Thank you to guest blogger & APHA Member, Christie Cox, BCPA , EDS patient advocate, advisor and author of Holding It All Together When You’re Hypermobile. To learn more, visit www.journey2joyous.com.
If you’ve ever struggled to describe what you really do as a patient advocate, this metaphor will help. Drawing inspiration from the hit show The Bear—where kitchen chaos meets brilliance—the author serves up a vivid way to explain the value of advocacy that instantly connects with clients, families, and providers alike. It’s a story you can retell, adapt, and make your own.
The Healthcare Kitchen
If you’ve watched The Bear, you’ve felt the intensity: sizzling pans, rapid-fire commands, a chef balancing perfection and pressure in equal measure. Now imagine that kitchen as a hospital.
The same heat. The same urgency. The same chaos behind those sterile white walls.
Doctors (the chefs) are focused on their precise dishes. Nurses (the waitstaff) hustle to keep things running smoothly. But the patient—the diner—sits bewildered, wondering what’s on the menu, what’s safe to eat, and why no one can explain the ingredients.
Sound familiar?
For many patients, healthcare feels like fine dining without a translator. That’s why the “medical menu” metaphor works so well—it gives advocates a relatable way to show the clarity, calm, and coordination they bring to the table. Let’s dip our fork in deeper…
Doctors: The Star Chefs of Medicine
Just like Chef Carmy in The Bear, doctors are masters of their craft. They’ve trained for years to perfect their “signature dishes”—specialties so refined that no one else can make them quite the same.
But that precision has limits.
Ask a rheumatologist about your migraines, and you’ll get a polite “not my area.” Request a side of empathy with your lab results, and you might hear, “You’ll need to follow up with another specialist.”
Doctors are essential—but they’re focused. They serve what’s on their menu.
How advocates can frame this:
“Doctors are like Michelin-star chefs—brilliant, but limited to their specialty. As a patient advocate, I help make sure all those chefs coordinate the full meal, not just their own course.”
Nurses: The Compassionate Waitstaff
In every good restaurant, it’s the servers who keep the dining room from imploding. Nurses are those servers. They see the customers (patients) up close, sense what’s wrong before anyone else, and keep the plates moving with grace under pressure. They explain the signature dishes and ensure you get the plate you ordered.
But even they can’t rewrite the menu. They can’t step outside the kitchen or change how it’s run.
A phrase that works well in conversation:
“Nurses bring compassion and order to a chaotic kitchen, but they still have to follow the house rules. Advocates have the freedom to look beyond the restaurant—to find the food that truly fits the person.”
Patient Advocates: The Food Tour Guides of Healthcare
Now, imagine stepping outside that single restaurant. The city streets are alive with healthy options — fusion, plant-based, traditional, holistic, modern. Some are Michelin-starred, some are mom-and-pop gems, and others are pop-up stalls or rolling food trucks serving miracles for those who know where to look.
That’s your expertise and where you shine.
Patient advocates aren’t bound to just one kitchen. You know the whole neighborhood, the hidden gems, the trusted sources and the new spots worth trying. You help patients find what’s right for their palate and see the whole map of possibilities. You specialize in helping the patient get the full taste experience of what truly nourishes them. You translate the menu, explain the ingredients, and make sure no one leaves hungry for answers.
Where doctors focus on symptoms, you help patients connect the dots. Where the system rushes, you slow it down long enough for them to breathe, understand, choose and sometimes savor the experience like a fine meal.
And best of all, you empower them to order with confidence — from any kitchen they choose.
Why the Menu Needs a Rewrite
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the modern healthcare menu isn’t designed for choice. Efficiency, billing codes, and time limits often dictate what’s “on the menu.” It’s why patients are metaphorically handed a pre-fixed menu: one size, one system, one timeline. And if what they need isn’t listed? Or if you ask for substitutions? Too often, they’re told, “That’s not available here” or it doesn’t exist.
Advocates change that. You empower patients to see the full spread of options—traditional, complementary, and everything in between. You remind people that healing isn’t a corporate chain, it can be a personal kitchen. You show them that “out of network” doesn’t mean “out of hope,” and that care coordination is the secret ingredient most people never knew they needed – or that it ever existed in a profession of independent patient health advocates.
You bridge the kitchens. You carry the neighborhood foodie map. You help people see the whole menu and help create a meal plan that actually makes sense.
How to Use This Metaphor in Your Practice
This metaphor works because it’s instantly relatable. Everyone knows what it feels like to be lost in a restaurant — to want something simple, nourishing, and be told it’s not available.
How to say it simply everytime:
“Doctors cook. Nurses serve. I guide. I help people understand the healthcare menu, choose what nourishes them, and coordinate every course so they finally feel full and nourished.”
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In an elevator pitch:
“Think of me as your healthcare food tour guide. Doctors serve their specialty dishes; I help you find what you’re actually hungry for — across all kitchens of care.” -
In a consultation:
“I’m here to make sure you don’t get stuck ordering off the same limited menu. We’ll explore all your options — conventional, complementary, and everything in between.” -
In your marketing:
Pair the metaphor with sensory words — flavor, balance, nourishment, recipe, or feast — to make your messaging memorable and even mouthwateringly easy. -
In patient education:
Use the imagery to explain why specialists don’t always see the whole picture, and why coordinated care matters to complete a fully balanced plate and food palate.
Patient Advocacy Feeds More Than the Body
At its core, advocacy is about nourishment. Not just of the body, but of understanding, autonomy, and dignity. You give people permission to ask, “What else is out there for me?” – and then help them find it.
So next time you’re explaining what you do, skip the industry jargon.
Invite them into the metaphor. Ask them if they have seen The Bear?
Tell them you’re not the chef, not the server — you’re the guide who knows where the best meals in town are hiding.
In The Bear, the kitchen only finds peace in the chaos when everyone starts communicating – when every plate supports the next. That’s what advocates do for patients. You help orchestrate the kitchen of care, align the timing, translate the jargon, and make sure every diner feels seen, served, and satisfied. You remind the system that healing isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about nourishing what’s human.
So the next time someone asks what you do, you can smile and say:
“I help people navigate the healthcare kitchen—and make sure they finally get a meal worth eating.”
Because everyone deserves care that’s made to order. You turn a confusing system into a curated experience.
Bon appétit.
