We hear from a variety of nurses about the stresses they face in today’s quick-paced medical setting—and how they struggle to find the time needed to treat the whole person. Caring for the “whole person” is a bedrock tenet of holistic nursing. It views the human spirit as a potent healing force in coping with disease. As observed by British nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, “nature alone heals.” In this program, we hear the story of a Chicago-area nurse who herself has battled breast cancer and explored various complementary medicine techniques to augment her own ability to heal while also receiving mainstream treatment. We also hear insights from thoughtful nursing researchers and practitioners.

To me, the technical care is important. It would be malpractice to not give good technical care. But it is 10 percent of what we’re there for. The other 90 percent is helping patients to get that in a way that taps into natural healing capacities, for people to feel heard, and for people to get some basic skills to be able to get through this experience.”

—Eileen Stuart-Shor, Ph.D., APRN College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Univ. of Massachusetts