The Health Coach Program is a community-based collaborative that aims to reduce the number of patients with uncontrolled chronic conditions by improving their awareness and use of resources within their primary care clinic and communities.
Our health coaches are pre-medical and pre-health students currently enrolled as juniors and seniors at an undergraduate institution, or are recent college graduates.
Through weekly follow ups and continuous communication with their patients’ health care team, health coaches help patients build progressive goals, become true advocates for their patients, and establish a rapport that allows them to identify patient’s existing barriers to healthier lifestyle habits.
The Health Coach Program, which began in 2013, is a partnership between the UCR School of Medicine and Riverside University Health System.
Health Coach Program Schedule
HC Summer Intensive Program (June 2018- Sept. 2018)
A minimum of four 4-hour shifts per week required.
HC Joint Program (June 2018- June 2019)
A minimum of two 4- hour shifts per week required.
HC Academic Year Program (Sept.2018- June 2019)
A minimum of two 4- hour shifts per week required.
Training
Coaches have found their training and experiences have helped solidify their passion for medicine as well as improve their interpersonal and clinical research skills. The initial two-day training experience as well as follow-up training sessions include:
- Chronic conditions and diseases, including:
prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and obesity. - Nutrition 101
- Goal Setting & Motivational Interviewing.
- Collaborative care planning.
- HIPAA regulations.
Applying for Health Coach Program
The Health Coach Program application is available from March through the end of April.
For more information, contact HCP Coordinator Sophia Rodriguez at sophia.rodriguez@medsch.ucr.edu.