Holism consists of a belief of positive, interactionally based attitudes and behaviors that can exist in one who is well but also in one who is seriously ill and terminally sick. Holistic nursing is supported by and alternately supports the intimate connection of body, mind, and spirit. Nursing of the whole person requires attention to the individuality and uniqueness of each of these dimensions as well as to the interrelatedness of the three. Holism places the person in the larger world through one's connections to the many systems that exist in the universe. These systems are constantly evolving as they interact and interrelate.
Nursing focuses on the client system across the lifespan.
The client system may be the individual, family, group, community, or larger whole depending on the health need being addressed. The curricula build on the concepts in holism by beginning with a liberal education framework, introducing sciences and social sciences supportive of nursing, then integrating this foundation throughout the study of professional nursing. Learning becomes more complex as the students proceed through the curricula preparing for beginning professional practice that leads to advanced professional practice.