Earn Your Professional Designation

Register as an RHC, RCHC or RHNC and stand out with a credential clients and employers recognize.

Verified and Publicly Listed

Every registered member receives a unique registration number and listing that anyone can verify.

Rigorous Program Approval

Only schools that meet HCA's published standards for curriculum, training and ethics earn approval.

Canada, U.S. and International

Your credential travels with you. HCA serves practitioners and education providers across North America and beyond.

Setting Standards for Health Coach Education and Practice

Health coaching is not regulated by the government, which makes clear educational and professional standards essential.
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HCA establishes educational, ethical and professional requirements for approved programs and registered practitioners. Members must follow HCA’s Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice, maintain professional liability insurance and complete ongoing continuing education.
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Through education standards, professional accountability, public verification and advocacy, HCA works to strengthen the profession and expand recognition of appropriately trained health coaches and nutrition counsellors.

What HCA Approval Means

Program approval is not automatic. Education providers must demonstrate that their programs meet HCA's requirements before graduates become eligible to apply for professional registration.

Serving education providers and practitioners in Canada, the United States and internationally.

01

Complete Program Review

HCA requires access to the complete program, including curriculum, instructional materials, practical training and student assessments.

02

Defined Educational Requirements

Programs are evaluated against the curriculum, required study hours, practical experience and assessment criteria established for each HCA designation.

03

Scope and Ethics

Students must receive appropriate instruction in professional boundaries, ethical conduct, client safety and when referral to a regulated health professional is required.

04

Ongoing Oversight

Approved schools must report substantive program changes and participate in HCA's ongoing review process to maintain approval.

Review HCA Educational Standards Find an HCA-Approved Program

Get Started with HCA

Apply for Membership

Graduate of an HCA-approved program? Register to receive your professional designation, registration number, public registry listing and access to group liability insurance rates in Canada and the U.S.

View approved schools Apply Now

Become an Approved School

HCA program approval gives your graduates a direct pathway to professional registration. Schools submit their full curriculum for review against published standards for content, practical training, assessment and ethics instruction.

Review requirements Apply for Approval

Continuing Education Providers

Offer courses that count toward HCA members' annual CE requirements. Approved providers reach a growing network of registered health coaches and nutrition professionals across North America.

CE requirements and details Apply for CE Approval

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From Qualified Graduate to Registered Professional

Your education prepares you to support clients. HCA registration helps you demonstrate your qualifications, practise responsibly and remain connected to your profession. We are here to advocate for you and this industry as a whole.

Professional Designation

Use the HCA designation for which your education and experience qualify you.

Registration and Public Verification

Receive an individual registration number and listing that clients and employers can verify.

Professional Liability Insurance

Access insurance options designed for eligible health coaches and nutrition professionals in Canada and the United States.

Ethical and Practice Guidance

Use HCA's Code of Ethics, Scope of Practice and professional guidance to navigate boundaries and client safety.

Continuing Education

Maintain your designation through relevant continuing education and ongoing professional development.

Professional Community and Advocacy

Stay connected with other practitioners while supporting HCA's work to strengthen recognition of the profession.

Explore Membership Benefits Check Your Eligibility

What our members are saying

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Tanya

★★★★★

I chose HCA because professional accountability matters in healthcare. The RCHC designation connects my health-coach education with expectations around ethical conduct, continuing education and appropriate scope. It gives me a clear way to keep coaching as a professional part of my work.

Janie

★★★★★

Health coaching has changed the way I approach conversations about lifestyle change. I used to focus on giving information. Now I am better able to help people identify realistic goals and participate in their own care. HCA's emphasis on professional standards supports the responsible use of these coaching skills within collaborative healthcare.

Pete

★★★★★

My clinical education prepared me for my regulated role, while health-coach training strengthened how I support behaviour change between appointments. HCA registration gives me a professional structure for incorporating coaching while staying attentive to scope, ethics and the responsibilities of my primary profession.

Dana

★★★★★

I joined HCA for the professional designation, but I have also found the practice resources useful. Access to educational events, insurance options, business information and member benefits has helped me with parts of practice that were not always covered fully during my training.

Megan

★★★★★

Building a health-coaching practice can feel isolating, especially when you work independently or online. HCA has helped me feel connected to a wider community of practitioners in Canada, the United States and beyond. The educational events give me opportunities to learn from people with different areas of experience.

Priya

★★★★★

Joining HCA helped me develop a stronger professional identity as a health coach. I can use an established designation, provide my registration number and direct people to a public registry where my status can be confirmed. Those details help clients understand that I take my work seriously.

Rhonda

★★★★★

Health-coach education varies considerably, which is why I chose to register with HCA. My RHC designation confirms that I graduated from an approved program and maintain the professional requirements attached to my registration. It helps set formal training apart from simply adopting the title "health coach."

Karen

★★★★★

Whenever I have contacted HCA with a question, I have appreciated receiving clear and personal assistance. As an independent practitioner, it is reassuring to know there is an organization I can contact about registration, continuing education, insurance or professional requirements.

Susan

★★★★★

Registering with HCA gave me greater confidence in presenting myself as a trained health and nutrition counsellor. The designation does not replace experience, but it confirms that my education came from an approved program and that I have accepted ongoing professional responsibilities. That difference is important to me.

Alice

★★★★★

I did not want my education to stop when I graduated. HCA's continuing education requirement encourages me to keep learning as health coaching and nutrition practice evolve. The webinars and approved education opportunities have helped me explore new subjects while maintaining my designation.

Nadia

★★★★★

Access to professional liability insurance was one of the key reasons I joined HCA. It helped me put an important safeguard in place as I began working with clients. I also value belonging to an association that treats insurance as part of responsible professional practice, not an optional afterthought.

Rachel

★★★★★

One of the most valuable parts of HCA registration is the emphasis on scope of practice and ethical conduct. Nutrition and health coaching overlap with several regulated professions, and I need to understand where my role begins and ends. HCA gives me professional standards I can return to when a situation is not straightforward.

Elle

★★★★★

I appreciate that clients and employers can verify my registration through HCA's public registry. Anyone can confirm that I hold an active professional designation, without relying solely on what I say about my qualifications. That transparency is important to me.

Linda

★★★★★

Finishing school gave me the education, but HCA helped me make the transition from graduate to practising professional. Having a registration number, professional designation and access to liability insurance made the administrative side of beginning my practice much easier to navigate.

Jasper

★★★★★

After investing so much time in my health-coaching and nutrition education, joining HCA felt like an important professional step. My RHNC designation shows that I completed an approved program and that I continue to meet professional requirements. It gives me a clearer way to explain my education and role to clients.

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