Wellness-RN

Congratulations! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Congratulations! Job well done!

Well, Star, I suspect your interview has been accomplished. How did it go? I find homecare rewarding. Never before have I been able to spend the time I do helping patients. In the home, you are provided with a huge amount of information not available to you inpatient. Their environment, the family, diets... It's all in front of you. You have time to help them create and fulfill their goals; one visit at a time. Hope the interview went well!

Teaching of Self-Management Plan (emergency care plan) to help prevent re-hospitalization: early sx reporting ie, increased cough, phlegm, wheeze; increased sob or edema, temp >100.5*, inc pillows needed for sleep or sleeping in chair, chest tightness...

NCLEX-RN 75 questions passed 1st attempt

Not so long ago, I went to visit my dad at Morristown Memorial Hoapital (NJ) following cardiac surgery. While I was there, a holistic nurse came in to offer services. Outpatient services were also offered following discharge. And it was FREE; all done under a grant. It's coming. The research is happening, and providers and payers seem to be recognizing the benefits of whole heath & preventive care more.

Wanna_BA_Nurse, I agree with StudyNurse. You have to be really careful. If you aren't yet a nurse, that's the first step. Experience is the 2nd. Then, a wellness BS perhaps from an accredited college. Clayton College also looks interesting as far as a wellness program, but without accreditation, it's essentially useless. Neither of those programs you mentioned appears to be accredited by a mainstream agency. NTI is only credentialled by holistic entities & Bauman states: Certification The Nutrition Educator certificate title is valid in California and other states where there are no federal, state or local requirements limiting the practice of nutrition consulting. Contact your local state government to become informed about the laws of the state in which you plan to practice. CEU Credits CEU credits for RN's are available. Bauman College is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 11401, for 150 contact hours for the Nutrition Educator Training Program. It doesn't appear that either would be recognized. Good luck to you.

Nikki, I am not in VA, but I would like to thank you for fighting the good fight for Excelsior grads everywhere! Each state matters. Christine

Good forum. Yes, I am happy. Sometimes I have to remember to be. We are on a 2 year journey sailing throughout the Caribbean. It's been a good time to reflect and heal from what has been a bumping long road. I have parents who don't take care of themselves, a son who makes too many poor choices, and another who is leaving for his 3rd Army deployment next month. Yet, there is so much for which to be grateful. When we sailed to Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic next to Haiti), I had a great lesson. People walk out of their rickety homes, smaller than most US living rooms I've seen, to get water from the spicket on the street. They appear to be the happiest people I've met anywhere. They are friendly, cheerful and have a life-span far longer than those in the US from what one man told us. I hope I can carry this simple life as it is aboard back to the US when we return to "dirt dwelling." There truly is happiness in simplicity, but frequently I have to remember, even choose to be happy despite circumstances over which I have no control.:)

Grad of EC Feb '07. LPN since 1994. Currently sailing in the Caribbean since Nov of '07; in Trinidad for hurricane season. But... when I return to the states in the spring, I plan to start my BS & go back to community health or Hospice. ERDude ~ Are you working on your MSN through EC? Good luck to you! :)

I think it's a lack of knowledge & understanding that creates the animosity. Like Hopefull2009's example of the family refusing abt's for a bacterial infection: that's not being holistic, that's ignorance of the infectious process (or a religious belief perhaps?) Holistic means treatment of the body-mind-spirit, & there is much evidence-based alternative treatment used by holistic practitioners. It's not voo-doo. There is also, as has been said, a lot of quackery in the name of holism. I would say, let us practice holistic nursing & give it the good name it deserves. I too would like to earn my BS in holistic nutrition, but many are not appropriately credentialed, so do be aware that the credentials they claim are recognized. :typing Do the research. Good luck to you in your studies.

You may suggest holistic topics to the staff education / inservice specialist such as stress management, massage or holistic nutrition education for the oncology client. These are pretty mainstream, yet holistic, modalities. Perhaps as improved outcomes are noted, more modalities will be incorporated.

But change starts with one. I had worked for a home health agency for 8 yrs w/out a raise. We, as a group, wrote letters, had meetings; no change. I pushed for 'Unless we threaten to quit, there will be no change.' There was no peer support. I did leave thanking the agency for 8 great years clearly stating the lack of raise as my reason. Eventually another left. And raises did come about. There are other nursing jobs. When lives (& your license) are on the line, it may be time to consider looking.

Don't let one rude agency person ruin your hopes. When I went into home care, I had only internal medicine experience. I studied thoroughly on my patient's dx/tx & did well. I worked through Bayada Nurses. I know they're in PA. It was a nice agency. As far as Hospice, I'm not sure, but they may be willing to train you. Either sounds like a good fit for you returning after an illness. Peace & be well. :-)

Hi iwanna. I've worked through agencies for years as an LPN and RN. Have you considered a Home Health Agency? I suggest this because regular agency work (acute, LTC...) can be very stressful. You walk into a new facility & work with little, if any, orientation. Coming back from an illness, this may be rough. I also worked home care as an LPN. It was wonderful. One patient to whom you can give the best of care. It may be worth considering.

I believe strongly in the power of positive thought. Even when one can't be cured, positive thought can help them to heal. We all need healing, & for some, there is limited time to do just that. At the end of life, a positive outlook can help someone with their closure. A negative outlook can be disabling. We know what stress does to the human body-mind-spirit. Positive thought is a stress remedy.

I really have to agree. And, another question, why is it that these LTC patients don't deserve the higher level of safety during medication administration that is provided by a licensed nurse? It's inexcusable. I have a good friend who manages an Alzheimer's unit. She is constantly writing up her med-techs: leaving meds on the bedside or table unadministered, signing for meds that aren't in the building, unlocked cart... No matter how much inservice is provided, the understanding of a licensed nurse is not obtained. Good topic. Thanks.

My stomach knotted up every time I'd call my old physicians office & was asked to "press 2 to speak with a nurse." Now, I know there's no nurse there unless she's a patient! The Maryland BON website states "It is unlawful for any person to use the title, "Nurse", or to practice in Maryland without a license from the Maryland Board of Nursing" I'd imagine this is so in most states, but it's definately worth a query to your BON. And, yes, the doctors are equally at fault because they are aware it goes on.

Has anyone on the unit sat down with this guy (since the supervisor seems as she won't) & explained that this is just plain inappropriate at work? A kind of 'hate to see you get in trouble' kind of talk? Perhaps suggesting this as a CNA inservice would also be a good round about approach.

I think holistic education, like most education, enhances your work in any arena including at home and in your community. If it only taught you to take care of yourself to prevent burnout, that alone would benefit your nursing.

There is a CE thru AHNA, zoobyli, a large portion of which addresses just that. It is called 'Foundations of Holistic Nursing.' I finished it last month. You can access it at www.ahna.org through their education link. I highly recommend it as an introduction to holistic nursing.

Whoops on my part! :-) Thanks RDH1!

The best place to start is the AHNA. The American Holistic Nurses Assoc. offers tons of info, a great quarterly "Beginnings", annual conference, standards of holistic practice, their journal & website. I had ordered back issues which you can peruse on their site. http://www.ahna.org

I have definately found canker sores related to stress. Although yes they are viral (herpes simplex), stress increases incidence. That's why Pantothenic Acid (B5), the "stress vitamin" probably helps clear them so quickly. That & some Lysine at onset (1st tingling), & you may even prevent it. Some meditation, stress mgmt, & a good walk help too! You can even take these preventively, Kimbalou, when you see that you're getting run down. It's worked for me.

hi alphabet, i just joined allnurses.com to post this same query. i came across the clayton college of natural health through the ahna newsletter. the program, very similar to gcnm (global college of nat. med) recommended on this forum, is exactly what i am looking for. the problem is the accreditation. i emailed the ahncc who handles board certification for holistic nurses. this is their reply: "nursing programs that are endorsed by ahncc are undergraduate or graduate degree programs from accredited universities like the university of michigan, or texas. clayton college is not accredited and because it is not accredited is not eligible for endorsement. in addition, i am sorry to say that because it is not accredited by a university accrediting organization baccalaureate degrees from the clayton college do not meet the baccalaureate degree requirement for application for certification in holistic nursing." i too am searching for an accredited distance learning bs in holistic nutrition or health & wellness. have you had any further luck? gonesailing (currently sailing in grenada)