Should A Nurse Call Themselves A Health Coach?

The Functional Nurse Podcast - Nursing in Functional Medicine

In this episode of The Functional Nurse podcast, host Brigitte Sager, DNP, discusses a frequent question: Should a nurse call themselves a health coach?

Brigitte addresses the differences between calling oneself a nurse coach versus a health coach and the legal and professional implications. She explains the importance of protecting the nurse’s license and adhering to scope of practice laws, especially in different states.

Key points covered in this episode:

Nurse Coaching vs. Health Coaching: Brigitte explains that while “nurse coaching” might confuse people (they may think it’s about coaching nurses), removing the title of nurse to be a health coach can cause issues. Nurses have legal scope of practice requirements that health coaches do not. She emphasizes that nurses are trusted professionals, and keeping the title “nurse” can be an advantage.

Legal Risks: Nurses must be cautious when crossing state lines with their services. Referring to oneself as a health coach and practicing outside of one’s licensed states can lead to legal investigations. Nurses should always work within their state licenses and scope of practice.

Advanced Practice Nurses: For nurse practitioners, midwives, and CRNAs, they are always held to their highest level of licensure. Brigitte advises seeking legal counsel when expanding beyond the typical scope of their advanced practice.

Billing Opportunities for Nurses: Unlike health coaches, registered nurses can bill for services in a clinic setting. RNs can perform group visits, nursing visits, and coaching visits that are billable through insurance. Nurse coaches can provide services that directly benefit a clinic and its patients, offering more comprehensive care than health coaches can.

Brigitte encourages nurses to proudly use their title, emphasizing that being a “nurse coach” has significant value for patients and the healthcare system. It also protects the nurse's hard-earned license while ensuring they are working within their scope of practice.

Hosted by Brigitte Sager, NP, a functional medicine nurse practitioner, nurse coach, and an RN and NP FM educator.

To learn more about the Functional Medicine for Nurses course offered through the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy INCA in partnership with the Institute for Functional Medicine IFM, click here.

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Be well!