NC-BC study plan

Write a one-page comparison that distinguishes nurse coaching from therapy, consulting, mentoring, and advising using at least four explicit criteria.

Identify the core competency and scope documents that define the nurse coach role and annotate each competency with a one-sentence description in your own words.

Map how your state's RN scope of practice and licensure rules constrain or permit coaching activities, citing the source you checked.

Explain the nurse coach's role within the nursing process and holistic nursing practice in a 300-word written summary.

Demonstrate the micro-skills of active listening (paraphrase, reflect feeling, summarize) in three recorded 10-minute practice conversations.

Compare at least six therapeutic communication techniques against their non-therapeutic counterparts and give an example of each.

Describe how to establish trust, presence, and a coaching partnership in the first five minutes of a session.

Identify three communication pitfalls (advice-giving, leading questions, premature problem-solving) and rehearse substitute responses.

Apply the OARS skills (open questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries) to at least ten written client statements.

Classify client utterances as change talk, sustain talk, or neutral and write two MI-consistent responses for each of ten examples.

Match each stage of the transtheoretical model to two appropriate coach strategies and one mismatched strategy to avoid.

Formulate open-ended questions that elicit values, strengths, and readiness rather than yes/no answers.

Construct a full coaching session arc (agenda setting, exploration, goal selection, action planning, close) with time allocations.

Write SMART goals and co-create action plans for three different readiness scenarios.

Apply at least two behavior-change frameworks (e.g., self-determination theory, appreciative inquiry, relapse-prevention model) to a single case.

Anticipate and script responses to three common coaching breakdowns: ambivalence, missed actions, and scope-of-practice flags.

Diagram a mind-body-spirit wellness assessment framework and label at least eight assessable dimensions.

Explain the physiologic stress response and its links to sleep, nutrition, movement, and substance use in a two-page study note.

Summarize the evidence base for at least four lifestyle behaviors (sleep, physical activity, nutrition, stress management) relevant to coaching.

Identify social determinants and health-equity factors that shape a client's capacity for behavior change and describe how to address them in coaching.

Distinguish the nurse coach's ethical obligations around dual roles, boundaries, confidentiality, and mandated reporting.

Draft an informed consent and coaching agreement that states scope, fees, confidentiality limits, and referral triggers.

Apply an ethical decision-making model to three vignettes involving boundary crossings, impaired clients, and scope limits.

Describe culturally humble and inclusive coaching practices for at least three diverse client populations.

Outline the business fundamentals of a coaching practice: documentation standards, pricing models, marketing channels, and liability insurance.

Explain how to maintain credentials, complete continuing education, and stay current with scope-of-practice changes.

Differentiate coaching documentation from clinical charting and list what to record and what to omit.

Build a referral network plan naming at least five professional referral sources and the trigger for each.

Complete two timed full-length practice exams and score each by domain.

Analyze every missed item and write a corrective note linking it to a source or concept.

Re-drill the two weakest domains using targeted flashcards and re-teaching summaries.

Rehearse the coaching process end-to-end in one final 30-minute mock session integrating ethics and holistic assessment.