Reply by Frisch to Chance-Revels on "Nursing as a Context for Alternative/Complementary Modalities"

Dear Ms. Chance-Revels:

I appreciate the concerns raised by Ms. Rebekah Chance-Revels regarding the need we have for students to gain information about holistic nursing and complementary practices while in school. I would like to point out that the American Holistic Nurses' Association has a "Core Curriculum"(Dossey, 1997) in Holistic Nursing based on standards of practice that have been developed at the baccalaureate level. The core curriculum provides a guide for teaching the concepts and incorporating the concepts and practices into nursing classes. Further, the American Holistic Nurses' Certification Corporation (AHNCC) has established a program where schools of nursing may have their curricula endorsed as covering the basic principles of holistic care. Once a curriculum is endorsed, all graduates from the program are eligible to take the national certification exam in holistic nursing. For additional information, contact the AHNCC at their website: http://ahna.org/edu/certification.html

Dr. Frisch