I feel like a total moron, today in a lecture at school I heard the word holistic,

Nursing Students Student Assist

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Sadly I do not know what this word means,

can someone please explain, because I am having anxieties because I am lost and feel like I am all alone.

I would really appreciate any help and guidance that I can get from you.

Thank you

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Pulled from Webster's onlline...

....relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts

That help?;)

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

Please don't feel like that; you are not alone and sometimes you just have to ask questions!

To me, holistic refers to the "entire" being: Physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual. The whole being.

This is what we're taught separates nursing from medicine. Medicine deals with the illness, the disease, and how to treat or cure it. Nursing deals with the human responses to those threats to wellness, which incorporates those "holistic" qualities. It's not just treating the illness; it's treating the person.

Does that help?

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Think of it as "whole-istic". Holistic care addresses more than just the nuts-and-bolts behind the physical component of a disease; it also goes beyond that to treat any emotional problems, spiritual factors, personal concerns, etc. that may also play into the disease experience. Holistic care treats the whole person.

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Specializes in RN in LTC.

tiffany you are not alone and this will not be the last word you don't know the meaning of. I am still looking up definations of words in my second year.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Acute Rehab.

You are there to learn, so no one expects you to know it already. Sometimes instructors have difficulty stepping back from what they already know to be able to present new information without making assumptions about what the audience knows and does not know. You could take your medical dictionary with you to class and look things up as they arise. Or, just ask your instructor. You can bet if you don't know about something, there are several others in the room that don't either. They will be glad you asked. Don't sit in class wondering the whole what the instructors are talking about. Ask. If you wait, you may miss understanding something that builds on the one thing you didn't get. Or, you may miss out on the opportunity to ask appropriate follow-up questions.

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Holistic was a new one for me, too! lol

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