| Course | HW350 Principles of Health Coaching |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 8 |
| Paper type | Scope and referral memo |
| Length | About 790 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health and Wellness |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HW350 Unit 8
When a Coaching Client Says She Stopped Her Blood Pressure Pills: A Unit 8 Scope and Referral Memo
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW350: Principles of Health Coaching
Unit 8 Scope and Referral Memo
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, clinic and events are composite; the guidelines and sources cited are real.
Memo
To: Coaching program supervisor; referring nurse practitioner From: Health coach Re: Client disclosure of stopping a prescribed medication; referral made; process suggestion
Summary
A coaching client stopped a prescribed blood pressure medication on her own because of dizziness. I did not advise her on the medication, encouraged her to contact the nurse practitioner the same day, sent a same-day message through the record and confirmed the next day that she had been seen. I recommend adding medication changes to the program's written list of referral triggers.
What Happened
During a session focused on her walking progress, Gloria said she had been dizzy when standing up quickly in the mornings, had read online that walking lowers blood pressure and had stopped her medication two weeks earlier. She said she felt better and did not want to "bother" the nurse practitioner.
Why This Is Outside Coaching Scope
Health coaches support clients' self-chosen goals within the medical plan and do not diagnose, prescribe or advise on medication; questions about medication belong to the prescribing clinician (National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching, n.d.). Dizziness on standing in someone taking blood pressure medication, and stopping that medication without guidance, are both medical matters. Either could be harmless or could signal a problem only a clinician can judge.
What I Did
I told her I was glad she had mentioned it, explained that dizziness and stopping a medication are things her nurse practitioner would want to know about and asked whether she would call the clinic that day. When she hesitated, I asked what made her reluctant, and she said she was embarrassed. I reflected that she had made the change because she was trying to take care of herself, which was true, and that the nurse practitioner would see it that way too. She agreed to call. With her permission, I also messaged the nurse practitioner through the record within the hour, describing what she reported in her words without interpreting it.
I did not tell her to restart the medication, did not suggest a dose and did not offer an opinion about whether walking was enough. I continued the session on her walking goals once the referral was settled.
My job in that moment was not to have an opinion about her blood pressure; it was to make sure the person who should have one heard about it today.
Outcome
The nurse practitioner saw Gloria the next day. Her blood pressure readings had improved with walking and weight loss, and the nurse practitioner adjusted her treatment plan. Gloria said the visit was easier than she expected.
Process Suggestion
Our written referral process covers mental health concerns well. Guidelines for coaches emphasize clear screening, referral language and crisis procedures for mental health (Voss et al., 2026), and our program follows them. It does not explicitly list medical disclosures. I recommend adding a short list of triggers that require same-day communication with the referring provider:
1. The client has stopped, started or changed a prescribed medication without guidance.
2. The client reports new symptoms such as chest pain, fainting, dizziness, shortness of breath or swelling.
3. The client reports blood sugar or blood pressure readings outside ranges the provider has set.
4. The client describes a fall or new injury.
For emergencies, such as chest pain during a session, the existing emergency procedure applies: the client is told to call 911.
What I Learned
The moment tested two skills at once. The coaching skill was to respond without judgment, so Gloria would keep telling me things; had I reacted with alarm, she might have stopped mentioning health changes. The scope skill was to recognize at once that this was not a coaching topic and to hand it to the right person the same day. Both mattered. I also noticed that her reason for stopping, wanting to rely on walking instead of pills, was the same motivation that had brought her to coaching, which made it easier to respond warmly.
Why It Matters
Coaches see clients more often than providers do and often hear things first. Coaching is meant to complement medical care (Perlman & Abu Dabrh, 2020), and that only works if information flows back to the medical team reliably. A written trigger list makes that flow consistent across coaches.
Requested Action
Please review the four triggers for addition to the referral procedure at the next team meeting.
References
National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. (n.d.). Code of ethics and scope of practice. https://nbhwc.org/
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
Voss, M. E., O'Neill, C., Austin, C., & Kreitzer, M. J. (2026). Mental health referrals in health coaching: Guidelines for safe, ethical practice. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276261464952
Reading the HW 350 Unit 8 instructions
Unit 8 usually asks for a memo about a situation at the edge of coaching scope and how the coach referred the client. Expect a memo format, a short summary, an account of what happened, an explanation of why the matter is outside scope and a description of the referral. Instructors look for precision about what the coach did and did not say, since that is where scope is held or lost. Many prompts ask for a process improvement so that other coaches handle similar situations consistently. The outcome, if known, should be reported. Sources on scope and referral practice support the reasoning. The tone should be factual and respectful of the client, who acted for understandable reasons and should not be portrayed as careless.
How the HW 350 Unit 8 example is put together
The memo opens with headers and a summary of the disclosure, the referral and the recommendation. The account of what happened quotes her reasoning in her words. The scope section cites the national board's code to explain why medication and new symptoms belong to the prescriber. The response section describes the warm, nonjudgmental reply, the same-day message and what the coach deliberately did not say, under a highlighted line about making sure the right person heard that day. The outcome follows. The process section proposes four medical triggers alongside the existing mental health procedure and notes the emergency rule. A reflection on the two skills tested, a link to coaching's place in care and a requested action close the memo.
Reading the HW350 Unit 8 grading rubric
Scope memos earn their points through precision, appropriate action and system thinking. The memo should state clearly why the issue is outside coaching scope, with a source. Graders reward specific accounts of what the coach said and avoided saying. A same-day referral through the proper channel shows good practice. Reporting the outcome closes the loop. A process improvement that would help other coaches demonstrates thinking beyond one case. Respectful description of the client is expected. Memo format, brevity and a clear requested action matter. The code of ethics, the referral guidelines and the coaching primer should be cited in APA 7.
HW350 Unit 8 help: mistakes that cost points
Scope memos often describe the referral without saying what the coach told the client, which is the part graders most want to see. Another common error is a coach offering an opinion on the medication, even a reassuring one. Some writers describe the client as noncompliant, which is unkind and unhelpful. Memos without a process suggestion treat the event as a one-off. Leaving out emergency procedures for urgent symptoms is a safety gap. Before writing, list the exact words you used with the client and check each against your scope of practice. Send the situation and your program's procedures, and the memo can be drafted from them.
Get an HW350 Unit 8 example written to your instructions
Send the situation and the memo instructions with the rubric. A custom memo explains the scope issue and the referral steps. The first is free, delivered within 24-48h. 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.
More HW350 papers and BS in Health and Wellness samples
- HW350 Unit 1: Health Coach Role Discussion Post
- HW350 Unit 2: Intake and Eligibility Appraisal
- HW350 Unit 3: Behavior Change Models Comparison
- HW350 Unit 4: PERMA Positive Psychology Application
- HW350 Unit 5: Self-Efficacy and Sustained Gains Paper
- HW350 Unit 6: Mindfulness in Coaching Paper
- HW350 Unit 7: Motivational Interviewing Exchange
- HW350 Unit 9: Seminar Reflection
- HW350 Unit 10: Coaching Plan
- HW410 Unit 8: Recovery and Sleep Plan
- HW320 Unit 8: Special Population Guidance
- HW420 Unit 8: Coping and Connection Plan
- HW315 Unit 8: Social Support Analysis
HW350 Unit 8 questions, answered
When should a coach refer?
When a client shows signs of a mental health condition, a medical change or a need outside coaching.
Who receives the memo?
Often the coaching supervisor or referring provider.
What about a crisis?
Programs have crisis procedures, including emergency contacts and crisis lines.
Where can I find a free HW350 Unit 8 sample paper?
The complete HW350 Unit 8 scope and referral memo is printed in full on this page, covering a coaching client who stopped her blood pressure medication and how the coach referred her.
What triggers does the HW350 Unit 8 sample propose?
Same-day contact with the provider when a client changes a medication, reports new symptoms such as dizziness or chest pain, has readings outside set ranges or describes a fall.