Nurse / Health Coach Careers with BSN

What Do Nurse Coaches Do?

Nurse coaches help people to adopt healthy lifestyles. While all LPNs and RNs encourage their patients to make healthy choices; teaching people about wellness is the primary focus of nurse coaches.

Nurse coaches often work with individuals who have chronic health issues; such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They teach chronically ill individuals how to cope with their illnesses. Nurse coaches empower their clients to make choices which lead to fewer disease complications, less frequent hospitalizations an improved levels of wellness.

Many nurse coaches are employed by insurance companies and corporations. Insurance companies and corporations employ the services of nurse coaches to educate their members and workers about lifestyle strategies which promote health. Nurse coaches directly impact the quality of people’s lives and reduce the financial burdens which occur when members or employees are unhealthy.

Few nursing roles offer opportunities for self-employment. Nurse coaching is one nursing specialty area which affords nurses the opportunity to go into business for themselves. Some nurse caches practice as generalists; while others focus on a specific health consideration. For example, a nurse coach may choose to work with clients who want to learn about general health and wellness or with clients who struggle with obesity. By opting to work as an independent nurse coach, a nurse may offer very individualized, life changing assistance to clients.

How Do I Become a Nurse Coach?

The first steps are to obtain your Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. Some colleges and universities provide course work which facilitate your ability to become certified as a nurse coach quickly. You will need to meet the requirements of the certifying body and take an exam in order to become certified as a nurse coach.

Two types of certification are available for nurse coaches. You may become certified as a nurse coach or as a holistic nurse coach. See the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) and the International Nurse Coach Association (INCA).

Nurse coaches approach health promotion using conventional wisdom and treatment modalities.

Holistic nurse coaches often employ complementary and alternative treatment modalities in their practices. For example, they may teach patients how to use meditation, aromatherapy, yoga, or guided imagery to manage stress. They focus on the whole person and his or her relationships to family and the community.

What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Nurse Coach?

Nurse coaching offers you the opportunity to make an excellent salary. You are likely to have more autonomy in this role when compared to other nursing careers. Nurse coaching offers an alternative to bedside nursing. It offers flexibility regarding hours, settings, and clientele.

As a nurse coach, you will have major impacts on the health of those in your care. When you teach people how to take care of themselves, you are empowering them for life. This often has far reaching effects for the individual and their families. You are promoting health in a fiscally responsible manner which benefits all of society. Nurse coaching is important, satisfying work. The demand for nurse coaches is likely to grow as more people become aware of the important contributions that nurse coaches have to offer.