NSHC is the only certifying body built exclusively for licensed clinicians. Earn a nationally recognized health coaching credential, receive 42 CE credits, and learn the skills to guide health behavior change, deepen your practice, and improve patient outcomes.
Self-Paced
Affordable
Interactive
Your clinical training opened the door to a career in healthcare. Health coaching opens the next one. The NSHC Certified Health Coach (CHC) credential gives licensed clinicians a recognized, accredited qualification that strengthens their practice and deepens patient relationships by teaching the communication skills that turn clinical knowledge into lasting behavior change.
A Certified Health Coach (CHC) is a licensed clinician trained to engage patients in behavior change conversations that go beyond clinical instruction. Where a clinical visit conveys health information to your patients, skillful conversation techniques utilized by a professional health coach fosters self-motivations in clients to alter health behaviors . The CHC credential provides the framework, language, and skills to make that shift.
NSHC is the only certifying body designed specifically for licensed health practitioners credentialed to coach patients with moderate to high health risks, chronic conditions, and disease. The program builds on the clinical knowledge you already have and gives you a structured, evidence-based coaching framework to put it to work more effectively.
The NSHC program delivers the practical framework of Evidence-Based Health Coaching (EBHC)® paired with Motivational Interviewing (MI). You will learn to recognize cues of patient readiness for behavior change and use conversational skills that tap their motivation. These skills are valuable in clinical encounters of any length and across any care setting.
Certification Program
The NSHC CHC program builds the clinical communication skills that make the difference between a patient who understands their diagnosis and one who acts on it. Core to the curriculum is Evidence-Based Health Coaching (EBHC)® with Motivational Interviewing (MI), applied across the full range of clinical settings and patient populations.
Here are some of the health coaching skills you will bring to your clinical practice:
Certification
The NSHC Health Coach Certification is $875, fully self-paced, and designed to fit your schedule without the live class requirements that drive up the cost of most comparable programs. Groups of five or more qualify for volume discount pricing. Register now for your health coach certification, or contact us for a custom group proposal.
Interactive online e-manual
Online skills practice
First-year NSHC membership
Program Study Guide and support
42 CE contact hours upon completion
One free test attempt within 12 months
Best practice clinical interventions
Motivational Interviewing (MI) framework
Alliances
NSHC's program and Health Coach Certification has been developed specifically for health practitioners in contrast to programs developed for the masses.
Our program is open to all members of your healthcare team seeking a framework for more meaningful patient impact. However, only licensed medical professionals are eligible to receive the formal certification.
Licensed clinicians who pass the CHC Certification Exam earn the Certified Health Coach (CHC) credential. The following are a sample of qualifying credentials:
Non-Licensed Healthcare Professionals Earn a Certificate of Completion
Care coordinators, medical assistants, community health workers, and other non-licensed team members complete the same NSHC coursework and earn a Certificate of Completion upon passing the final assessment. The Certificate of Completion is a professional development credential recognized by employing organizations.
NSHC’s Health Coach Certification is a nationally recognized, accredited credential built on clinical rigor and professional accountability. When you earn the CHC, you are backed by the standards and recognition that matter most in healthcare.
The CHC credential is recognized across the full spectrum of healthcare, from clinical settings to independent practice to corporate wellness.
Hospitals, health systems, primary care, specialty practices, home health, outpatient centers, occupational health, and long-term care.
Chronic disease management, weight management, stress reduction, nutritional behavior change, smoking cessation, and mental health support.
Build a private health coaching practice alongside or separate from your clinical role. Enroll in our health coach certification program, and take your practice in a new direction.
Salary
The average health coach salary in the United States is $61,600, with a typical range between $53,000 to $69,700, according to Salary.com. Salary is shaped by experience, geography, employment setting, and hours. The global health coaching market is projected to exceed $32 billion by 2030.
As a nurse, becoming a certified health coach opens doors that other clinical credentials do not. You get a direct pathway to the Nurse Coach Board Certification (NC-BC), CE credits that apply toward your RN license renewal, and a credential that supports independent practice in a profession where that kind of autonomy is hard to come by.
The board-certified nurse coach program prepares registered nurses for the NC-BC credential. You can also become a board-certified nurse coach by combining both pathways in a single enrollment.
NSHC offers group pricing and organizational rollout support for healthcare teams. Explore healthcare staff training or contact us for a custom proposal.
The NSHC certification pathway is built specifically for licensed clinicians in just 5 simple steps.
The CHC designation is open to registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered dietitians, physical therapists, and a broad range of other licensed practitioners. See the full credential eligibility list above.
These two titles are used interchangeably, but they describe fundamentally different scopes of practice. Wellness coaching is largely unregulated: there is no standardized credential, no licensure requirement, and no clinical training required to use the title.
On the other hand, a Certified Health Coach is a licensed clinician, trained and credentialed to work with patients managing real clinical needs, chronic conditions, and moderate to high health risks.
| Certified Health Coach (CHC) | Wellness Coach |
| Works with patients managing chronic conditions and moderate to high health risks | Focuses on general lifestyle improvement for healthy populations |
| Clinically trained and licensed | Many have non-clinical backgrounds |
| Uses coaching models grounded in behavior change science | Focuses on wellness habits and personal development |
| Operates within clinical and healthcare settings | Often works in fitness, corporate wellness, or private coaching |
| Credential recognized by AMA, ANA, and ICF standards | Credentials vary widely by program |
If your patients are on the clinical end of this spectrum, our program is made for you.
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.
Differences in Health Coaching, Wellness Coaching, Counseling & Psychotherapy Nutritional Counseling and Dietary Teaching Health Coaching Liability & Legal Implications
| Feature | NSHC | Typical Competitor Program |
| Designed for licensed clinicians | Yes, built exclusively for credentialed practitioners | Rarely, most programs serve general audiences |
| Clinical Model of Health Coaching | Yes, developed the nation’s first | No |
| Self-paced with no live class requirements | Yes | Often requires live sessions or onsite attendance |
| CE credits included | 42 CE credits upon completion | Varies, often none or limited |
| Accreditation | ACSM, CDR, and others | Varies |
| Aligned with AMA, ANA, and ICF standards | Yes | Rarely specified |
| Builds on existing clinical knowledge | Yes, faster to complete, lower cost | No, starts from general health foundations |
| Cost | Significantly lower than comparable programs | Higher, often $2,000-$7,000+ |
| Support during enrollment | Program Study Guide, phone and email support | Limited |
"I have already recommended CHC to my colleagues. It is important to empower clients to pursue their health goals and support them with evidence-based knowledge. This program is designed for clinicians and the materials and resources are high quality and evidence-based."
Review some of our articles below to help you with your studies
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