Do you want to learn how to be a coach, nurses? I’ve listed a few of the approved coaching programs below that will help you achieve certification as a
Board Certified Nurse Coach – BC-NC
Each one teaches you how to be an effective coach for the people you want to serve.
But before picking a program, you may want to pick a specialty or niche you are interested in first.
Here’s a short list of coaching niches~
Life coach
Business coach
Career coach
Health and wellness
- nutrition
- stress management
- holistic health
- smoking cessation
- weight loss
- personal development
and the list goes on. Pick what you most want to do and then look for a program that best suits this.
Example, if life, business or career coaching is for you then the first 2 on the list below should do. Otherwise the remaining are geared towards teaching health and wellness coaching.
Here’s the list of Coaching programs approved by the American Holistic Nursing Association which will qualify you for the Nurse Certification program that is starting this month (sept 2012) So be sure to pick one of these programs if your end goal is to become a Board Certified Nurse Coach.
International Coaching Federation
Integrative Health Coach Professional Training
Bark Coaching Institute – Holistic Coaching
Three factors will come into play when picking a program – money, time needed to complete the course and the quality program that best suits your needs.
My advice is, take your time, because not all coaching programs are the same, and do your research. Look for a program that allows for hands on teaching such as being able to do coaching on your fellow classmates. The coaching program I took did nothing but lecture for 1 1/2 hours and lots of reading. There was no hands on, not my way of learning and I’m sure not yours either.
I also suggest picking a program that gives business training as well, so you have a good foundation for setting up your own practice but be careful about building your business on their platform. Some programs will offer you a website and marketing materials but if you wanted to leave and start your own site and own mailing list you may not be able to take anything with you such as the domain name or materials or tools they have allowed you to use. Set up your own website on your own domain name and use these programs only to list your practice in their directories but not to build your business.
My recommendation is the Bark Coaching Institute and to learn more about Dr. Linda Bark PhD, RN teachings, purchase her book called Wisdom of the Whole to learn how to create effective change in others as well as yourself. Its fun and easy deign, playful illustrations and interactive exercises makes it a must read for any nurse choosing coaching as her or his next career move. I love this book and have learned a lot about myself and I’m sure you will too.
Enjoy!
Tina 🙂