NC-BC (Nurse Coach Board Certification) —
150 Advanced MCQs
EXAM DESCRIPTION
This exam covers the full scope of the NC-BC (Nurse Coach Board Certification) examination as
administered by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC). Topics
include: the Integrative Nurse Coach theoretical framework; the Nurse Coach Process
(assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation); health and wellness coaching principles;
motivational interviewing; behavior change theories (Transtheoretical Model, Self-
Determination Theory, Appreciative Inquiry); holistic nursing and whole-person care; scope and
standards of practice; therapeutic presence and the coaching relationship; cultural humility;
nutrition, lifestyle, and integrative modalities; mind-body-spirit connections; professional ethics
and boundaries; evidence-based coaching research; and self-development of the nurse coach.
SECTION 1: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
NURSE COACHING
1. The Integrative Nurse Coach (INC) theoretical framework is BEST described as:
A) A purely biomedical model focused on disease management
B) A whole-person, relationship-centered model integrating nursing science, coaching,
and integrative health (correct answer)
C) A pharmaceutical management approach
D) A task-oriented nursing care model
Rationale: The INC framework draws from nursing science, coaching psychology, integrative
health, and evidence-based practice to address the whole person — body, mind, spirit, and
environment — in a therapeutic, client-centered partnership.
2. Which nursing theorist's work MOST directly underpins the Nurse Coach theoretical
framework?
A) Florence Nightingale
B) Jean Watson (correct answer)
C) Virginia Henderson
D) Dorothea Orem
,Rationale: Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring is a foundational underpinning of the Nurse
Coach framework, emphasizing caring-healing relationships, transpersonal caring, and the
primacy of the nurse-patient relationship as therapeutic.
3. The concept of "unitary human being" in nurse coaching derives from which nursing theorist?
A) Hildegard Peplau
B) Martha Rogers (correct answer)
C) Betty Neuman
D) Madeleine Leininger
Rationale: Martha Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings conceptualizes people as
irreducible energy fields inseparable from their environment, informing the holistic and whole-
systems approach foundational to nurse coaching.
4. In nurse coaching, the term "salutogenesis" refers to:
A) The study of disease pathways
B) A focus on factors that promote health and well-being rather than disease (correct
answer)
C) Pharmacological interventions for wellness
D) A specific coaching tool for goal-setting
Rationale: Salutogenesis, coined by Aaron Antonovsky, focuses on the origins of health (not
disease), emphasizing resilience, sense of coherence, and health-promoting resources — core to
the wellness coaching philosophy of nurse coaching.
5. The "Wheel of Health" model used in Integrative Nurse Coaching centers on:
A) Disease management and medication adherence
B) Mindful awareness as the hub, surrounded by domains of self-care and lifestyle
(correct answer)
C) Physical fitness as the primary health determinant
D) Lab values and clinical data
Rationale: The Wheel of Health (Duke Integrative Medicine) places mindful awareness at the
center, surrounding it with domains including movement, nutrition, sleep, relationships,
spirituality, and personal development — reflecting a whole-person approach.
,6. Which of the following BEST describes the "therapeutic presence" of a nurse coach?
A) Being physically present in the room
B) Bringing one's whole self into full contact with the client, with an intention to serve
healing (correct answer)
C) Maintaining clinical distance and objectivity
D) Following a scripted coaching protocol
Rationale: Therapeutic presence is an intentional, multidimensional state in which the nurse
coach engages fully — cognitively, emotionally, spiritually — with complete attention to the
client's experience, creating a healing relational space.
7. The NC-BC credential is awarded by which organization?
A) American Nurses Association (ANA)
B) American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) (correct answer)
C) International Coach Federation (ICF)
D) National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
Rationale: The NC-BC (Nurse Coach Board Certification) is administered by the AHNCC,
which also offers the HN-BC (Holistic Nurse) and APHN-BC (Advanced Practice Holistic
Nurse) credentials.
8. Which of the following defines the PRIMARY distinction between nursing and nurse
coaching?
A) Nurse coaches do not assess patients
B) Nurse coaching uses nursing expertise within a coaching paradigm to facilitate the
client's self-directed change (correct answer)
C) Nurse coaching is only for well populations
D) Nurse coaching requires no clinical training
Rationale: Nurse coaching integrates the nurse's clinical knowledge and holistic nursing
foundation with evidence-based coaching competencies, enabling a unique partnership that
supports client-directed behavior change and well-being.
9. In the Integrative Nurse Coach Process, the client's agenda is considered:
A) Secondary to the nurse coach's clinical expertise
B) The primary driver of each coaching session (correct answer)
, C) Irrelevant in the first three sessions
D) Defined by the referring physician
Rationale: Client-centeredness is a core coaching principle. The client sets the agenda; the nurse
coach's role is to support, reflect, and facilitate — not direct. This is a fundamental shift from
traditional nursing's expert-authority model.
10. The concept of "whole-person health" in nurse coaching encompasses which dimensions?
A) Physical and mental only
B) Body, mind, spirit, and environment (correct answer)
C) Physical, nutritional, and pharmacological
D) Clinical, social, and economic
Rationale: Holistic and integrative nurse coaching addresses all dimensions of a person —
physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental — recognizing that health
emerges from the interaction of all these domains.
SECTION 2: BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORIES
11. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change was developed by:
A) Bandura and Walters
B) Prochaska and DiClemente (correct answer)
C) Deci and Ryan
D) Rogers and Watson
Rationale: Prochaska and DiClemente developed the TTM (Stages of Change) in the 1970s–80s,
originally studying smoking cessation. It describes behavior change as occurring through
sequential stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
12. A client states: "I've been thinking about exercising more, but I'm not sure I'm ready to start
yet." Which stage of the Transtheoretical Model does this represent?
A) Precontemplation
B) Contemplation (correct answer)
C) Preparation
D) Action
150 Advanced MCQs
EXAM DESCRIPTION
This exam covers the full scope of the NC-BC (Nurse Coach Board Certification) examination as
administered by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC). Topics
include: the Integrative Nurse Coach theoretical framework; the Nurse Coach Process
(assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation); health and wellness coaching principles;
motivational interviewing; behavior change theories (Transtheoretical Model, Self-
Determination Theory, Appreciative Inquiry); holistic nursing and whole-person care; scope and
standards of practice; therapeutic presence and the coaching relationship; cultural humility;
nutrition, lifestyle, and integrative modalities; mind-body-spirit connections; professional ethics
and boundaries; evidence-based coaching research; and self-development of the nurse coach.
SECTION 1: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
NURSE COACHING
1. The Integrative Nurse Coach (INC) theoretical framework is BEST described as:
A) A purely biomedical model focused on disease management
B) A whole-person, relationship-centered model integrating nursing science, coaching,
and integrative health (correct answer)
C) A pharmaceutical management approach
D) A task-oriented nursing care model
Rationale: The INC framework draws from nursing science, coaching psychology, integrative
health, and evidence-based practice to address the whole person — body, mind, spirit, and
environment — in a therapeutic, client-centered partnership.
2. Which nursing theorist's work MOST directly underpins the Nurse Coach theoretical
framework?
A) Florence Nightingale
B) Jean Watson (correct answer)
C) Virginia Henderson
D) Dorothea Orem
,Rationale: Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring is a foundational underpinning of the Nurse
Coach framework, emphasizing caring-healing relationships, transpersonal caring, and the
primacy of the nurse-patient relationship as therapeutic.
3. The concept of "unitary human being" in nurse coaching derives from which nursing theorist?
A) Hildegard Peplau
B) Martha Rogers (correct answer)
C) Betty Neuman
D) Madeleine Leininger
Rationale: Martha Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings conceptualizes people as
irreducible energy fields inseparable from their environment, informing the holistic and whole-
systems approach foundational to nurse coaching.
4. In nurse coaching, the term "salutogenesis" refers to:
A) The study of disease pathways
B) A focus on factors that promote health and well-being rather than disease (correct
answer)
C) Pharmacological interventions for wellness
D) A specific coaching tool for goal-setting
Rationale: Salutogenesis, coined by Aaron Antonovsky, focuses on the origins of health (not
disease), emphasizing resilience, sense of coherence, and health-promoting resources — core to
the wellness coaching philosophy of nurse coaching.
5. The "Wheel of Health" model used in Integrative Nurse Coaching centers on:
A) Disease management and medication adherence
B) Mindful awareness as the hub, surrounded by domains of self-care and lifestyle
(correct answer)
C) Physical fitness as the primary health determinant
D) Lab values and clinical data
Rationale: The Wheel of Health (Duke Integrative Medicine) places mindful awareness at the
center, surrounding it with domains including movement, nutrition, sleep, relationships,
spirituality, and personal development — reflecting a whole-person approach.
,6. Which of the following BEST describes the "therapeutic presence" of a nurse coach?
A) Being physically present in the room
B) Bringing one's whole self into full contact with the client, with an intention to serve
healing (correct answer)
C) Maintaining clinical distance and objectivity
D) Following a scripted coaching protocol
Rationale: Therapeutic presence is an intentional, multidimensional state in which the nurse
coach engages fully — cognitively, emotionally, spiritually — with complete attention to the
client's experience, creating a healing relational space.
7. The NC-BC credential is awarded by which organization?
A) American Nurses Association (ANA)
B) American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) (correct answer)
C) International Coach Federation (ICF)
D) National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
Rationale: The NC-BC (Nurse Coach Board Certification) is administered by the AHNCC,
which also offers the HN-BC (Holistic Nurse) and APHN-BC (Advanced Practice Holistic
Nurse) credentials.
8. Which of the following defines the PRIMARY distinction between nursing and nurse
coaching?
A) Nurse coaches do not assess patients
B) Nurse coaching uses nursing expertise within a coaching paradigm to facilitate the
client's self-directed change (correct answer)
C) Nurse coaching is only for well populations
D) Nurse coaching requires no clinical training
Rationale: Nurse coaching integrates the nurse's clinical knowledge and holistic nursing
foundation with evidence-based coaching competencies, enabling a unique partnership that
supports client-directed behavior change and well-being.
9. In the Integrative Nurse Coach Process, the client's agenda is considered:
A) Secondary to the nurse coach's clinical expertise
B) The primary driver of each coaching session (correct answer)
, C) Irrelevant in the first three sessions
D) Defined by the referring physician
Rationale: Client-centeredness is a core coaching principle. The client sets the agenda; the nurse
coach's role is to support, reflect, and facilitate — not direct. This is a fundamental shift from
traditional nursing's expert-authority model.
10. The concept of "whole-person health" in nurse coaching encompasses which dimensions?
A) Physical and mental only
B) Body, mind, spirit, and environment (correct answer)
C) Physical, nutritional, and pharmacological
D) Clinical, social, and economic
Rationale: Holistic and integrative nurse coaching addresses all dimensions of a person —
physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental — recognizing that health
emerges from the interaction of all these domains.
SECTION 2: BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORIES
11. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change was developed by:
A) Bandura and Walters
B) Prochaska and DiClemente (correct answer)
C) Deci and Ryan
D) Rogers and Watson
Rationale: Prochaska and DiClemente developed the TTM (Stages of Change) in the 1970s–80s,
originally studying smoking cessation. It describes behavior change as occurring through
sequential stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
12. A client states: "I've been thinking about exercising more, but I'm not sure I'm ready to start
yet." Which stage of the Transtheoretical Model does this represent?
A) Precontemplation
B) Contemplation (correct answer)
C) Preparation
D) Action
