How to Become a Holistic Nurse: All You Need to Know
Studies indicate that mental health and spirituality play a huge role in overall physical well-being. That's why holistic nursing founder Florence Nightingale argued that nurses should look after the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being at the same time as the physical well-being of patients. Holistic nursing combines medical and environmental remedies to treat patients, which makes for a great career for nurses that want to take a different approach to treating patients.
If you're interested to learn more about this profession, its principles, what a holistic nurse does, and which steps to take to become a holistic nurse, this article will answer all those questions and more.
What Is Holistic Nursing?
Though this practice has deep roots in Europe, its founder is known to be Florence Nightingale. Her work focused on treating patients as whole beings and on how much the environment affects one's treatment and healing process. Nightingale emphasized how much the environment and personal health are interconnected and how much nature positively affects the healing process.
Holistic nursing is a nursing practice that focuses on providing care for the well-being of patients in different aspects, be they physical, mental, or spiritual. Holistic nurses care for preserving the individuality of patients and giving them the best care.
This practice rests on the holistic principles and values that focus on a holistic philosophy, ethics, communication, therapeutic environment, holistic nurse self-care, and a holistic caring process overall. The process of holistic nursing relies more on natural remedies rather than pharmaceutical remedies, which means that yoga, guided imagery, meditation, cognitive therapy, exercise, and diet are popular in this field.
The five core values that the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) deems most important in holistic nursing are:
Holistic Philosophy, Theories, and Ethics - in which a holistic nurse practices her profession by abiding by the documents, codes, and ethics of AHNA and uses said documents to form a meaningful relationship with their patients to provide better healthcare.
Holistic Caring Process - the holistic nurse improves the quality of healthcare by approaching patients' treatment as a "whole being" and by acknowledging that holistic health is a multidimensional state.
Holistic Communication, Therapeutic Healing Environment, and Cultural Diversity - in which a holistic nurse communicates effectively with their patients, has concerns about the health of nature and carries out environmentally safe practices and treatments, and understands the cultural diversity of their community and how to utilize the cultural traditions on the healing process.
Holistic Education and Research - the holistic nurse keeps up-to-date with current findings and trends in the field, researches different treatment methods from various sources, and puts those findings into practice.
Nurse Self-Reflection and Self-Care - in which the holistic nurse evaluates themselves using current regulations and standards and finds strengths and weaknesses to improve upon. They also engage in self-care by promoting a healthy work and personal life balance, managing stress, and improving their overall personal well-being.
What Do Holistic Nurses Do?
Holistic nurses have the same duties as registered nurses, such as performing tests, diagnosing diseases, managing patients, etc. But they also have extra duties to help patients heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They integrate Eastern and Western medicines into giving the best treatment to their patients and strengthening the body’s healing abilities.
Moreover, they encourage patients to make healthier decisions for themselves, find the alternative treatment best suited for their patients, help with stress and anxiety management, and help them create a more healthy and positive mindset.
An exceptional holistic nurse has professional skills like other registered nurses, but what differentiates them from registered nurses is the personal and closer connection they form with their patients. They are empathic to their complaints, pay attention to detail, have strong communication skills, are caring, have good listening skills, see patients as a whole, and pay importance to their emotional well-being as much as to their physical one.
As we've mentioned above, holistic nurses take alternative approaches to treating patients. Furthermore, some of the treatment techniques and therapies they use are acupuncture, aromatherapy, wellness coaching, exercise programs, biofeedback, dietary recommendations, tai chi, nutritional counseling, herbal therapies, reflexology, meditation, massage, etc.
How to Become a Holistic Nurse
To become a holistic nurse, you must follow a few steps similar to the other registered nurses, like getting an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and then getting Holistic Nurse Board certified. Another important step in becoming a holistic nurse is gaining experience in healthcare and getting acquainted with the work environment.
Educational requirements
The first step is going to a nursing school and earning an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing. Here at Pacific College, we offer a great ADN program that helps students prepare for the challenges of the work environment and meet all the requirements to apply for certification. We also have a great ADN-BSN Collaborative Pathway opportunity for ADN students, which rewards them with a BSN degree.
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Certifications
The next step is being certified. The certification process has a few steps you need to take as well. Firstly, you have to pass the National Licensure Examination and get your license. Then you can apply for a holistic nursing certification from the American Holistic Nurses Certification Corporation. You can always earn more certifications in specific techniques and advance in your career.
Holistic Nursing Careers: Where Do Holistic Nurses Work?
Becoming a holistic nurse comes with many job opportunities. They can work in many medical or wellness faculties, though most of them choose to work in hospitals. There they help patients with nonpharmacological pain management, adapting to new dietary restrictions, stress management, and providing effective care. They can also work in universities by teaching students how to reduce stress and anxiety and help them maintain whole-body wellness. Other working locations include spas, wellness centers, private practices, gyms, home healthcare, etc.
Holistic Nurse Job Outlook & Salary
As the popularity of holistic nursing is growing, so will the job opportunities and vacancies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects a 9% increase in job outlook in the 2020-2030 time period. The salary depends on several factors like location, level of experience, and credentials. However, the median pay for holistic nurses is $77,600 per year or $37.31 per hour. Some of the benefits holistic nurses can enjoy depending on the institution they work in are health and life insurance, childcare, continuing education reimbursement, holiday pay, maternity leave, retirement options, etc.
Conclusion
Holistic nursing is growing in popularity, which is why pursuing a holistic nursing career is a good decision. Being a holistic nurse is a rewarding profession, spiritually, professionally, and financially. Holistic nurses help patients heal and find the best lifestyle for them and are a great addition to the medical team. They can work in almost all healthcare or wellness facilities, they have more freedom in regard to choosing the patients' treatment, and they can help them change their lives after recovering from illnesses and injuries.
Holistic nursing is also more personal and unique to each patient, so holistic nurses have to figure out the best treatment plan for each patient. If you're interested in the healthcare-providing process and want to take a different approach to treating patients, you should consider pursuing a career as a holistic nurse.