue certification, what the exam covers, and how real-world advocacy experience strengthens readiness. The module emphasizes lifelong learning, ethical practice, and the role certification plays in advancing both individual careers and the profession as a whole.
Nurse Advocate Entrepreneur
Whether you’re just getting started or ready for hands-on mentorship, our Nurse Advocate Entrepreneur (NAE) program has a path designed for your lifestyle, schedule, and goals. All three options are built around the proven framework developed by Teri Frykenberg (Dreher), who built a thriving private advocacy practice from the ground up.
One Course.
Three Ways to Learn.
Self-Paced
Learn on your own time—no deadlines.
Ideal for nurses juggling busy or irregular schedules who still want to move forward. This fully online, on-demand 15-week course includes over 15 hours of video training plus a BRAND NEW comprehensive companion workbook designed to help you apply what you’re learning in real time.
You’ll gain practical, real-world tools like client engagement templates, legal forms, and marketing resources—saving you thousands in startup costs while allowing you to move at your own pace.
Group Coaching
Structure, support, and live coaching with peers.
This guided learning experience includes the same 15-week core curriculum and workbook as the Self-Paced Course, with the added benefit of weekly live group coaching sessions led by Teri Frykenberg (Dreher).
You’ll move through the program alongside a supportive cohort, gaining accountability, clarity, and community as you apply the workbook and course content week by week.
Personal Mentorship
The highest level of support—completely personalized.
This elite program is designed for nurses who want direct, ongoing access to Teri throughout the 15-week course experience. In addition to the full curriculum and workbook, you’ll receive one-on-one coaching, personalized feedback, and tailored guidance for your specific goals.
You’ll move through the material at a pace that works for you—with Teri walking beside you every step of the way.
Still need help deciding what is right for you?
Schedule a free call with Teri to answer any questions you have and decide what program is the best fit.