It’s an exciting time to break into the field of Health Coaching! Not only is there is no shortage of people looking for the services Health Coaches provide, but one of the greatest perks of the profession is that you can carve out just about any career path of your choosing.

Exploring the Health Coach Job Market

The Health Coach job market is booming and Health Coaches are in a unique position to choose from a variety of jobs. According to a report by Marketdata, Health Coaching was a $6 billion market in the U.S. in 2017—an increase of 15% from 2014! They estimate that there are about 109,000 Health Coaches working to advise and educate clients.

Health Coaches are helping people break out of bad habits and focus on their health and wellness in a number of different ways. You’ll find them working in doctors’ offices, partnering with other wellness professionals, leading corporate wellness programs, sharing their knowledge through writing and speaking, creating their own coaching practices, and so much more!

If you’re most interested in working within a healthcare organization, you’ll be thrilled to know that as of the date of this post, a growing number of healthcare organizations are now recruiting Health Coaches to help them, “facilitate actionable, sustainable health behavior change in rising and high-risk populations, across a continuum of delivery platforms” (according to a 2018 study conducted by the Healthcare Intelligence Network “HIN”).

Trends in the Health Coach Industry

In their April 2018: Health Coaching in 2018: Facilitating Health Behavior Change with Increasing Reliance on Digital Health Technologies report, HIN surveyed a total of 79 healthcare companies, asking them approximately 30 questions relating to Health Coaching.

The results of the survey indicate that employing Health Coaches on staff helps healthcare organizations:

  • Increase patient self-management
  • Decrease readmission rates
  • Increase patient engagement

…and much more. Awesome, right?

What’s more, 81% of survey respondents said that they currently offer a Health Coaching program, compared with just 70% in 2016. Their Health Coaching initiatives target some of the leading health conditions, including chronic care management, tobacco use, and weight management/physical activity.

The Impact Your Health Coaching Job Can Have

The HIN study also revealed some amazing outcomes patients have had from working with a Health Coach. Here are a few exciting results:

  • One company saw a 50% reduction of inpatient days among employees with diabetes.
  • Another saw an 11% reduction in healthcare claims.
  • A third company reduced tobacco use by 50% among participants.

As you can see, Health Coaches can make an incredibly powerful impact on their clients’ lives.

For more on how Health Coaches are transforming the healthcare industry, click here to download our infographic: How Health Coaches Are Changing the Healthcare Landscape.

Some of our most interesting finds include:

  • According to the Centers for Disease Control, 6 in 10 adults have a chronic disease, with 4 in 10 having two or more.
  • 86% of all healthcare dollars ($2.9 trillion and growing) are spent treating chronic diseases. These costs can be reduced via Health Coaching of employees and plan members, on their lifestyles, eliminating bad habits, better nutrition, exercise, and managing their chronic conditions.
  • 86% of respondents in a survey reported that patients’ self-management improved with the help of a Health Coach.

What to Expect Next in Health Coaching

There has never been a better time to break into Health Coaching. Health Coaches offer a level of support, accountability, and expertise that’s truly invaluable when it comes to making healthy, sustainable lifestyle changes. They help bridge the gap between knowing the things we should do and actually doing them.

Health Coaches empower people to master healthy habits that serve them for life and work with their clients to implement directives from their healthcare providers. And opportunities for Health Coaches are only growing. According to the Marketdata study, the number of practicing Health Coaches rose 8% from 2006 to 2017, and is expected to reach 121,000 by 2022!

At Health Coach Institute, we believe Health Coaches are the future of healthcare and we’re proud to be training a new generation of coaches who are helping fight lifestyle disease and improve health and wellness through the power of habit change.

Join Health Coach Institute and Become a Health Coach

Coaching is a great career that you can help others, while also learning how to help your own personal growth. Health Coach Institute is a top health and wellness coaching certification program. Join our Become a Health Coach program and begin coaching in 6 months! If you are already a coach and want to advance your skills, check out HCI’s Coach Mastery program. Feel free to get in touch with with one of our clarity coaches directly, by calling 1-800-303-2399.

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Health Coach Institute provides aspiring Health and Life Coaches with the tools, training, and support to make a great living transforming lives.