The first national exam is expected to be administered this spring, four years after the first certificate was granted, according to the American Holistic Nurses Certification Corp. Interest in holistic nursing which treats the spirit as well as the body is growing, according to the Flagstaff, Arizona-based certification corporation. The way health care is now, it s not affording them that opportunity.
Holistic nursing helps nurses reconnect with the meaning of nursing.
It s also spreading to overall medicine as well. The certification corporation receives calls from businesses and institutions interested in learning about and teaching their employees about holism, as well as calls from nurses themselves, said Whitney Zack, administrative assistant for the corporation. They call and say, I m so glad I found you. I m burned out, but I want to come into this field. Nurses can take a four-phase certificate program and submit a portfolio that shows evidence of their work in the field, including practicing holistic nursing at least eight hours a week for six months or more.