What is Holistic Nursing?
Holistic nursing is a medical specialty that takes the entire being of the patient into consideration, rather than just diagnosing specific physical symptoms. Holistic nurses often recommend complementary medical treatments to assist patients in attaining better health. The nurse becomes a partner with patients by forging interpersonal and lasting relationships. Nurses who are trained in holistic healthcare practices often work in hospice settings and long-term care facilities. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) is said to be one of the first acknowledged holistic nurses. She was known as “The Lady of the Lamp” because she brought comforting light and a gentle smile to war-wounded soldiers. As a nurse, she was efficient and thorough, but she also treated each patient as an individual whose personal needs mattered — the definition of a holistic nurse. Holistic nursing should not be considered an alternative to modern medicine, but rather an adjunct for improved health care. The holistic
If you were to ask nurses this question, you would get as many answers as the number of nurses you asked. Two current definitions are – “Holistic nursing embraces all nursing practice, which has healing the whole person as its goal,” from the American Holistic Nurses’ Association. “Holistic nursing can be defined as all nursing practice, which cares for the person as an integrated, holistic human being, inseparable and integral with the environment. It requires nurses to integrate self-care in their own lives,” from the American Holistic Nurses’ Certification Corporation. One reason it is so difficult to define holistic nursing is because it is not necessarily what the nurse does; it is who the nurse is. Holistic nursing is based on the beliefs, values, and attitudes that nurses hold and that affects how they view themselves, others, the world, and the universe. And each nurse has his or her own unique take on holistic nursing. There are, however, several important underlying principle
Florence Nightingale, who believed in care that focused on unity, wellness, and the interrelationship of human beings and their environment, is considered to be one of the first holistic nurses. Holistic nursing is defined as “all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal” (American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 1998, Description of Holistic Nursing). Holistic nursing is a specialty practice that draws on nursing knowledge, theories, expertise and intuition to guide nurses in becoming therapeutic partners with people in their care. This practice recognizes the totality of the human being – the interconnectedness of body, mind, emotion, spirit, social/cultural, relationship, context, and environment. The holistic nurse is an instrument of healing and a facilitator in the healing process. Holistic nurses honor each individual’s subjective experience about health, health beliefs, and values. Holistic nurses may integrate complementary/alternative modalities (CAM) into
Holistic nursing programs add training in compassion, self-care, massage, healing or therapeutic touch, intuition and spirituality. How is holistic nursing practiced? Nurses trained in this area may work as part of a larger integrated clinic or, with the proper license, have an independent practice. Many tend to work in the field of women’s health care. What holistic nursing degrees or certificates are available? Certification programs are available to nurses or to students enrolled in nursing school. A few independent schools offer this type of training as an alternative to the traditional nursing degree. Search our directory and find more: Massage Therapy Schools, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and more.
