TerriKayeRN

Hi, I have been a med/surgical nurse for 1.5 years. At this point in my career, I am already burnt out. I can barely begin to explain how this job as decreased my quality of life since I started. I am a strong believer that in order to successfully take care of someone, you must take care of yourself first. This is why I am looking for change of pace in my career. I have always been very interested in alternative/holistic medicine. When I have time, I use Yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, deep breathing, and muscle relaxation therapy as my own personal wellness regimen. I am also interested in nutrition, touch therapy, or any other sort of mind-body medicine. Honestly, IT ALL intrigues me. I am interested in learning more about as many of these topics as I can, for my own personal use of course, but also I would like to incorporate these things into my career. But I keep hitting a roadblock when trying to figure out how. I live in Louisiana. There are absolutely no resources here for alternative medicine. Holistic/natural/Alternative (Whatever you choose to call it) centers are provided little to none, and there are most definitely no education resources for these topics here. Not only that, It is rare that I find a healthcare professional that is like-minded. Many healthcare professionals think holistic/alternative medicine is taboo here... I am beginning to realize that if I want to pursue a career that I am passionate about, I may have to pick up my life and move to a different state. Because this type of healthcare is not very common, figuring out which path to take can be very confusing. There are SO many different "programs" out there that I am not sure are accountable. Plus, they are expensive and OUT OF STATE. I could really use a good mentor. Advice from anyone who chose this route of nursing care would be a tremendous help. What type of holistic nursing do you do? Where do you work? What state do you live in? What kind of resources did you use? Are there any education programs that incorporate all of these alternative therapies mentioned above in a well rounded curriculum (that is a legitimate accredited school)? I recently became a member of AHNA, and it looks like the education they suggest is from Allegra. This is a 2000$ 5 day course that provides a certification in most of these topics. Is this credible? Is there a particular state that focuses on this type of care the most? california? I am thinking of applying for my licensure there and just making the move. Hopefully once I get there, finding resources will be much easier than it is here in lazy louisiana. Thanks for taking the time to read. I am so excited to hear from anyone willing to give advice. Terri Kaye

Steeleworks, I have been reading through your threads. Your story is inspiring and your advice is great. You stated that you have a website. How can I access your website? Terri