Healthcare is currently in a crisis due to the things happening right now. Aside from the threats due to the coronavirus, there is also a threat of obesity and diabetes. Whenever the conventional fails, that’s when a health coach comes in.
You’ve probably heard that being a health coach is a path for a fulfilling and flexible career. However, there might be doubts as to whether being a health coach is a lucrative career.
What Is Health Coaching?
A health coach is a wellness expert that helps people to become healthier. They help through teaching proper nutrition and lifestyle to their clients. They make holistic programs that cater to their clients’ specific needs and guide them to reach their health and wellness goals.
Health coaching is a patient-focused and patient-centred process that is delivered by different health professionals with different backgrounds. Being a health coach means that you become a partner of the client in setting goals, discover strength and values, and access motivations to encourage healthy living.
Do not confuse a health coach with a physician. A health coach focuses on a holistic approach rather than focusing on one symptom or behaviour. Health coaches assess many aspects of the client’s life to attain a specific health goal and do not prescribe the same plan with other clients.
An example would be when the client is overweight. The health coach will not only focus on weight per se. They will also assess relationships with others, eating habits, stress levels, and spirituality. A health coach believes that every aspect of a client’s life is intertwined, and these aspects all contribute to the client being overweight.
Regarding being overweight, a physician or nutrition professional will only prescribe you to change your diet to lose weight. However, a health coach will help clients address the core and deep issues they have, instead of just looking at your weight. The health coach may discover some issues with confidence. If such happens, then the health coach will help with their confidence.
Although a health coach does not prescribe medicines or make medical diagnoses, they will focus more on physical activity, nutrition, and behavioural change. An essential factor that a health coach focuses on is behavioural change. The coach will help you pinpoint your issues. More importantly, a coach helps encourage the client to make small changes in mindset.
A health coach helps a client understand that there is a link between what the client eats and how they feel. A health coach instills in the minds of the clients that healthy habits and changes affect not only physical health but also mental and emotional soundness.
Health coaches also take time to get to know the client. They will find out about the client’s diet, habits, sleeping patterns, and relationships. With all these, the coach will make a customized plan to reach the client’s goals.
Demands for Health Coaching
Being a health coach may not be the most popular career choice, but there is a demand for it. More and more people seek help and guidance to have a healthier lifestyle. Being a health coach puts you in high demand. You might see yourself building your own health coaching business, work in a hospital, or non-profit organizations.
To qualify in this career option, you should consider your educational background and ability to work. Health coaches with a degree in Nutrition, Psychology, Counseling, Nursing, or Health Care are most likely to be employed. Having a master’s degree will help your employment further.
Another way of improving your resume is to obtain a health coach certification. Being certified will show employers and future clients that you know what you are doing. Thus, having a certification is a good investment to earn the confidence and respect of your employer and future clients.
Job Options for Health Coaches
Health coaching is expanding. As a health coach, you can follow many career paths.
- Private health coach – you will interact one-on-one with the clients. You will guide people who cannot make progress on their own. You may set up your own coaching business and either go for digital coaching or face-to-face coaching.
- Healthcare companies – these are the best stepping stones in starting your health coaching career. The people who worked longer in the company may give you insights and workshops to improve your coaching skills. The company will also set you up with a client. You no longer have to exert too much effort in looking for one.
- Hospitals or doctor’s clinics – more and more medical institutions and clinics recognize the benefits of health coaching. The doctor may prescribe a health coach to clients to hasten their healing process. You may even become a resident health coach of a hospital.
- Gym health coach – some gyms expound their businesses and not only focus on personal training. Some gyms collaborate or work with health coaches to make them more appealing than their competitors and hasten the process of achieving their clients’ goals.
It Pays Well
Being a health coach is a decent way of earning a living. The amount you will earn will also depend on what type of health coaching you have. If you work with a company, then most probably, your salary is fixed. If you work as a freelance coach or private coach, then the salary will vary.
The annual salary of a health coach depends on the State they live in. In New York, the average earning is $53,200. In Massachusetts, $52,697. In Washington, $52,330. Lastly, the average annual health coach salary in Hawaii is $50,612.
There are also several factors to consider in determining annual salary. These factors are experience, knowledge, location, and whether you are coaching under a company or doing a personal coaching business.
Takeaway
The circumstances nowadays prove to make it difficult to take care of our health. There is always a risk of contracting deadly viruses and developing chronic diseases. People are now more than willing to seek any help they can to improve their health and wellness. Now should also be the time that you consider being a health coach. The job does not only pay well but also helps other people in need of wellness guidance.
Author’s bio:
Lauren Cordell is a full-time writer with vast expertise on topics related to business and finance. Her blog revolves around helping new business owners find their way to success. She dedicates herself to spreading the right knowledge when it comes to business management and financial literacy.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
