Skip to content

Health Coaching Certification For Nurses & Clinicians

Our program was developed by clinicians for clinicians and allied healthcare providers whose goal it is to implement evidence-based health coaching at the point of care to improve outcomes and reduce costs. Licensed Clinicians earn 42 CEs upon passing the exam.

Side view of female educator teaching class as teenage students in uniforms sit at desks in background watching and listening.
A mature female doctor sits at the front of a classroom as she teaches a small group of students. She has a file folder on her lap as she talks with the students, and is dressed in a white lab coat. The students are seated in front of her and paying close attention as they take notes.

What is a Health Coach Certification?

People often, yet incorrectly, use the terms Health Coach and Wellness Coach interchangeably. The depth of coaching that a Certified Health Coach (CHC) can provide versus a Wellness coach is much greater. A Certified Health Coach (CHC) is trained, licensed, and skilled to effect deeper change. A Certified Health Coach (CHC) engages patients/clients to foster health behavior change and to address their health risks, chronic conditions, and disease.

Empowering Health Coaching

The NSHC’s Certified Health Coach (CHC) is the only certifying body designed specifically for licensed health practitioners such as nurses who are credentialed to coach those with moderate to high health risks, chronic conditions, and disease. Does this describe you? Keep reading to learn why this program is for you!

Empowering Patient Change

The NSHC Health Coach Certification program provides the "nuts and bolts" of Evidence-based Health Coaching (EBHC)® with Motivational Interviewing (MI) for use in healthcare and wellness settings through a myriad of teaching methods and learning tools. Learn to recognize cues of behavior change readiness and use new skills of motivational interviewing to tap into the patient's own motivation to change.

What Makes the NSHC Program Unique?

Developed by Clinicians

Developed by licensed clinicians, for licensed clinicians like you. The NSHC program builds upon the knowledge that you already possess from your formal clinical training. As such, our program focuses on new information, concepts, and strategies proven to support health behavior changes. Why take a program that forces you to sit through the same information again?

Evidence-based

We don’t like to brag, but NSHC developed the Nation’s first Clinical Model of Evidence-based Health Coaching (EBHC)®. Our program will help you to experience better client/patient outcomes. Finally feel like the Clinician you always wanted to be!

Self-Paced

100% Self-paced health coach certification study. No mandatory webinars or classes. The NSHC program is uniquely designed for busy healthcare professionals. We understand your time is tight, and being locked into someone else’s training schedule is not ideal or doable.

Affordable

Affordably priced with the option to pay now or pay later via PayPal Credit. Don’t pay more, for less with other programs.

Rear view of female instructor guiding student during class

Certification Program

The top 10 Skills you will learn in the NSHC Health Coach Certification program

The NSHC Certified Health Coach (CHC) program provides the “nuts and bolts” of Evidence-based Health Coaching (EBHC)® with Motivational Interviewing (MI) for use in healthcare and wellness settings through a myriad of teaching methods and learning tools.

  • Decrease patient/client resistance to their own treatment plan
  • Integrate EBHC® with MI into chronic condition management, wellness, and prevention
  • Employ MI in brief clinical encounters
  • Use new conversational skills of motivational interviewing that tap into the patient's own motivation to change
  • Recognize cues that reveal one’s behavior change readiness
  • Use avenues that enhance likelihood of goal achievement
  • Select and tabulate health coaching outcomes with easy-to-use tools
  • Self-assess your communication style and be alert to pitfalls
  • Self-assess your active listening skills
  • Integrate easy-to-use EBHC® patient/client tools into your practice

Salary

Health Coach Salary

According to Salary.com, the current average Health Coach salary in the United States is $62,847.  Nationally, the salary range usually falls between $54,908 and $70,631. Searching popular job listing sites such as Zip Recruiter, Glassdoor, and Indeed will provide you with a more localized picture of the job market and salary range. 

The factors that contribute to a health coach’s salary include:

  • Level of experience and education
  • Geography: where in the United States or world you are practicing
  • Employed versus self-employed
  • Full-time versus part-time 

The Health Coaching industry is growing rapidly, with the industry expected to hit over $25 billion by 2030.

Qualifications

What Qualifications Do You Need To Be an NSHC Health Coach?

NSHC has one program of study for health coaching for all members of the healthcare team. Depending upon your level of credentialing, NSHC’s program bestows either a:

  • Health Coach Certification: For those holding a current certification eligible credential listed below 
  • Certificate of Completion: For those without a certification eligible credential listed below

The course material is the same for both the Certification and for the Certificate of Completion. Due to liability differences, those with an eligible credential take the health coach certification exam to become a Certified Health Coach (CHC) and all others take a post test for the Certificate of Completion.  

Many employers prefer NSHC’s Health Coach program because there is one program of study. Having one study program allows all members of the healthcare team to study the same materials in order to project the same philosophy and implement the same engagement skills to the level of their credentials designated by their employer or their job description. 

While the Certificate of Completion is not a Certification, the skills learned may be used in Wellness Coaching, not to be confused with health coaching provided by licensed health practitioners.  

Enhance your nursing career and impact patient lives on a deeper level. Discover our Nurse Coach Board Certification Program. It’s your opportunity to master holistic nursing practices and advance your skills. Begin your journey to becoming a certified nurse coach by clicking here: Nurse Coach Board Certification Program.

Credentials

NSHC Certification Eligible Credentials

An active, unencumbered credential listed below qualifies one to take NSHC’s Health Coach program and earn the Certified Health Coach (CHC) credential after passing certification testing. If you do not see your credential below, you will select Allied Health Provider during Registration and you will be taking our course for a Certificate of Completion.

Getting certified

How to earn NSHC’s Certified Health Coach (CHC) designation

The credential of CHC (Certified Health Coach) is granted upon passing the NSHC timed Certification Exam and Skills Competency and is valid for 5 years from the date the exam is passed, as long as one remains in good standing with the Society, one's professional license/credential remains current and unencumbered by the issuing body for the 5-year term of the certification.

How to Get Started

  • Get started today on your journey to becoming a Certified Health Coach (CHC) by following these 4 simple steps: 
    1. Purchase NSHC Program Materials:  BUY NOW
    2. Receive your confidential Purchase ID via email. Be sure to check your spam folder!
    3. Use your Purchase ID to register your program online: REGISTER
    4. Once you submit your registration, you will receive login instructions.

     

Content Outline

NSHC Program Content Outline

NSHC recognizes a higher level of education, knowledge, skill, and supervised clinical practice that healthcare professionals have acquired in patient/family communication, psychosocial aspects of illness and recovery, health teaching/learning assessment and methods, and care management of those with health conditions, both acute and chronic. Program content is based on this premise, we don’t need to waste your time and reteach you topics you already know.

In addition to the Program Manual, study resources include a new robust MI Video Series, Webinars, Audio Recognition, Articles, Online Skills Practice, highly popular Live Practice Webinars, and Quick Reference Pocket Guide. These resources are located on the Member Home Dashboard upon login.

Content Outline

  • Evidence-based Health Coaching Defined
  • The premise of Evidence-based Health Coaching
  • Why Health Coaching has Emerged
  • Differences in Traditional Health Teaching and Health Coaching
  • new Differences in Health Coaching, Wellness Coaching, Counseling & Psychotherapy
  • Attributes of Health Coaching
  • Patient/Client Engagement
  • Self-Management Support
  • “Partnering” as a Healthcare Provider
  • Managing versus Coaching
  • Characteristics of an Effective Health Coach
  • new Nutritional Counseling and Dietary Teaching
  • new Health Coaching Liability & Legal Implications
  • Trends in Health Coaching
  • NSHC’s Clinical Model of Evidence-based Health Coaching
  • NSHC Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
  • NSHC Core Competencies

Certified Health Coach (CHC) Testing

Study and test at your own pace and on YOUR schedule.  For members’ convenience, all testing is conducted online. The NSHC Testing Area is accessible 24/7 to those with current NSHC membership and current unencumbered professional licenses or credentials. Complete details about testing are provided in NSHC’s Members Only area of its website.

The Post Test for Allied Health Providers testing for a Certificate of Completion is comprised of two parts. Part 1 is a 50-item, timed, multiple-choice test and Part 2 is Skills Competency where videos are used to simulate a coaching encounter, whereby your responses to the client are scored.

Testing for a Certificate of Completion is comprised of only Part 1, the 125 timed, multiple-choice test. 

Included with your purchase of the NSHC Health Coach Certification program, is a 12-month complimentary membership and testing period that includes one free test session when testing is completed within 12 months from the date of purchase or registration.

 

Start your journey today

Certification

How much does it cost to get a health coach certification?

The cost for program materials is $875. NSHC offers volume discount pricing for groups! Contact us to learn more about our group pricing.

What's included

  • An online, interactive e-manual of the study materials

  • 42 CE Contact Hours upon passing

  • First-year NSHC Membership free

  • One Free Test attempt when the test is completed within 12 months of purchase

  • Online Skills Practice

  • Best practice clinical interventions for CHF, HTN, CAD, COPD, Diabetes, Depression, Pain, Pressure Ulcer

Frequently Asked Questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for?

Health Coach Certification

A passion, a willingness to help people, and good communication skills are some of the qualifications you need. Additionally, the NSHC exclusively certifies licensed clinicians and practitioners in health coaching. Please contact us if you have specific questions regarding your eligibility.

Begin your journey.

Register now to get started.