Nurse Coach Board Certification and Holistic Nurse Board Certification

After completion of our Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (96 contact hours) (Part 1: Integrative Nurse Coach Foundations (36 contact hours) and Part 2: Integrative Nurse Coach Practicum (60 contact hours)) all nurses who meet licensing, practice and educational requirements will qualify to take the Nurse Coach Certification Exam AND the Holistic Nurse Certification Exam.

Both Holistic Nursing and Nurse Coaching’s philosophy of practice is to care for the person as a integrated, holistic human being, inseparable and integral with the environment. Holistic Nursing provides the holistic philosophy of practice whereas, Integrative Nurse Coaching provides an operational framework model. Nurse coaching provides a skilled, purposeful, results-oriented, and structured relationship-based communication method. Nurse Coaching is the functional role for Holistic Nursing.  Both Holistic Nursing and Integrative Nurse Coaching is universal in nature and may be practiced with any population in any clinical setting, community, private practice, hospital, educational institution, or research foundation.

While a BSN is required to sit for Nurse Coach-Board Certification, it is not a requirement to sit for Holistic Nursing Board Certification. Also, note that board certification is not required to practice as a nurse coach!

As of February 1, 2021, INCA is proud to say that our graduates’ exam pass rate is 100%!

The AHNCC charges a fee to take both exams, as well as to recertify every 3 years. See

• Holistic Nurse Board Certified and Nurse Coach Board Certified for the most current rates.

The priority of all coaches is to facilitate behavioral change that corresponds to a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing.

A main difference between Integrative Nurse Coaches and Wellness Coaches is that nurses bring a different level of education, training, and experience to the relationship. Nurse Coaches are not only capable of working with clients to establish an optimal level of living but facilitate clients to overcome barriers that lead to establishing improved long-term health outcomes. Integrative Nurse Coaches use complementary and reflective modalities in their sessions with clients and establish individualized health plans.   

Some examples of the dimensions that Integrative Nurse Coaches work in:

• Life Balance and Satisfaction- lifestyle changes for wellbeing
• Relationships
• Spiritual
• Mental and Emotional – stress management
• Physical – exercise and weight management
• Healthy nutrition choices
• Environmental awareness
• Health Responsibility – managing chronic conditions
• Lifestyle change for habitual habits

For over three years the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) followed the development of the health and wellness movement and the increased interest in the nurse coach role as reported in the literature and conceptualized by a cohort of holistic nurse leaders who were practicing in various healthcare arenas, including Barbara Dossey and Susan Luck.

After lengthy discussions, extensive reading, and consideration of the implications for nursing, the topic was added to the AHNCC Board Meeting Agenda in February 2010. The AHNCC Board of Directors concluded that the role of Nurse Coaching, conceptualized within the precepts of holistic nursing, was important to the Profession of Nursing and AHNCC. That is, the AHNCC Board of Directors determined that Nursing should hold its space to ensure inclusion in the national consortium of healthcare providers who support delivery of care based on a coaching model, and that AHNCC was an appropriate organization to do the necessary follow-up to determine interest on the part of nurses.

AHNCC struck a collaborative relationship with the cohort of pioneering nurse coach leaders (including INCA Co-Founders Barbara Dossey and Susan Luck). The cohort of nurses drafted the first edition of the Art and Science of Nurse Coaching: Scope and Competencies (ANA, 2013) and AHNCC performed a needs assessment, and developed a program for certification.

To begin the extensive examination development process AHNCC drew the competencies from the literature, including the The Art and Science of Nurse Coaching and other relevant literature. Once the competencies were compiled, they were reviewed and revised multiple times. Upon completion there was agreement with the experts that the competencies identified were appropriate for the current practice of nurse coaches. AHNCC then completed a Role Delineation Study.

Participants were asked to identify which competencies they practiced and evaluate how important the competency is to the practice of nurse coaching. Finally, data analyses were performed to determine which competencies were used and which were important for nurse coaching. These competencies were then used to provide a foundation for the examination which was first offered in January 2013.

See above