Connecting the Mind, Body and Spirit: The Role of Holistic Nurses (Podcast)

When people hear about holistic nursing, they might think of reiki or aromatherapy. But those are simply tools used by holistic nurses, who look at patient care through a broad lens.

“Holistic nursing is looking at someone from the mind, body, spirit perspective and making it part of your practice,” says Rose Hosler, BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC, healing services coordinator at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital.

Holistic healing is gaining momentum.

“We’re moving in the United States,” says Hosler. “Cleveland Clinic has functional medicine, we have an integrative center, we have employee wellness. And I’m seeing a shift in people when they are admitted to the hospital. They are starting to ask for some of these things.”

In the latest episode of Cleveland Clinic’s Nurse Essentials podcast, Hosler shares insight on holistic nursing. She discusses:

• What holistic nursing entails and the certification process
• The broad array of tools, including Reiki, aromatherapy, acupressure, guided imagery and more
• Code Lavender to provide emotional and spiritual support to caregivers
• How caregivers can take the first step to offering holistic nursing services

Click the podcast player above to listen to the episode now, or read on for a short edited excerpt. Check out more Nurse Essentials episodes at my.clevelandclinic.org/podcasts/nurse-essentials or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podcast excerpt

Podcast host Carol Pehotsky, DNP, RN, NEA-BC: What are some of the things that a physician or a nurse are saying, "I need to refer to Healing Services. I need Rose's help?"

Hosler: One of the big ones [I get referrals for] is emotional support – someone that's been newly diagnosed, someone that has high anxiety. They're just a wreck. Also, pain. Those are probably the most common. End of life things as well.

Really, anyone can refer to me because I am not in one unit. That's the beauty of being a holistic nurse in this position that Cleveland Clinic has. And I will say the Clinic has been quite progressive. When I go to conferences and stuff like that, people say, "Oh, wait, you do this full time and inpatient?"

So, I'm out and I'm in different units all over. I could be on the pediatric floor in the morning, and then go over to antepartum, go down to the ER, go to ICU, CCU. Staff is pretty well aware of me. It really is kind of word of mouth and learning about me.

I do partner a lot with Spiritual Care. We're with the chaplains and things like that. At Hillcrest Hospital, they're aware they can put in a Healing Services referral. And if they're not sure, sometimes people just know me and they page me. Like, "I don't know what's going on, but you need to come up. I need your help."

And we do a lot of staff care. I partner a lot with our director of Spiritual Care, Rabbi Susan Stone. We do Code Lavenders. We bring the tea cart around. Just yesterday I had one of our unit coordinators call me and she's like, "Rose, the unit's been a little stressful. Can you come over? I think the nurses just need to take a pause and take a breath."

Here is someone that's kind of, you know, recognizing that their co-workers need some added support. And so I was able to go get the tea cart, go over [to the unit] and spend some time with the staff and encourage them just to kind of reset.

And caregivers know when I'm out on the units, they can reach out if they need help.