“I learned to advocate for more holistic practices to better care for the broader needs of my patients.” Jennifer Bonamer PhD, RN, NPD-BC, AHN-BCPublished in ANA Nurses’ Week https://anayearofthenurse.org/storybook/chapter2.php.
I knew since I was a child that I would be a pediatric healthcare provider — I carried my medical bag and never hesitated when asked. I did in fact become a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse. I loved the authenticity and joy and integrity of caring for children who did not have ulterior motives to keep from healing. And oncology nursing was a brilliant combination of highly technical practice combined with enduring relationships with the patients and their families.
Over the years, it began to really affect me that, despite dozens of scheduled and PRN medications to treat symptoms, my patients still experienced troubling symptoms. I learned to advocate more for holistic practices to better care for the broader needs of my patients. I found that there was not a lot of research upon which to advocate. So, I decided to go to school to pursue my PhD so that I could create evidence to improve patient care. I graduated with my PhD in 2008, had my first child one month later, and have been exceptionally grateful to work as a clinical nurse researcher ever since. My days are joyfully (and nerdly) filled with helping clinicians explore opportunities for better patient care; and we have many discussions about holistic theoretical frameworks to ensure we are treating the whole person. I am so grateful to be a nurse.
On Behalf of the AHNA Board of Directors and the AHNA Staff, AHNA’s 2021 Annual Conference will be pivoting to a Full Virtual Conference.
“I’m so grateful that AHNCC is supporting those of us who are AHNCC certified and who are using our education to further holistic nursing. I have created a new education program for nurses called Trauma-Free Nursing. A fresh, in-depth holistic approach to taking healthcare created trauma out of nursing practice”.
AHNCC wishes to thank Martha Bird, HNB-BC, for the idea of AHNCC Certification Logos associated with the AHNCC Service Marks/Credentials. She wrote in with a request for visual images/logos to be added to her website for credentialing. Martha Bird is a Minneapolis-based interdisciplinary artist who specializes in traditional and sculptural basketry.
The AHNCC Board of Directors in concert with the GAHN Board of Directors is proud to announce the inauguration of the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing. The Academy, in support of the American Holistic Nurses Association’s mission and in concert with the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation, will focus on advancing the Specialty of Holistic Nursing around the world. To learn more, please click here: 
Nursing may be one of the most trusted professions around, but Margaret Erickson believes it needs to be elevated and respected at a new level. Nurses and the care they provide are foundational to the healthcare system and play a prominent role in today’s pandemic crisis. Yet nursing care is usually included in hospital budgets, shockingly, as “lodging expenses.” Erickson is uniquely qualified to discuss current and future nursing care, having practiced holistic nursing for more than 40 years and holding her PhD, RN, CNS and APHN-BC®. Since 2000, she has been working to educate and advance the role of nurses as CEO of the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC).