These are five elements necessary for a nurse to function in a fully inclusive or comprehensive manner. Nursing knowledge is necessary for basic, legally-defensible nursing practice. Theories are needed to articulate, understand, and reflect on practice. Expertise is needed to perform tasks easily and for the ability to make accurate decisions about care. Intuition is required to understand the subjective experience of others and interpret its meaning to healing.
Creativity is needed to solve problems and to identify new ways of being with clients.
Each one of these elements is as important as the others and all must be present for the practice to be called 'holistic'. A holistic nurse uses and values all of these elements. The Standards of Practice and the statements of knowledge and skills required for holistic nursing have been used to establish minimum competencies for practice in the nursing specialty. Holistic Nursing and CAM Practicing nursing according to the Standards demands that nurses continually develop knowledge and skills in all aspects of their practice. Many holistic nurses use complementary and alternative modalities to meet their client's needs for treatments promoting healing, comfort, and a sense of harmony and peace.