{"id":9004111223106168,"date":"2021-08-02T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthcoachinstitute.com\/?p=9004111223106168"},"modified":"2024-04-10T16:16:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T16:16:09","slug":"how-becoming-a-board-certified-health-wellness-coach-can-enhance-your-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthcoachinstitute.com\/articles\/how-becoming-a-board-certified-health-wellness-coach-can-enhance-your-career\/","title":{"rendered":"How Becoming a Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach Can Enhance Your Career"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Coaching is not universally regulated \u2014meaning anyone can hang a sign outside their door and call themselves a coach, regardless of whether they have  had any formal training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As coaching gains recognition for its significant impact in supporting the healthcare industry, such as assisting individuals in achieving personal health goals, lifestyle transformations, and managing chronic diseases, professional health & wellness coach training standards and requirements are emerging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evolution of Health Coaching<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)\u2014an independent non-profit organization made up of industry thought-leaders for health & wellness coach training and education programs\u2014<\/em>has taken the lead in  establishing professional standards for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, they partnered with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to establish a board certification examination. It has since certified more than 10,000 health & wellness coaches to work in healthcare, employee wellness, government, and private practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, NBHWC secured Category III CPT codes for National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coaches, which enables NBC-HWCs working in healthcare to use the codes to track patient outcomes from coaching. Next up, NBHWC aims to secure insurance payments for coaching services. This ambitious and exciting endeavor will ultimately help establish coaches as critical healthcare team members !<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, more and more employers are requiring the NBC-HWC coaching credential every day\u2014 from VAs and other hospitals to wellness companies like FitBit to insurance companies, just to name a few. And this trend and demand for board-certified health & wellness coaches will likely  continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Trained For The NBHWC Board Exam<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you wish to become board-certified, you must apply for and pass the NBHWC board exam . However, you can\u2019t just sit for the exam; you\u2019ll first need to complete a training program that\u2019s been approved by NBHWC, like HCI\u2019s Pathway program<\/strong><\/a>. (Btw, you\u2019ll know a training program is NBHWC-approved if you see the logo below on their website and in their catalogs and emails.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NBHWC has provided very specific and rigorous standards for approved programs and the faculty instructors who can teach the curriculum, and we\u2019re honored to have met those standards and created a path to national health and wellness certification for our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn More<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That being said, approved courses vary in terms of teaching models and support they offer, so you\u2019ll want to really do your research<\/strong><\/a> before selecting a training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve completed and passed an approved training program, you will also need to complete 50 coaching sessions and then provide the following before you can take the board exam:<\/p>\n\n\n\n