Has it always been your dream to provide holistic health and wellness care to patients? Perhaps to be a revolutionary one-of-a-kind nurse coach? If so, there are a lot of things you need to do and understand before getting there.
It is a process, just like any other career, and you need patience to get there. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and you can reach the pinnacle of your career! We have compiled this Nurse Coach Collective guide to help you get a general idea of what is expected of you to become a nurse health coach.
Such a guide will come in handy to people in nursing and those prospecting to join the industry. It can help you know whether this is the path for you or not. We’ve got to say though, that if you’ve always found joy in helping others, the likelihood that you will succeed as a nurse health coach is high!
Here are the steps to becoming a nurse health coach:
Step 1: Get a Nursing Undergraduate Degree
Having an undergraduate degree is essential to comprehend everything about nursing. It’s fundamental so that you can qualify to be a Registered Nurse (RN). Studying helps you understand all the complexities of the nursing profession. Aspiring nurse health coaches can therefore form a form found in this industry with the knowledge and abilities they have earned.
Additionally, having an undergraduate degree increases their marketability and draws employers to them. There are many undergraduate degrees you might pursue, but the Bachelor of Science in nursing is the most popular one. However, certain institutions and universities provide possibilities for students who want to specialize in nurse health coaching for their nursing degrees.
This is fantastic since it allows you to comprehend the profession and its responsibilities in great detail. Students frequently attend school for four years to study the essentials of a nursing vocation. A two-year Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing is an alternative if you’d want to study for a shorter amount of time. It is advisable to point out, nonetheless, that pursuing it does not assure you of meeting the requirements for a nurse health coach certification.
Step 2: Become a Registered Nurse with the Appropriate Body
You must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses in order to become a registered nurse. It is a test that examines the nurse’s performance and has questions ranging from 75 to 256.
The exam might take up to 6 hours to complete, but intermittent breaks are planned. You must be focused and study wisely to pass this exam because it is designed to assess the abilities and knowledge you have acquired over the study session. Furthermore, passing these tests is essential if you want to practice in the state where you wish to get your license.
Step 3: Don’t Forget to Get Experience
You already know how important experience is in every industry. How many times, for instance, have you tried applying for a job you were not yet qualified for because you don’t have enough or much work experience? In most cases, you wouldn’t land a job without their minimum experience.
Having said that, by the time you are looking for employment, you should have acquired suitable work experience. Gaining professional experience also improves your prospects of working as a nurse health coach as soon as possible. That’s because you’ll have enhanced and developed your occupational skills.
That being stated, make sure to look for an internship or, even better, volunteer opportunities at hospitals in your area while enrolled in your undergraduate school. In this fashion, you’ll familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of how medical organizations function.
When you graduate, therefore, take the initiative to look for and apply for entry-level nursing opportunities in nearby healthcare facilities. If there are no open openings, you should think about becoming a registered nurse because it will strengthen your résumé and experience. Consequently, in the future, you will be able to work as a nurse health coach.
Step 4: Obtain Certification in Health Coaching
Even if some hospitals and medical organizations do not mandate health coach certification, it will increase your competence. Additionally, if you attend an interview and are the only candidate with this qualification, it will make your CV stand out to employers.
You also need to understand that there are two different nurse health coach certifications you can earn: the holistic nurse coach certification and the nurse coach certification. Holistic certification involves whole body health and wellness-mentally, spiritually, physically, name it!
Through techniques like a good diet, meditation, and yoga, it offers patients and clients an alternate form of treatment. However, there are some prerequisites you have to meet in order to pursue it. Some of these include
• A registered nurse license
• A year of full-time experience in holistic nursing
• A degree from a nursing program with national accreditation
The nurse coach certification, on the other hand, examines your proficiency with traditional patient and client treatment techniques. Its prerequisites include:
• A registered nurse license
• 60 contact hours
• Hours of coaching experience
Talk to The Nurse Coach Collective
The procedures for becoming a nurse health coach are listed above. Maybe this is the signal you’ve been looking for to act on a dream you’ve had. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if anything is unclear to you. Talk to us or join our program and realize your dream!