NBHWC Program
Approval Standards

Part 1: Instructional Hours

• A program includes a minimum of 75 instructional hours of training and education covering all competencies outlined in the HWC Certifying Examination Content Outline (1 instructional hour is defined as 60 minutes without a break).
• From the required 75 instructional hours, 60 hours come from content areas 1, 2, 3, and 4, with at least 40 hours being delivered synchronously.
• From the required 75 instructional hours, 15 hours come from content area 5 in either synchronous or asynchronous format.

Part 2: Practical Skills Development, Feedback, and Assessment

• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, each student demonstrates to appropriate program faculty at least 3 complete practice coaching sessions of at least 30 minutes in duration.
• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, appropriate program faculty provide at least 20 minutes of synchronous, post-session feedback for each of at least 3 student practice coaching sessions, totaling a minimum of 60 minutes of synchronous post-session feedback for each student.
• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, your program administers at least 1 Practical Skills Assessment (PSA) that measurably demonstrates a student’s practical skills in alignment with the NBHWC practical skills guidelines; the PSA must be a scorable assessment tool outlining explicit observables of proficient skills.
• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, your program’s Practical Skills Assessment (PSA) reflects a student’s final assessment of practical skills, occurring after the completion of 80% of the program and resulting in a pass/fail grade in practical skills.

Part 3: Faculty Standards

Content Areas 1, 2, 3, & 4

• A minimum of 48 hours of the required 60 instructional hours are delivered by faculty that have earned the NBC-HWC designation.
• A minimum of 48 hours of the required 60 instructional hours are delivered by faculty with at least 200 hours of coaching practice.
• A minimum of 15 hours of the required 60 instructional hours are delivered by faculty with a minimum of a master’s degree in a health and wellness-related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus a state license or national registration in a nationally recognized health and wellness–related field.
• In lieu of a master’s degree in a health and wellness-related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus a state license or national registration in a nationally recognized health and wellness–related field, faculty who meet the conditions of equivalent experience may deliver the instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4. Details are outlined in the section titled, Faculty Equivalent Experience.

Content Area 5

• A minimum of 12 hours of the required 15 instructional hours are delivered by faculty with a minimum of a master’s degree in a health and wellness-related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus a state license or national registration in a nationally recognized health and wellness–related field.*
• *Team teaching is permitted; however, the delivery of instructional hours by appropriate faculty as outlined must still be demonstrated and met in the above standards.