The AHNCC, the certification body for The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA), endorsed Eastern University retroactively, covering all future graduates of the RN to BSN program, the Korean RN to BSN program, and the BSN Two second degree program, and all BSN alumni who have graduated since May of 2007.  The holistic endorsement enables Eastern graduates to bypass several prerequisites and immediately take the American Holistic Nurses Certification Exam.

After receiving her BS in Sports Management from Eastern in 1996, Hopple knew that Eastern was the place for her to further her education and career in nursing. Hopple, a native of Phoenixville, PA, is employed at Paoli Hospital in the medical-surgical department of the Orthopedic Unit, and serves as a substitute school nurse in the Phoenixville, PA, School District. 

"After attending Eastern as an undergraduate student, I had many jobs, but I always knew that I really had an interest in natural health," Topple said.  "When I met with people at Eastern, I knew the program was truly going to be  holistic and God-based, and I was so happy to be a student at Eastern again and to have my spirituality intertwine with my academics in a perfect way."

Holistic Nursing was recently recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a formal specialty.  The AHNCC approved Eastern as a "holistic school of nursing" because of the program's emphasis on using knowledge, theories, expertise and intuition to guide nurses in becoming therapeutic partners with those for whom they care. This practice recognizes the totality of the human experience - the interconnectedness of body, mind, spirit, sociocultural context, and the environment in which care is given.  Holistic nursing requires nurses to integrate self-care and awareness, spirituality, and reflection in their personal and professional lives. This may lead the nurse to a deeper connection with self, others, nature, and God.  This awareness also improves the nurse's understanding of her/his patient and will enhance his/her relationships with the larger community, enabling nurses to facilitate the healing process in any setting.

"I always knew I wanted to focus on holistic nursing.... Eastern gave me the tools to go out in my field and truly thrive," Hopple said.  "I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to learn about holistic nursing on the level that I did at Eastern.  Eastern brought to fruition something I already wanted to do, and I feel really encouraged to keep working toward my career goals."

According to Dr. Christina Jackson, professor and Curriculum Committee chairperson for Eastern's Department of Nursing, "This endorsement is the result of many years of effort on the part of our faculty to implement a program that is intentional and thorough in how we prepare nurses to care for whole persons. We lay the foundation by helping students connect with all aspects of themselves - body, mind and spirit. This enhances their ability to address the health of others in a more complete and balanced way.  To have the creativity and presence of mind to facilitate healing in what are often chaotic healthcare environments is both an art and a science."

The programs at Eastern prepare RNs (who already have an associate's degree or hospital diploma) and second-degree students (who already have a bachelor's degree in another field and who earn the BSN in two years) to be practitioners of holistic nursing.  Dr. Jackson and her colleagues have integrated the AHNA Core Values and Standards of Care at an increasingly higher level of intensity into the curriculum over the past 10 years.  Aside from the curricular content, the AHNCC's endorsement recognized Eastern University's nursing programs for their in-the-classroom embodiment of holistic care.  The class scheduling, faculty-student interaction and classroom learning environments are designed with these values in mind so that respect and caring for self and others is modeled. Open communication, professional development, collegiality, leadership skills, and tangible support are offered to students as they progress through the program.

For more information about Eastern University's Holistic Accreditation, contact Dr. Christina Jackson (cjackson@eastern.edu) at 610.225.5009. For information about the RN-BSN program, contact Ellie Butsick at 610.225.5023 (ebutsick@eastern.edu). For information about the second-degree nursing program contact Beth Chiatti at 610.225.5828 (bchiatti@eastern.edu). For information about the Korean Nurse RN-BSN, contact Gery Remy at 610.225.5674 (gremy@eastern,edu). Visit www.eastern.edu/nursing.

The American Holistic Nurses' Certification Corporation is responsible for the administration of the Holistic Nurses' Certification Examination. For more information, visit http://www.ahncc.org/.