Listen in on a conversation with Audiologist and Health Coach Beth Knott. Beth is a veteran audiologist who became enamored with helping her clients become better versions of themselves. If you are a health care provider or someone who feels called to help others this episode of the Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast will demystify the process of becoming a health and wellness coach and how coaching concepts such as motivational interviewing for lifestyle modification can help you improve your practice.

We hear the term health coach more and more these days so I wanted to explore the role of the health coach in this blog post. A health coach is a coach for people who want to or who are contemplating making behavioral changes that result in a healthier lifestyle. A health coach is a type of healthcare extender trained to help others set goals and be accountable for themselves as they begin a journey to improve their overall health and quality of life.

Almost a year into the pandemic we’ve transitioned most of our teaching and learning into completely virtual activities. By now most of us have participated in some live online activity by connecting with others via technology services such as ZOOM or Webex. For the most part, this modality seems to be delivering effective instruction in an accessible and convenient way, and literally meeting learners where they are via broadband Internet.

I was on the Cybex elliptical for some early morning cardio listening to the QuickRead Podcast summarizing the book Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley. Here I heard of the PIC method to increase the ability to store long term memory. The PIC method of learning is thinking about your Purpose, Interest, and Curiosity about the topic at hand. No matter the modality of a learning activity, we must ask ourselves what is our purpose for participating, why are we interested, and how can we enhance our curiosity towards the subject matter. Approaching a learning activity this way helps you dial in your concentration and helps you create long term memory to retain new information, clinical pearls, and life lessons.

I recently connected with Jeremy Moseley, the Director of Community Engagement of FaithHealth, to discuss the mission and their ministries. Their mission is to build, align and animate religious and community assets to improve access to health care and the health of the community - a mission that aligns well with Northwest AHEC's. 

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is one of our main service areas at Northwest AHEC. We provide a myriad of learning activities throughout the year for all healthcare disciplines. Many who attend these activities are doing so to earn continuing education credits that keep licensure requirements current. While it is important, earning CE credits doesn't need to be the only motivating factor. So why not create a new path to enhance your career and earning potential by discovering new ways to expand your knowledge as a lifelong learner?

“Mental hygiene and physical wellness are key to engagement, absorption, and retention.”

Enhance and Engage 

At Northwest AHEC, our goal is to deliver a high quality teaching and learning experience. The NWAHEC Instructional Design team is here help you integrate state of the art instructional technologies which engage learners, enhance knowledge transfer and retention. Our team works in partnership with event Planning Committees, Coordinators and Faculty to develop and deliver effective digital curriculum materials for synchronous and asynchronous instruction in the classroom and online. Together, we create an unforgettable experience for both faculty and learners.