Becoming an NBC-HWC: A Reflective Chronicle

One day, as I was driving to run errands, I listened to a health coaching podcast and heard about the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Intrigued, I wondered what this organization was about. At that time, I was studying to become a certified health coach through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). As I continued to listen to the podcast, I had more questions than answers. Once I got home, I researched to find out more about the NBHWC.

The NBHWC provides training, certification, and professional standards for health and wellness coaches. To become certified by their organization, one had to attend a board-approved training program and pass their board certification exam. On their website, it lists all the approved training programs. I quickly searched to see if any of the Adventist universities were listed and found two: Loma Linda University and Southern Adventist University (1).

At that time, Loma Linda University’s program would take two years to complete and was integrated into their Master’s in Public Health program. The length of time and the financial commitment weren’t appealing to me. Southern’s program, on the other hand, took only one class over one semester and was part of the nursing department. But you didn’t have to be enrolled in their nursing program; it was open to anyone from any discipline. This immediately appealed to me and was financially doable. However, I wasn’t convinced yet that I needed this certification.

The health coaching industry isn’t regulated, and there isn’t a required program or certification to be a health coach, which frustrated me. Also, numerous health coaching certifications were available, which added to my annoyance. The other option I considered was the nurse coach certification, but it required more hoops to jump through to become certified (2). Before I completely wrote it off, I took a quick look at the job market. None of the positions required it. Not seeing the need to pursue it, I put the idea of becoming board-certified on the back burner momentarily.

After I passed and became an ACE-certified Health Coach in late 2021, I started looking for health coaching jobs. Nearly every job I found wanted someone who was at least enrolled in an NBHWC-approved training program. In just a few short months, the job market had changed. At that point, I realized I needed that certification to get a job. So, I decided to research further into some Board-approved training programs.

I reached out to a few schools, including Southern, my alma mater. As I compared some of the well-known health coaching programs, I noticed Southern cost about the same as the other programs, took less time, and offered more options, such as getting nursing continuing education hours and three hours of graduate school credits. Not to mention, it incorporated faith into its health coaching class. Since I had already taken a health coaching course through ACE, I wanted a Biblical perspective of health coaching. God had already shown me how health coaching was a Biblical concept. I can still remember getting goosebumps as I read through those first few pages of the ACE textbook, as I felt God impress upon me that this is where He wanted me to be.

I attempted to enroll in the class at Southern, but it appeared full. The next time it would be offered was next year. I reached out to Southern’s nursing school to get more information. Unfortunately, the university had already closed for Christmas break. Panic and disappointment started to set in. I waited too long. The idea of postponing for another year grieved me.

When the university resumed in January, about a week before classes started, I decided to email the professor to ask if I could still enroll. She confirmed the class was full but would inform me if anyone withdrew at the last minute. Disappointed, I debated whether to attend one of the other well-known Board-approved training programs.

Four days before the class started, the professor emailed me to let me know that a spot had opened up. But I didn’t see the email until Saturday night. Thankfully, she was available to chat the next day as I asked her some questions to get a sense of the workload. I was still recovering from nursing burnout as a result of the pandemic and wanted to be sure I could mentally handle the class load. Satisfied, I decided to enroll. On Monday, I scrambled to register for the course. Class started the next day. As I’ve witnessed in times past, God worked things out at the last minute.

Our small class consisted of professionals from different faiths and backgrounds, with most of them being nurses and other healthcare professionals. Since the class was geared towards healthcare professionals, some of the class discussions centered around how to incorporate coaching into our practices, how to switch from the expert hat to the coaching hat, and how to coach a patient within 5 minutes. During the semester, we read from two books and multiple evidence-based articles, engaged in weekly online forum discussions, coached clients weekly to acquire at least 60 total hours, participated in peer and triad coaching, kept a coaching reflective journal, and wrote a graduate-level case study. Our final consisted of two parts – a written exam and an oral practical skills assessment demonstrating our coaching skills. Overall, I enjoyed the class. It filled in practical gaps from the previous health coaching course I took.

While I took the class, I periodically reviewed the NBHWC’s exam requirements, including their Bulletin of Information and Content Outline. In this way, I could ask questions if I didn’t understand a concept during the semester, which would prepare me for the NBHWC exam down the road. Additionally, sometime during the semester, I joined a few Facebook groups geared towards studying for the board exam. This was helpful since some of them asked pertinent questions, shared practice questions, and formed study groups.

After finishing the class at Southern, I had to accumulate at least 50 coaching sessions before I could even apply for the NBHWC exam. Just like I did while taking the class at Southern, I reached out to my community to see if anyone was interested in free coaching sessions. I also exchanged a couple of sessions with other health coaches I met online who were also trying to accumulate hours. While it helped me get a couple of sessions, it wasn’t as meaningful or helpful. Since they already knew the coaching process, they would sometimes jump ahead and give me all the information instead of waiting for me to ask the questions. It also didn’t help me practice my coaching skills. The best experience I got was coaching people I didn’t know. Also, after every coaching session, I objectively graded my coaching skills using the Practical Skills Guideline, which my Southern professor had suggested utilizing during the semester. It immensely improved my coaching skills and helped me to study for the board exam.

At that time, the exam was only given twice a year, in the Spring and the Fall. I planned to take it that Fall. So, I scoured the internet for an exam prep course, just like I had done when I studied for my registered nursing exam. However, I soon discovered that it didn’t exist with well-known companies like Kaplan or the Princeton Review. The NBHWC is a newer exam and conducted its first board exam, in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), in 2017 (3). It was a baby in comparison to how long the nursing exam has been around. It also explained why they hadn’t discarded old test questions yet (except for a few on their website), which would then turn into review books and courses.

When I realized that the NBME was the same organization that also tested medical students to become medical doctors, my anxiety increased. Thoughts such as, Would this exam be just as difficult as the USMLE?, ran through my mind. I’ve heard and witnessed medical students study very long hours over a long period of time for such a challenging exam. I prayed this was not the case with the NBHWC exam.

As I interacted with other potential NBHWC test takers online, I stumbled upon a post that offered an exam prep class. After doing some research and reading the reviews, I decided to take it. The structured virtual class went through the NBHWC’s Content Outline, developed their own review materials, had an online community, and encouraged creating your own study buddies or groups. At one point, I was studying with 2-3 different individuals or groups. It did help me to stay on track with my study goals. However, I later realized it was more of reviewing content than geared towards teaching test-taking strategies, like Kaplan does. At the time, it helped me to calm my anxieties and have a place to ask questions. The content review, although helpful to hear again, wasn’t necessary, as my Southern professor did a superb job in making sure we were prepared for the NBHWC exam.

As the time came closer to the testing window, Hurricane Ian showed up, causing major devastation across Florida. Thankfully, nothing major happened where I lived, except for a few fallen trees in the backyard. However, I could not get in touch with the testing center where I had scheduled to take my exam in about three weeks. I wondered if Hurricane Ian damaged the testing center and if I needed to move my test date, location, or both. Just to be on the safe side, I moved my test date to a week later. Finally, after a few days of trying to get through, someone answered the phone and confirmed that they were still in business. Thank God! I still took a drive to the testing center to make sure the roads were clear, figured out alternate routes, discovered where to park, located the restrooms, and took a look inside the testing center. I asked the front desk person a few questions before I left.

I continued coaching at least 1-2 clients per week until about a week or so before my exam, which, in hindsight, helped me in answering some questions on test day. Additionally, I made sure I ate nourishing food, got enough rest, and de-stressed regularly in the weeks before test day. On the day of the exam, I arrived at the testing center early, relaxed in the car for a few minutes, prayed, and then headed inside. The check-in process went smoothly, and the front desk person even remembered me from my earlier visit. When I completed the first half of the exam, I took my break, ate my protein snack, drank some water, walked a few laps outside in the warm Floridian sun, and stopped at the restroom before heading back a few minutes early to get checked back into the testing room. After the exam was done, I sat in my car for a few minutes, feeling content. Relief swept over me as a smile graced my face. It was unlike my nursing exam, where I cried afterwards, feeling like I had failed. I thanked God that I had a better feeling about the NBHWC test.

While others in my cohort stressed over the waiting period, I felt this sense of calm. Mildly, I wondered when they would be released and knew it could take up to six weeks. At that time, NBHWC was in the process of increasing the testing schedule from twice a year to thrice a year. It worked in our favor, as they needed to get the results out before the new testing cycle started. Test results came out in about three weeks, quicker than in times past. As I nervously opened my email and then logged onto the website, a big sigh of relief washed over me. I passed!

My journey in becoming a health coach took longer than anticipated. As I look back, I see how God acted like my own personal health coach. He showed me the next step to take when I could handle it. He didn’t rush me or show me the whole staircase, which is exactly what I needed as I recovered from nursing burnout. Health coaches do the same thing; they encourage their clients to take baby steps.

At times, I felt like I was going too slow and would push myself to speed up, which usually backfired, forcing me to slow down. God allowed me to go through those experiences so I could learn from them. It didn’t upset or disappoint Him either because He knew it was all part of the journey. Instead, He’d kindly ask, “My daughter, what did you learn from that experience?” Health coaches understand that clients may feel pressured to go faster with their goals. So, they give them the leeway to see what they’ll learn from the experience.

I saw how God walked with me, not behind me, nor ahead of me. But with me. He paused when I paused and walked when I walked. It was all done at my own pace, not His. At times, He’d say, “My daughter, I’m with you. Don’t be afraid. I’ve got you. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I plan to give you a future of hope, peace, and success. And I will restore the years that were taken from you,” (4-6). Furthermore, God didn’t do the work for me, as this would rob me of the experiences and lessons I needed to learn and grow. Health coaches also walk right beside their clients at their own pace, encouraging them, without doing the work for them.

Additionally, this particular journey helped me to better understand God’s character in a deeper, more personal way. As I learned health coaching principles, theories, and methodologies, I saw how empathetic and patient God is with us. Now, it’s much easier for me to interact with people who are vastly different from me, see things from their perspective, and meet them where they are. My job is simply to plant seeds while God helps them to grow (7). By becoming an NBC-HWC, it increased my access to reach more people to bring them the gospel of hope, peace, and love.