Holistic Nursing

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I’m relatively comfortable in my position as a RN on a med/surg-tele floor. My coworker are awesome. My manager is good. I enjoy the patient population. I’ve earned a couple certifications.

I’m a life-long learner. My employer offers tuition reimbursement, but I have no desire to become an advanced practice nurse. I am aware of the usual graduate programs: leadership, education and informatics. I’m looking for something “fun.” I saw that some places offer graduate degrees/certificates in integrative health. However, every place seems to call it something different (alternative, holistic, integrative, etc).

Is there a place that consolidates all the various programs to make it easier to compare them? Or even to find what types of programs exist (maybe there’d be something more interesting out there if I knew where to look). Obviously, I’m primarily interested in online programs.

Dear Life-Long Learner,

What a great idea you have, some kind of online directory to view all the different graduate programs and certifications out there. Instead it seems you have to search by your specific interest, such as "alternative" and "holistic".

Certifications offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) are listed on their site, but other organizations offer certifications as well.

Holistic nursing is a niche field, but growing. It is recognized as an official specialty in nursing.

Nurses with holistic training integrate different methods into their practice, such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, coaching on wellness and spiritual healing, hypnotherapy, and even massage.

The American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation offers a certification in holistic nursing, recognized by the ANCC.

Consider joining the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) to network and learn more about real-world opportunities, such as nurse coaching.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!