Meets the demand for Health and Wellness Coaches

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) implemented a new master’s degree track and certificate for Health and Wellness Coach (HWC) education to help meet the increasing demand within a variety of industries for specialists and expertise to help people adjust mindset and adopt sustainable behavior change.

The demand for such professionals exceeds the number of well-qualified coaches. RMUoHP’s Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate and track of the Master of Science in Health Science (MS-HS) program will join the Health Promotion and Wellness track of the Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences program for successful coaches and coach educators.

The new programs have reached Pending Approval status through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. This allows students currently to sit for the exam to become a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). RMUoHP anticipates the Health and Wellness Coach title will be reserved for only those with the NBC-HWC. Once the first group of RMUoHP students completes the program in August, Pending Approval will change to Approved.

“For decades, professionals have been successfully prescribing effective doses of exercises, therapies, and healthy diets,” said Jeff Lynn, Ph.D., NBC-HWC, and faculty at RMUoHP. “Coaching is an effective, evidence-based approach for helping people get unstuck and adopt sustainable behavior change.”

Many industries are adding Health and Wellness Coaches to help reduce burnout, aid retention, and support wellness development of students at universities. Sports teams are also using mindset coaches to help players get the most from themselves. For example, Mark Campbell, RMUoHP Health Promotion and Wellness doctoral candidate, is the director of mental conditioning for the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team.

The Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate and Master’s degree track are now available for enrollment.