Hi, @Bernadette Abraham and @Daniel Schepers

Sharing a little background so it might be helpful for those who need to get in touch with courses done so far, ( happy to share my experience )

IIN health caching program was a great start point for me and i followed it with completing the GUT, HORMONE , EMOTIONAL EATING AND DETOX PROGRAMS.

I then did the Functional medicine health coaching program from IFM, which was also the next step with more learnings.

However, nutrition being an evolving world and also me being the crazy health nut, I want to take this next step.

I first considered university of western for the Masters in Human nutrition and functional medicine , but since it is a very time consuming and long program ( 2 to 5 years as I also work full time ) i am contemplating about signing up . The plus point is , it does give a deep dive into the field of nutrion and of course the title of a nutrionist.

My preference is to have further knowledge apart from the above courses to better assist my clients and be able to study while not giving up my job, thus i need guidance on which course will further enhance my knowledge ( travelling to USA is not a concern at my end ) The struggle is which course will further build my strenght in this field.

@Sheetal Ramchandani how important is the title and accreditation for you? If you’re looking for a certified title (certified nutritionist) that allows you to register with the health authority and work in clinical settings, then I would encourage you to go the University route.

@Bernadette Abraham it’s tempting to have the title but I prefer learning the extra knowledge and continue to work alongside ( university course is intense , needs full time attention )
So I would say have the next step of skill set is important

Also for the university route , the prerequisite is to finish anatomy n physiology ( which I have started n needs about 20 hours per week ) and next is medical terminology ( yet to start )
These are needed even before I start the masters program , thus anywhere between 3-5 years ,,, thus confused

@Sheetal Ramchandani when I’m confused about something, I write down pros and cons on paper. That’s the intellectual part. Then I leave it for a bit and meditate to hear what my heart wants.

Thank you @Bernadette Abraham , the live call was so helpful, I appreciate your patience and time.

A few qustions still lingering in my mind ( I did not want to take up so much time during call thus putting them here )

So after 10 months of NTA – I guess you did the functional diagnostic training , how long did this take ? did it have any prerequistes to take this path ?

What about school of applied functional medicine ? when was this ( before or after NTA and fuctional diagnistic training ) and how long ? any prerequistes for this ?

Also have scheduled a few calls , preparing the pros n cons list and will allow myself time n thought procees.

Again , Thank you so much

@Sheetal Ramchandani my track was the following:

Masters in Exercise Science & Health Promotion. I then certified as an NASM personal trainer and worked as a trainer for 10 years+. I then wanted to deepen my knowledge of nutrition because I realised weight loss was more than just “diet and exercise”. So I joined the NTA. Major turning point for me.

I worked with clients for about 2 years using that knowledge and skill set (LNT). I combined it into my personal training sessions and got amazing results with clients.

But my strong desire to help the masses brought me back to the books. I wanted to be able to work with people globally, so I needed a deeper understanding of functional medicine and labwork interpretation from an FM lense. So I pursued SAFM. That took about 3 years to complete and certify. I had the necessary prerequisites given my background in health. It was a natural and easy next step for me. This allowed me to work with clients virtually, not only locally.

And in between all of these certifications, I’ve also taken many courses here and there. I certified as a mold literate practitioner because I was noticing the pattern with my clients.

I also took a course on rebooting the autonomic nervous system because again, I was seeing that FM was getting clients only so far on their health journey. Chronically ill clients were getting better but still “stuck”.

I took additional OAT, DUTCH & HTMA courses and and workshops, etc to deepen my knowledge of these labs.

My next venture, although it sounds weird, has to do with the non-physical realm. Energy medicine. Quantum medicine. Emotional release. Medical astrology. That sort of stuff…

I’ve always had my eye on pursuing a PhD but the timing isn’t right for me now. It will come.

So you can see, my path wasn’t a straightforward one at all. In fact, I studied computer engineering as my bachelors!! (Go figure right?)

So I am what you call, a forever student with a strong calling to serve.

My best advice as you try to make a decision about your next step is to keep in mind that whatever you choose will be the right decision so don’t stress too much.

One would think I wasted 4 years of my life studying computer engineering but had I not, B Better would not exist right now.

Glad you’re setting up calls. This will bring you more clarity. Be sure to do your pro/con list and then sit and allow your heart decide.

Hope this was helpful ❤️

Thank you , @Bernadette Abraham , this was so helpful . I will keep you posted on my next steps , wish me luck.

BTW, I am suprised you moved from comp science to FM while most of the world wants to move towards that field . ( really well done and a big slaute )