| Course | HW350 Principles of Health Coaching |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 360 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health and Wellness |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HW350 Unit 1
Between the Visits Where Change Happens: A Unit 1 Discussion Post on the Coach's Seat in a Primary Care Clinic
HW350 · Unit 1 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The clinic, team and classmates are composite; the sources cited are real.
Initial Post
The team has a family nurse practitioner, a medical assistant, a part-time dietitian and me. When the nurse practitioner diagnoses prediabetes or high blood pressure and recommends lifestyle change, she can refer the patient to coaching. I do not diagnose, prescribe or set the medical plan. My job is to help the patient decide what they will change, plan how, notice what gets in the way and keep going between visits. Coaching, as a widely cited primer puts it, supports patients' own goals in the time between clinical encounters (Perlman & Abu Dabrh, 2020).
The boundaries matter as much as the role. A recent call for clarity in the coaching field argues that the profession still struggles to define what coaches do and do not do, and that this confusion affects how coaches are used and trusted (Nacif, 2025). On our team, I write a short note after every session in the record, flag any medical question for the nurse practitioner and follow a written process if a patient shows signs of a mental health concern.
The nurse practitioner writes the plan; I help the patient live it on the Tuesdays when nobody from the clinic is watching.
My first referred client, a recently retired letter carrier who walked a mail route for 31 years, wants to avoid diabetes medication. Her goal will shape everything we do, not mine.
Here is my question for you: on your team, how does the coach tell the provider what is happening between visits, and how often?
Reply to Harriet
Harriet, your coaching is all by phone. How do you know when a client needs to be seen in person?
Reply to Luis
Luis, you mentioned providers sometimes refer patients who did not ask for coaching. How do you start the first session with someone who is not sure they want it?
References
Nacif, A. P. (2025). A call for clarity and reflection in the field of health, wellness and wellbeing coaching. International Coaching Psychology Review, 20(1), 69-77. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsicpr.2025.20.1.69
Perlman, A. I., & Abu Dabrh, A. M. (2020). Health and wellness coaching in serving the needs of today's patients: A primer for healthcare professionals. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2164956120959274
Reading the HW 350 Unit 1 instructions
The first HW350 board usually asks how a health coach works with medical providers in a real or realistic setting. Describe the team, what the coach contributes and where the coach's role ends, since the course returns again and again to scope. A source on coaching's place in health care strengthens the description. Many students mention their first referred client briefly, which shows how the role works in practice, but patient details should stay general. The post should close with a question about collaboration that classmates can answer from their own placements, and two replies are expected. Concrete details, such as how often the coach writes a note or how a referral reaches the coach, make the post more useful than a general description of teamwork.
How this HW350 Unit 1 example is built
The post opens with the minutes comparison and names the four team members. The coach's role is defined by what the coach does, helping the patient decide and plan between visits, and by what the coach does not do. The primer supports the role, and Nacif's paper explains why boundaries in coaching need care. Three practices show how information moves: a note after every session, medical questions flagged for the nurse practitioner and a written mental health process. A highlighted line sums up the split between writing the plan and living it. A brief mention of the first client's goal leads to the closing question. Replies ask Harriet how phone coaches know when a client needs to be seen and Luis how to begin with an unwilling referral.
Where the points sit in the HW350 Unit 1 rubric
This board's credit centers on describing the coach's role accurately, including its limits. A specific team and specific communication practices earn more than general praise for collaboration. Sources should support the description of coaching's place in care. Graders look for awareness of scope: the coach supports goals within a medical plan and refers outside it. Ending on a question drawn from peers' placements earns the engagement points. Replies should probe one detail of a classmate's setting. Client details must stay general to protect privacy. Two APA 7 entries close the post; a tight length respects classmates' time.
HW350 Unit 1 help: mistakes that cost points
Posts on the coach's role often describe coaching as giving patients advice about diet and exercise, which misses the distinction the course builds. Others describe the team without saying how information actually moves. Some students overstate the coach's role, implying coaches adjust treatment. Including identifying client details on a public board is a privacy problem. Replies that agree without asking anything add little. Before writing, find out how a referral reaches the coach at your site and how the coach reports back, then describe that path. Tell us your setting, and the post can be drafted around how your team really works.
Get an HW350 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 1 prompt, the setting and the rubric. A custom post describes the coach's role on the team and asks classmates a useful question. It arrives within 24-48h, and the first is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HW350 Unit 1 questions, answered
What does a health coach do on a medical team?
Supports patients in reaching goals within the medical plan, between visits, and keeps providers informed.
Should the post describe a real team?
A real or realistic team makes the post concrete.
How long should replies be?
A few sentences with a question for the classmate.
Where can I find a free HW350 Unit 1 sample paper?
The complete HW350 Unit 1 discussion board post is on this page, describing a health coach's role and limits on a primary care team in Omaha.
What does the coach not do in the HW350 Unit 1 sample?
Diagnose, prescribe or set the medical plan; the coach helps patients decide and act on their goals between visits and flags medical questions to the nurse practitioner.