AHNCC ANNOUNCES A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR NURSE COACHES FALL 2012.

Transcription

1 AHNCC S NURSE COACH CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AHNCC ANNOUNCES A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR NURSE COACHES FALL Nurses from all specialties and areas of practice will be eligible to take the Nurse Coach Certification Examination and earn the NC-BC credential. AHNCC Certified Holistic Nurses who successfully pass the Nurse Coach Certification Examination qualify for the Health and Wellness Nurse Coach credential, HWNC-BC i. AHNCCPOSITIONSTATEMENT HolisticNursing HolisticNursesorganizedin1982aroundkeyconceptsrelevanttothecurrentinternational healthcarereformthatwererecentlylegalizedintheunitedstatesbytheaffordablecareact (HR3590,Section4001,March23,2010).OurScopeofPracticeandStandards(AHNA,2007) identifiesanddefinestheseconceptsas: Thepersonasanentity(orbeing)with unity,totality,andconnectednessofeveryoneand everything. (p.6) Healthisdefinedasa balance,integration,harmony,rightrelationship,andthe bettermentofwell being (p.6)and, Anindividuallydefinedstateorprocessinwhichthe individual(nurse,client,group,orcommunity)experiencesasenseofwell being,harmony, andunitysuchthatsubjectiveexperiencesabouthealth,healthbeliefs,andvaluesarehonored; aprocessofbecomingandexpandingconsciousness. (p.68) HolisticNursingPracticeis ascience andanart (p.7)holisticnursesuse critical thinking,reflection,evidence,research,theory intuition,creativity,presence,andselfknowing (p.7)toguidetheirpractice.theyalsouse warmth,compassion,caring authenticity,respect,trust,andrelationshipasinstrumentsofhealing. (p.7) HolisticNurseshaveaparticularobligationtocreateatherapeuticenvironmentthat valuesholism,caring,socialsupport,andintegrationofconventionalandcamapproachesto healing Aparticularperspectiveofholisticnursingisthenurseasthe healingenvironment andaninstrumentofhealing (p.15),corerequirementsforfacilitatinganindividual s unfolding,anddiscoveryof selfinhealing. (p.15)theenvironmentis boththe externalphysicalspaceandtheperson sinternalphysical,mental,emotional,social,and spiritualexperience. (p.67) UnderlyingtheHolisticNurse spracticeare valuesandethicsofholism,caring,moral insight,dignity,integrity,competence,responsibility,accountability,andlegality. (p.7) 1/9 6/21/12

2 TheHolisticNurse sroleasafacilitatorofhealthandhealingisfurtherdescribedwiththis statement: Peopleasactivepartnersinthehealingprocessareempoweredwhentheytake somecontroloftheirownlives,health,andwell being,includingpersonalchoicesand relationships (p.6) Thisdocumentindicatesthathealingis...naturalandapartoflife,learning,andmovementtoward changeanddevelopment. (p.6)itstatesthathealing involvesthosephysical,mental,social,and spiritualprocessesofrecovery,repair,renewal,andtransformationthatincreasewholenessand often orderandcoherence. Healingcanleadtomorecomplexlevelsofpersonalunderstandingand meaning,andmaybesynchronousbutnotsynonymouswithcuring. (68 69).Wellnessisdefinedas an Integrated,congruentfunctioningaimedtowardreachingone shighestpotential. (p.71) NursingasaProfession Theseconceptsarenotnewtonursing;theyhaveexistedsinceFlorenceNightingale stime.yet, nursingatlargehasstruggledwiththetensionbetweentwomodelsofpracticethatconsistofa foregroundandabackground(parse,r.,1987;erickson,h.,2010).inthefirstmodel,theprimary focusofcaringisontheindividual sdiseaseand/orcondition,thehumanaspectsoftheindividual aresecondary;theyareoftenviewedasrelated,butnotessentialinunderstandingwhatisneeded toprovideperson centeredcare.ontheotherhand,theholisticmodelplacesthehumanaspectsof theindividualintheforeground,theyareconsideredasprimarytothecaringprocess.the individual sperceptionsofhowtheirdiseaseorconditionsaffecttheirhealthandwell beingare essentialinunderstandingtheindividual slifeexperiences.allnursesunderstandthattheir practiceisbasedonacaringprocess,andisperson centered,butthetwomodelsemphasize differentpracticeactivities. Thepracticeactivitiesofthefirstgrouptendtofocusonassessing,understanding,andcarefocused onpartsoftheperson.outcomesareoftenmeasuredinrespecttoalleviationormanagementof symptomsrelatedtothediseaseorcondition.strategiesusedtoeffecthealthrarelyincludethe nurseasaninstrumentofhealing.healthisdefinedaccordingly;apersonwhohastheirdiseaseor conditionmanaged,controlled,orcuredisconsideredahealthyperson(smith,1981). Ontheotherhand,practiceactivitiesoftheHolisticNursefocusontherelationshipbetweennurse andclient;thereisanemphasisonunderstandingoftheperson sperceptionsofhealthand wellness,whattheyneedtogrowandheal;theirstrengths(nottheirweaknessesorwhatneedsto befixed);theirabilitytohelpthemselves;andhowtheirdiseaseand/orconditionsrelate.thereis alsoaninclusionofthenurse sneedtoknowandunderstandselfasaninstrumentofhealing. Healthisdefinedasindicatedabove;itinvolvesallaspectsofthehuman,includingdiseaseand conditions. Thesetwoparadigmsofnursingexisttoday.Theyinfluencehownursesthink,howtheyassess situations,wheretheyfocustheircare,andthecompetenciestheyemphasizeintheirpractice (Erickson,2010,pp.1 69).Yet,nothingisallonewayoranother.Inreality,mostnursessubscribe tosomeofthephilosophyofholisticnursing,eventhoughtheydon tcallthemselvesholistic nurses,anddon tcarrythephilosophy,standards,andcompetenciesthroughouttheirpractice. 2/9 6/21/12

3 Instead,theypracticeonthoseaspectsoftheHolisticNursingphilosophythatblendswiththeir ownbeliefsystem. Forexample,asnurses,weknowthat asuccinctstatementoftheethicalobligationsandduties ofeveryindividualwhoentersthenursingprofession(is)nonnegotiable (ANA,2001,p.5).This codeconfirmsthatweareethicallyboundto practicewithcompassionandrespectforthe inherentdignity,worth,anduniquenessofeveryindividual andthat thenursesprimary commitmentistothepatient,whetheranindividual,family,group,orcommunity (ANA,2001,p. 4).Thesearecoreobligationsofallnurses.Inaddition,manynurseshaveaeudemonisticviewof health onethatfocusesonqualityoflifeandwellness(smith,1981;erickson,2010,pp.44,55); onethatdefineshealingasabringingtogetherthepartsinsuchawayastoenhancewellness.many alsoviewthemselvesasinstrumentsofhealing,usepresenceandintentionality,focusonthe strengthsoftheirclients,andaimtoempower notfix them.whilemembersofthislatergroup maynotdefinethemselvesasholisticnurses,theyarepracticingwithinbasicpreceptsofholistic Nursing. TheAHNCCNurseCoachCertificationProgram TheProfessionalNurseCoachRole,conceptualizedbyHess,Dossey,Southard,etal,2012was alignedwiththestandardsandethicsofnursingasdefinedbyana(2010)anddevelopedwithin foundationalpreceptsoftheholisticnursingphilosophyandparadigm. TheAmericanHolisticNurses CredentialingCorporation(AHNCC)holdsthat: 1.ManynurseshavetheattitudesandbeliefsessentialfortheNurseCoachpractice. Furthermore,nurseswhoholdthesevaluesrunacrosstheprofessionofNursing,practice inallsettingsandwithallpopulations.ahnccbelievesthatthesenurses,withthe appropriateadditionaleducationalexperiencesandpractice,canfulfilltheroleofthe ProfessionalNurseCoachasdefinedbysaiddocument. 2.AHNCCistheofficialcredentialingbodyforpracticebasedonthepreceptsofHolistic Nursing;thereforeAHNCCistheappropriateCredentialingbodytodevelopanational certificationprogramfortheprofessionalnursecoach. 3.NursesCertifiedinHolisticNursingandcertifiedintheProfessionalNurseCoachroleare qualifiedtopracticeasahealthandwellnessnursecoachandshouldbecredentialed accordingly. TheNurseCoachRoleDefined The Role of the Nurse Coach has been defined by Darlene Hess, Barbara Dossey, Mary Elaine Southard, Susan Luck, Bonnie Schuab, and Linda Bark in Professional Nurse Coach Role: Defining Scope of Practice and Competencies (2012), and endorsed by leading Nursing Organizations including the 3/9 6/21/12

4 American Holistic Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau, Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. It is also under consideration by other leading Nursing organizations. According to the authors Professional Nurse Coaching is a skilled, purposeful, results-oriented, and structured relationship-centered interaction with clients provided by Registered Nurses for the purpose of achievement of client goals. (p. 9, 38) Clients of Professional Nurse Coaches are the experts of their needs, and as such, set the agenda for the Coaching Process. The Professional Nurse Coach may focus on health and wellness coaching, executive coaching, faculty development coaching, managerial coaching, business coaching, or life coaching. (p. 10) These expanded roles require additional knowledge and skills, specific to the focus of the Nurse Coach s practice. AHNCC takes the position that knowledge, skills and attitudes related to health and healing are inherent in Holistic Nursing (AHNA, 2007, Holistic Nursing, Scope and Standards of Practice, p. 6, 21). Therefore, nurses Certified in Holistic Nursing have validated their competency in knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to facilitate clients in their pursuit of health and wellness (AHNA, 2007, Holistic Nursing, Scope and Standards of Practice, p. 1-6, 26). Coupled with knowledge and skills essential for the Nurse Coach and validated by AHNCC Nurse Coach Certification, Certified Holistic Nurses can practice as Health and Wellness Nurse Coaches. Nurse Coaching Described Nurse Coaching occurs in a cyclic manner, with a dynamic unfolding of client and process. The aim of Nurse Coaching is to facilitate clients to grow, develop, and/or change in such a way that assiststhemtorealizetheirpotential (Hess,D.,Dossey,B.,Southard,M.,etal,p.3)NurseCoaches, aware that effective change evolves from within before it can be manifested and maintained externally, use skills and knowledge that integrate body-mind-emotion-spirit. They achieve these ends by cocreating nurse client relationships that facilitate their clients to identify their needs and related goals;planstrategiesnecessarytomeetthesegoals;andevaluatetheirprogress. Nurse Coach Practice Settings Nurse Coaches work with individuals and/or groups in all areas and specialties of nursing practice. They are staff nurses, ambulatory care nurses, case managers, advanced practice nurses, nursing faculty, nurse researchers, educators, administrators, or nurse entrepreneurs. (Hess,D.,Dossey,B.,Southard, M., p.10) Their involvement in the Nurse Coach role is dependent on coach specific education, training, experience, position, and the population they serve. (Hess,D.,Dossey,B.,Southard,M.,p. 3, 10) The Nurse Coach Domain The body of knowledge of Nurse Coaching is specific to the competencies of the Nurse Coach, which are embedded, in the basic precepts of Holistic Nursing. The knowledge and skills of the Nurse Coach are organized around five (5) Core Values: 1) Nurse Coach Philosophy, Theories, and Ethics; 2) Nurse Coach Process; 3) Nurse Coach Communication and Coaching Environment; 4) Nurse Coach Education, Research, and Leadership; and 5) Nurse Coach Self Development (i.e. Self- Reflection, Self Assessment, Self Evaluation, Self Care). (Hess, Dossey, Southard, et al, p.21) Nurse Coaching is aligned with the ANA Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Second Edition 4/9 6/21/12

5 (ANA, 2010a) and based within the precepts of Holistic Nursing. This means that the Nurse Coach role, built upon basic nursing knowledge and skills, requires knowledge and a set of skills that are acquired by additional education beyond that acquired as a professional nurse, and specific to the Nurse Coaching Process. Nurse Coach Certification Eligibility Criteria Table 1. provides Eligibility Criteria required for nurses who seek AHNCC Nurse Coach Certification, effective April 1, Alternative criteria, effective September 1, 2012-March 31, 2013 are shown in Table 2. A full explanation for the criteria shown in Table 2 is provided immediately following Table 1, just before Table 2. Table 1. Eligibility Criteria for the AHNCC Nurse Coach Certification Examination DATES EFFECT IVE 1 April 1, 2013 LICENSE Unrestricte d and current United States RN license EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND A minimum of a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing from an academic accredited institution PRACTICE AS A NURSE Active practice as a RN for a minimum of 2 years fulltime or a minimum of 4,000 hours the past five (5) years. 5/9 6/21/12 CONTINUING EDUCATION 2 1) 60 CNEs, accrued over the past 3 years, that include content consistent with the Nurse Coach Core Values 3 2) A minimum of 10 hours of personal coaching experience is recommended as a way of obtaining learning experiences related to Core Value 5: Nurse Coach Self- Development 4 PRACTICE AS A COACH 1) 60 hours experience that has been mentored, and/or supervised by an AHNCC Certified Nurse who has a coaching certificate awarded from a nationally recognized organization 5. 2) Validation letter from a qualified Nurse Coach 6. AHNCC recognizes that several professional nurses have been actively and competently practicing the Nurse Coach role, but do not meet our educational and/or practice criteria as stipulated in our criteria 1 Candidates who apply for the Professional Nurse Coach examination April 1, 2013, and thereafter will be required to meet the requirements indicted in this set of criteria. September 1, 2012-March 31, 2013 applicants will be accepted who meet criteria shown below. 2 AHNCC stipulates CNE units as required. Academic credits that address content specific to the Nurse Coach Core Values will be accepted from accredited institutions with the same ratio as required by ANCC CNEs (60 minutes contact time of teaching-learning is equal to 1 CNE). 3 Professional Nurse Coach: Scope and Competencies (Hess, Dossey, Southard, Luck, Schuab, & Bark. 2012). 4 Personal Coaching will also help candidates complete the Self-Reflective component on the Nurse Coach Application. 5 A Certified Nurse Coach is an AHNCC Certified Nurse who has a coaching certificate awarded by a nationally recognized organization. 6 Duringthephase inperiod,apersonqualifiedtosignthevalidationlettermustbeanursewhohasacoaching certificateawardedbyanationallyrecognizedorganization.aftermarch31,2013validationlettersmustbesignedby anahncccertifiednursewhohasacoachingcertificateawardedbyanationallyrecognizedorganization.

6 effective April 1, 2013 (shown immediately above). AHNCC also recognizes that many of these nurses have the knowledge and skills necessary to practice Professional Nurse Coaching as described in our Handbook. Therefore, Effective September 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013, applications will be accepted from nurses who are able to meet criteria shown below immediately. Nurses who meet these criteria and have their Application postmarked by March 31, 2013, will be able to sit for the AHNCC Professional Nurse Coach Examination through December 31, Table2.Alternative Eligibility Criteria for the AHNCC Nurse Coach Certification Examination DATES EFFEC TIVE 7 Sept 1, 2012 to March 31, LICENSE Unrestricted and current US RN license. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND A minimum of ADN or Non- Nursing Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. PRACTICE AS A NURSE Active practice as a RN for a minimum of 2 years fulltime or a minimum of 4,000 hours the past five (5) years 10. 6/9 6/21/12 CONTINUING EDUCATION 8 1) 60 CNEs, acquired over the past 5 years, that include content consistent with the Nurse Coach Core Values 11, 12 2) A minimum of 10 hours of personal coaching experience is recommended as a way of obtaining learning experiences related to Core Value 5: Nurse Coach Self- Development 13 PRACTICE AS A NURSE COACH 1) 60 hours experience that has been mentored, and/or supervised by a Nurse who is a certified coach 14. or 1) Year active practice as a Nurse Coach that can be verified by a Certified Coach. 2) Letter of practice competency validated by a Certified Coach. Certification Credential Nurses who have successfully completed the AHNCC Nurse Coach Certification Program may use the designated credential NC-BC. Nurses who have successfully completed the AHNCC Nurse Coach 7 Nurses who meet these criteria and have their Application postmarked by March 31, 2013, will be able to sit for the AHNCC Professional Nurse Coach Examination for up to one year from the date of their Application acceptance, but no later than December 31, Continuing nurse education units must be offered by a nationally recognized body such as ANCC, ICF, and IACET. 9 Applications postmarked after March 31, 2013 will be required to meet criteria indicated as Effective, April 1, No exceptions apply. 10 Two years practice ensures that nurses are well prepared to practice within the context of ANA s Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition (2010), Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2008), the Position Statement on Holistic Nursing Ethics [AHNA, 2007]). 11 Professional Nurse Coach: Scope and Competencies (Hess, Dossey, Southard, et al, 2012). 12 While CNE s are preferred, AHNCC recognizes that nurses often attend educational programs that offer CEs rather than CNEs. If these are submitted as evidence of eligibility, it is essential that candidates describe how these educational units prepare them for the Nurse Coach role. 13 Personal Coaching will also help candidates complete the Self-Reflective component on the Nurse Coach Application. 14 ACertifiedCoachisanursecoachwhohasbeencertifiedbyanationallyrecognizedorganization.Alistofnationally recognizedorganizationscanbefoundintheahnccdocumentslibrarybyclickingwww.ahncc.org/documents

7 Certification Program, and are Certified in Holistic Nursing may use the designated credential, HWNC- BC. These credentials verify that the individual has met all eligibility and testing requirements and is currently certified as a Professional Nurse Coach or a Professional Health and Wellness Nurse Coach respectively. The nurse must maintain certification in Holistic Nursing and Nurse Coaching to be able to use the HWNC-BC credential. HWNC-BC Nurses who fail to maintain their certification as a Holistic Nurse, but continue to maintain an active Nurse Coach certification can use the NC-BC credential and describe their practice as a Certified Nurse Coach, but cannot describe their certified practice as a Certified Health and Wellness Nurse Coach. NC-BC and/or HWNC-BC cannot be used when the nurse has: 1. Not completed or maintained the respective AHNCC certification requirements; 2. Failed to follow required steps for recertification; 3. Requested inactive status as a NC-BC or HWNC-BC; or, 4. Had certification withdrawn by AHNCC. NURSE COACH CERTIFICATION FEES Nurse Coach (NC-BC) $ NC with active Membership in an $ Endorsing Organization 15 NC with active AHNCC Holistic Nurse Certification (i.e. HWNC- BC) FeesareeffectiveSeptember1,2012 $ SeeHess, Dossey, Southard, Luck, Schuab, and Bark, Professional Nurse Coach Role: Defining Scope of Practice and Competencies (2012) for listing of Endorsing Organizations. 7/9 6/21/12

8 INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSE COACH EXAMINATION Exam Development AHNCC and the Professional Testing Corporation collaborated to develop a reliable and valid Certification Examination for the Professional Nurse Coach based on the current practice of Nurse Coaching. A multiple four-step process guided the development of the Certification Examination: 1. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken in to assess the inclusion of references to or about the nurse coach(hess,d.&dossey,andb.m.2012.nursecoaching:a reviewoftheliterature.)giventhattheliteratureprovided evidence of the emergence of the role of the nurse coach, a study was undertaken to assess the need for a Professional Nurse Coach Certification Program (October October, 2011). The results indicated a strong interest in the Professional Nurse Coach Role. AHNCC established a liaison with a group of Nurse Coaches involved in drafting a document to define the scope of the Nurse Coach. A liaison was established between this group of Nurse Coach leaders and AHNCC with the agreement between the two that AHNCC would further explore the need/interest in a Nurse Coach Certification and the work group would continue to work on drafting a document defining the Role of the Nurse Coach. This group of nurse leaders authored the first edition of the Professional Nurse Coach Role: Defining Scope of Practice and Competencies (Hess, Dossey, Southard, Luck, Schuab, & Bark, 2012) (in press) 2. The literature was revisited to identify the practice activities and practice behaviors of the Nurse Coach. A listing was created and categorized according to the ANA Standards of Professional Nursing (ANA, 2010). This was followed by the review of an expert panel of currently practicing Nurse Coaches to review the listing and evaluate each item to determine if: a) it was a Nurse Coach Competency, b) if yes, if it reflected the standard under which it was categorized, c) its clarity, d) redundancy, and e) other comments. They were also asked to do a secondary review of the listing, to consider it as a total set of competencies, and to determine if competencies were missing. If one was missing, the reviewers were asked to write the competency and identify the related Standard of Care. The information provided from their review was used to revise the competency listing. The revised set was sent to a new panel of expert Nurse Coaches. They were asked to follow the same system. Their comments and recommendations were again used to refine and tighten the listing of competencies. Finally, the 2012 document drafted by Hess, Dossey, Southard, et al was reviewed to ensure that the competencies compiled by the above process were reflected in this seminal document; both omissions and commissions were considered. Minor changes were made to a few of the competencies; a third Panel of Experts reviewed the changes. 3. The competencies were submitted to the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) May 12, 2012 to be used as bases for a Role-Delineation Study (RDS). A survey will be developed and pilot tested. The survey and data collection methods will be revised according to the findings in the pilot test. The RDS will be undertaken this summer-fall of A Blue Print will be derived for the examination based on the findings of the RDS. 8/9 6/21/12

9 Input Needed from Practicing Nurse Coaches AHNCC needs the help of those who are currently practicing as a Nurse Coach in two ways. First, we need your help as an item writer for the Nurse Coach Certification examination. The competencies identified through a rigorous process, starting with a literature review led to a specification of competencies. These were reviewed by two expert-panels with revisions following each review. The final set of competencies provided the basis for a Role-Delineation Study (currently underway), and will be used as a guideline for item-preparation. They are included in Appendix B of our Nurse Coach Item-Writer s Handbook. If you are willing to help us, please click here to download the Handbook. We will also need a substantial number of Nurse Coaches, from various settings, and from different geographical areas, to respond to our Role Delineation Study that will be undertaken this summer. If you are willing and interested in participating, please contact us by sending your name, address, and information through our website ( Recertification page) or by contacting us at ahncc@flash.net. As soon as the study is ready, we will send you the link and instructions. 9/9 6/21/12