Nurse practitioners might not think that starting a health coaching business can help them overcome their nurse practitioner burnout. But hear me out, there are many benefits to creating a health coaching business, and you may be surprised!
Many of the causative agents of nurse practitioner burnout include:
- Poor work-life balance,
- Working more than 40 hours a week,
- Restrictions of patient’s insurance benefits,
- Lack of pay as APRNs,
- Patients who do not want to change health habits,
- Lack of time with patients to properly educate,
- Overall disengagement and lack of fulfillment in healthcare.
Those nurse practitioners who are feeling burned-out know what I mean!
I found fulfillment through The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner.
I went into nursing to make a difference and an impact in my patient’s lives. I anticipated I would have time to sit next to the patient and listen to their story. I thought I would be able to give them information on lifestyle changes and the patients would actually implement my health and wellness advice.
Working on a busy medical-surgical floor, I learned pretty quickly this was not what nurses do during the work day. I barely had time to eat or pee, let alone have time to have a deep conversation with my patients. I realized I was not creating the impact I had wanted for my patients. I did not find the fulfillment I was seeking by working in healthcare. Does anyone else feel the same? Do you wish you could make a greater impact on patients?
When I started The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner, I found that fulfillment. When I coach burned-out nurse practitioners to create a better work-life balance and conquer burnout, I find that purpose I was looking for. The APRNs I coach are hurting. They need and want my help. They are motivated and willing to make a change. I feel more fulfilled working with burned-out nurse practitioners than I do seeing patients in primary care.
But increased fulfillment from working with motivated patients is not the only benefit of starting an online coaching/consulting business. We will take a look at four benefits of starting a health coaching business that can help nurse practitioners overcome burnout.
Benefits of starting a health coaching business.
Create a better work-life balance.
When a nurse practitioner works for their employer, they are at the mercy of a set schedule. Many jobs do not allow APRNs to leave at random times during the middle of the day to run errands or pick up a sick child.
A healthcare coaching business can allow for flexibility of time and a better nurse practitioner work-life balance. The nurse practitioner can set the time frame when they want to see clients. This allows nurse practitioner parents to drop off or pick up kids, attend school activities, and spend time with loved ones.
This flexibility of time also allows nurse practitioners to prioritize their own health and self-care. Imagine attending a mid day yoga class or getting a massage on a weekly basis! Starting a health coaching business and creating a better work-life balance can help APRNs overcome nurse practitioner burnout!
Create increased income
I have seen a lot of new nurse practitioners disappointed their APRN job offer is equal or even less to the income generated by their RN job. There are many factors that go into nurse practitioner salary/benefits, but many nurses feel frustrated with the pay.
As a health coach/business owner, you are in control of the compensation generated. Starting a health coaching business can easily supplement or replace a nurse practitioner’s compensation. Generating an income through coaching doesn’t have to be difficult.
Virtual health visits have become very popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurse practitioners can schedule these virtual health visits with their coaching clients and get paid right away.
If the nurse practitioner runs a cash-based health coaching business, there is no need to wait for insurance payment (or receive less than expected insurance payment). Starting a health coaching business is more profitable than you think!
****Check out this free training for more info on starting an online coaching business: From Dream to Profit: An Exact Roadmap To Building A Wildly Successful Online Health Business!
Create increased support for the patient.
Most nurse practitioners are constrained to 15 minute appointment times. It is very difficult to address and educate a patient on their chronic disease in 15 minutes. Creating a health coaching business puts the nurse practitioner in charge of how long appointments are scheduled.
If the NP wants to spend 90 minutes doing a deep dive analysis with patients, then so be it! This gives a better opportunity to address the patient’s complete mental, physical, emotional health.
A healthcare coaching business does not have to take insurance but rather accepts cash payment from patients. This eliminates the restrictions of insurance companies! Imagine never having to do a prior auth again! Starting a health coaching business allows us to better care for our patients!
Create increase fulfillment as a NP.
The patients that nurse practitioners will see in their health coaching business will likely pay cash for appointments. This is a huge factor in the motivation and effort the patient puts forth. Think about a driven patient who actually wants to learn how to care for themselves and does not just want a pill.
The nurse practitioner can make a better impact on the patient. In turn, the APRN feels an increase of fulfillment and purpose in their work. They remember why they went into healthcare in the first place. They no longer feel burned-out.
Starting a health coaching business
Starting a health coaching business is not for everyone. Running a business takes time and energy. But if you are longing for a better work-life balance, more fulfillment, and a way to overcome nurse practitioner burnout, starting a health coaching business may be for you!
Creating a health coaching business can be difficult, but there are plenty of resources and programs to expedite the process. The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner has partnered with Maggie Berghoff, a nurse practitioner entrepreneur, author, and mentor, to teach nurse practitioners it is possible to create an online health coaching and consulting business.
Maggie is an amazing educator who was actually a former burned-out nurse practitioner herself! She became a health coach because she wanted to produce a supportive income AND flexibility of her time to raise her kids. She wanted to work with patients who actually cared about their health and were willing to make a change. Maggie built up her business and was able to leave her nurse practitioner job! Now she teaches other nurse practitioners to do the same.
Maggie created a free training for nurse practitioners interested in starting a health coaching business. This training will give you the jump start, knowledge, and motivation to start a health coaching business. Check out Maggie’s free training: From Dream to Profit: An Exact Roadmap To Building A Wildly Successful Online Health Business.
For time management and charting tips, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School– The one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for nurse practitioners. Learn more at www.npchartingschool.com
**Full disclosure, this blog post may include affiliate links. I do receive a commission if any of the affiliate programs/services/supplies are purchased. This is at no extra cost to you but does allow me to continue to provide content as The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner! Thank you!
