The concept of holistic medicine has emerged popular in recent years. It focuses on optimal well-being rather than just focusing on treating a particular disease. Holistic nursing education is encouraged and recommended in the nursing curriculum. A nurse has to look after a patient and take care of him/her as a whole, and not just his body. Holistic nursing focuses on the mind, the body, the spirit, emotions, and the environment rendering towards a better healing process.

Better and more effective patient care

When patients are taken care of as individuals and not tasks by the nurses, the patients benefit a lot. Holistic patient care helps to heal faster not just physically, but emotionally, and spiritually as well. Physical health is intimately connected to the emotional, and spiritual health of a patient. The holistic nurses are aware of the connection. Hence, they are more efficient in caring, and treating the patients as they attend to them physically, emotionally, environmentally, and spiritually as well. When nurses have holistic medicine training, they render better and more efficient patient care.

Greater self-care

Holistic nursing education can also help enrich the lives of nurses. Every nurse is always at a risk of getting drained physically, emotionally, and mentally due to the everyday challenges at work. Holistic education helps the nurses to understand the profession better. It makes them realize what encouraged them to become nurses and dedicate their lives to patient care.

Holistic nursing helps nurses to integrate spirituality, self-care, self-responsibility, and reflection into their lives. When nurses promote the emotional and spiritual well-being of a patient to accelerate physical healing, their relationship with the patient grows positively. This aids in better patient care and also facilitates increased satisfaction among the nurses.

Sustainable practice

When importance is given to self-awareness, self-care, and reflection, it can be beneficial to the nursing career in general. Nurses are always at the risk of burnout, and emotional fatigue. Nurses are known to dedicate themselves to patient care selflessly. When they continue doing the same things, often they get drained and frustrated. By emphasizing holistic nursing, the nurses maintain their emotional and mental health, eliminating or reducing their physical and mental fatigue. This is beneficial for the nursing practice as a whole.

Recognized specialty and universal practice

The American Holistic Nurses Association’s (AHNA) efforts have paved its way to recognize holistic nursing as a specialty in 2006. It defines a unique scope as a specialized area of nursing. The recognition from AHNA has rendered benefits in providing a clearer standard of practice and laying the foundation for the bright future of holistic nursing everywhere around the globe.

Holistic nursing is recognized as a specialty, but its philosophy applies to any hospital service. Holistic nurses serve in hospitals, private practices, hospice services, and education helping patients and their families to live holistically. No matter in which area of nursing one wants to pursue, holistic nursing education can benefit the nurses as well as others receiving the care and treatment.

An integral part of the medical fraternity

It has been a few years since holistic nursing has been recognized as a specialty. Over the years, it has become an integral part of the healthcare system around the world. The healthcare system considers holistic nurses as the future of the medical fraternity. Gradually every medical department is understanding the importance of holistic nursing and the philosophy that goes into treating and caring for patients. Physically healing can be accelerated when it is combined with mental, emotional, spiritual, and environmental healing. Nurses trained in holistic education are better prepared for any changes taking place coupled with the benefits they offer.

Conclusion

There was a time when holistic healthcare was looked down upon with a lot of skepticism. Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in holistic healthcare professionals not just in the USA, but all across the globe. Experts indicate that holistic nursing professionals can offer top-notch outcomes in a wide array of medical setups like assisted living facilities, hospitals, clinics, hospices, and so on.  Individuals enrolling in holistic nursing education contribute promising health care in their everyday nursing duties. Furthermore, it is considered as a path to a more fulfilling nursing career and better patient care.