Nurse Coach & Holistic Nurse Board Certification
Board certification through the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) recognizes your expertise as a Nurse Coach or holistic nurse. The Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program (INCCP) meets AHNCC’s continuing education and coaching requirements for both board certification exams.
Below: what each credential means, who is eligible, and how INCA prepares you for the exams.
Three AHNCC credentials for Nurse Coaches and holistic nurses
All three credentials are awarded by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC), the board that certifies holistic nurses and Nurse Coaches, and exams are administered through C-NET. The Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program is an AHNCC-recommended program for meeting the continuing education and coaching hour requirements for NC-BC®. See all of INCA’s accreditations and endorsements.
Nurse Coach Board Certified (NC-BC®)
Adds weight to your resume and shows clients and employers your expertise in Nurse Coaching.
Holistic Nurse Board Certified (HN-BC®)
Highlights your holistic nursing philosophy of care.
Health & Wellness Nurse Coach Board Certified (HWNC-BC®)
Hold AHNCC Holistic Nurse certification and pass the Nurse Coach exam, and your credential becomes HWNC-BC®.
Why become board certified?
Better patient outcomes
Lead the healthcare transformation movement by facilitating lifestyle change.
Greater awareness
Help shift the healthcare paradigm from illness and disease to health, wellness and well-being.
Sense of accomplishment
Board certification shows that you hold yourself accountable to a higher standard.
Career advancement
Certification supports career advancement and opens the door to more opportunities and increased compensation.
Public recognition
Assures the public, employers and other stakeholders that you have met competency standards and eligibility requirements, which builds your credibility.
Board certification eligibility requirements
AHNCC sets the requirements for both exams. The items marked “Met by the INCCP” are covered when you complete the Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program.
Nurse Coach Board Certification requirements
- Unrestricted, current U.S. RN license
- Minimum of an ADN or diploma in nursing from an accredited program
- 60 contact hours earned over the past 3 years, consistent with the Nurse Coach Core Values and Competencies. Met by the INCCP.
- 60 hours of coaching experience, mentored and/or supervised by a Certified Nurse Coach Supervisor, who provides a letter of validation for your application. Met by the INCCP.
- Active RN practice, based on your nursing degree:
Option A: BSN or higher
2 years full-time or 4,000 hours part-time as an RN within the past 5 years.
Option B: ADN or diploma
4 years full-time or 8,000 hours part-time as an RN within the past 7 years.
AHNCC also recommends (but does not require) at least 10 hours of personal coaching experience.
Holistic Nurse Board Certification requirements
- Unrestricted, current U.S. RN license
- Graduate of a nationally accredited nursing program
- 1 year full-time, or 2,000 hours, of holistic nursing practice within the past 5 years*
- 48 contact hours in holistic nursing theory, research or practice, earned within the 3 years before you apply. Met by the INCCP.
Your credential depends on your nursing degree: HN-BC® for graduates of any accredited nursing program, HNB-BC® for a baccalaureate degree, or AHN-BC® for a graduate degree (including 500 hours of advanced-level practice). You may sit for a lower level than your education qualifies you for.
*What is the holistic nursing practice requirement?
“Holistic nursing is not setting dependent but rather is based on the nurse’s philosophy which guides their practice. If the nurse facilitates health, wellness, and well-being and plans care and interventions that integrate the client’s mind-body-spirit, then they are practicing Holistic Nursing.”
In short, holistic nursing is not defined by using healing or integrative therapies such as aromatherapy or energy work, but by how you show up as a nurse when working with people. Many holistic nurses use healing therapies, but that is not what defines them. It is their way of thinking and being, not doing, that demonstrates holistic nursing practice. Holistic nurses work in all settings and with all populations. If this is how you think about people and nursing, and you have met the hours required, you meet the practice requirement.
International candidates
Nurses licensed outside the U.S. must pass the NCLEX or have their license verified for equivalency by CGFNS, WES or ERES. For Nurse Coach board certification, your nursing degree must also be evaluated as equivalent to a U.S. nursing degree. All international candidates with an RN license are eligible to sit for the HN-BC® exam.
Requirements checked against AHNCC’s Nurse Coach and Holistic Nurse certification pages in October 2026. Confirm the latest details with AHNCC before you apply.
Not sure whether you qualify?
Answer six questions about your license, degree, practice hours and education. You get a plain answer on where you stand against AHNCC’s NC-BC requirements, what’s left, and what it costs. Hours inside the Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program count.
Free lifetime access to both board certification review courses
When you complete the Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program (INCCP), you receive free, lifetime access to our Nurse Coach Board Certification Review Course and Holistic Nurse Board Certification Review Course. Both include content outlines, exam blueprints and dozens of practice test questions.
Our graduates have a strong record on the AHNCC board exams, and many tell us the review courses helped them walk in prepared and confident.
INCCP graduates only
The review courses are available only to INCCP graduates. They cannot be accessed without completing the program and are not sold separately.
Nurse Coach & Holistic Nurse board certification FAQ
Board certification exams are offered through the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC). For a step-by-step overview, read our Nurse Coach Certification Guide.
Which INCA program makes me eligible for board certification?
The Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program (INCCP). After you complete it, you can sit for both the Nurse Coach and Holistic Nurse board certification exams, as long as you also meet AHNCC’s licensing, practice and education requirements.
What is the difference between Holistic Nurse and Nurse Coach board certification?
Both Holistic Nursing and Nurse Coaching care for the person as an integrated, whole human being, inseparable from their environment. Holistic Nursing provides the philosophy of practice, while Integrative Nurse Coaching provides an operational framework: a skilled, purposeful, results-oriented and structured relationship-based communication method. Nurse Coaching is the functional role for Holistic Nursing.
Both may be practiced with any population and in any setting, including communities, private practice, hospitals, educational institutions and research foundations.
See the eligibility requirements for each credential above.
I don’t have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Can I still become board certified?
Yes. Since December 1, 2021, nurses with an ADN or diploma can sit for Nurse Coach board certification with 4 years of full-time practice (or 8,000 hours part-time) within the past 7 years, plus the other eligibility requirements. You can also sit for Holistic Nurse board certification (HN-BC®).
How do INCA graduates do on the board certification exams?
Our graduates have a strong record on the AHNCC board exams, and many tell us the review courses helped them walk in prepared and confident.
Are there extra fees for Nurse Coach or Holistic Nurse board certification?
Yes. AHNCC charges a fee for each exam and for recertification every 5 years. See Holistic Nurse Board Certified and Nurse Coach Board Certified for current rates.
How long does board certification last?
AHNCC board certification is renewed every 5 years through recertification.
What is the difference between a Nurse Coach and a wellness coach?
All coaches help people make changes that support a healthy lifestyle and well-being. Integrative Nurse Coaches bring their nursing education and clinical experience to that relationship. They help clients overcome barriers to lasting health outcomes, use complementary and reflective modalities in their sessions, and create individualized health plans.
Integrative Nurse Coaches work across many dimensions of well-being, including life balance and satisfaction, relationships, spirituality, mental and emotional health and stress management, physical activity, nutrition, environmental awareness, and health responsibility.
For a deeper comparison, read Nurse Coach vs. health coach vs. life coach and NC-BC vs. NBC-HWC certification.
What is the history of Nurse Coach board certification?
For more than three years, AHNCC followed the growth of the health and wellness movement and the rising interest in the Nurse Coach role, working with a cohort of holistic nurse leaders that included INCA Co-Founders Barbara Dossey and Susan Luck.
In February 2010, the AHNCC Board of Directors concluded that Nurse Coaching, grounded in holistic nursing, was important to the profession, and that nursing should hold its place among healthcare providers who deliver care based on a coaching model. AHNCC then completed a needs assessment, drew competencies from the literature (including The Art and Science of Nurse Coaching, ANA, 2013), had experts review them, and conducted a role delineation study. Those competencies became the foundation for the Nurse Coach board certification exam, first offered in January 2013.
What is Holistic Nurse board certification?
Holistic Nurse board certification is a credential that recognizes the expertise and knowledge of nurses who use holistic approaches in patient care. It validates the nurse’s competency in providing person-centered care that addresses physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
Learn more in our guide to holistic nursing certification for RNs, or see AHNCC’s Holistic Nurse certification page.
What does a holistic nurse do?
A holistic nurse cares for the whole person, recognizing that physical, emotional and spiritual health are connected. Holistic nursing is defined by how the nurse thinks and practices, not by specific therapies. Many holistic nurses also use complementary approaches alongside conventional nursing care, and holistic nurses work in every setting and with every population.
Related guides on Nurse Coach and holistic nurse certification
- Nurse Coach Certification: the complete guide
- Holistic nursing certification for RNs: a complete guide
- NC-BC vs. NBC-HWC: Nurse Coach vs. health coach certification
- Nurse Coach vs. health coach vs. life coach: what is the difference?
- Choosing a Nurse Coach certification program
- All INCA programs and courses for nurses
Start your Nurse Coach and Holistic Nurse board certification journey
Looking for AHNCC Nurse Coach certification programs? Start with the global leaders in preparing Nurse Coaches for board certification. The Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program is 100% online and self-paced within a cohort, and it meets AHNCC’s education and coaching requirements for both exams.