Using Essential Oils to Enhance Nursing Practice and for Self-Care

Melissa E Allard1, Julie Katseres

  • 1Melissa E. Allard is the assistant nurse manager for the Home-Based Primary Care Program in Home and Community Care, and Julie Katseres is an NP in the Hospice and Palliative Care Department, both at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Contact author: Melissa E. Allard, melissa.allard@va.gov. The authors and planners have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

Summary

Essential oils offer a natural approach to health and well-being, aiding in symptom relief and emotional support. This article guides nurses on safe essential oil administration in various care settings.

Related Concept Videos

The Professional Nurse01:22

The Professional Nurse

Professional nurses are not limited to bedside care and are taking roles of greater responsibility. A nurse should have a knowledge-based practice, including personal, theoretical, procedural, cultural, and reflexive knowledge. Additionally, nurses must be competent in cognitive, technical, interpersonal, and ethical/legal skills. Some of the best attributes of successful nurses include the following:
Communication skills: These are critical characteristics, especially speaking and listening.
7.2K
Aims Of Nursing01:29

Aims Of Nursing

Nursing involves independent, cooperative, person-centered care for people of all ages, families, groups, and communities. Nurses assist the sick or the well person in all settings. Nursing includes promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for ill, disabled, and dying people. Health promotion encourages people to take responsibility for their health. It focuses on the healthy behavior of individuals, families, and the community and the factors that impact their health. Examples of...
17.2K
Nursing Ethical Principles I01:22

Nursing Ethical Principles I

Ethical principles serve as the moral compass in the longstanding tradition of nursing, guiding healthcare professionals in their interactions with patients and families. These principles, namely autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, provide a robust framework for navigating the ethical complexities of daily nursing practice.
Autonomy
Autonomy underscores the significance of a patient's self-determination and freedom from external control. In healthcare, respecting...
4.7K
Nursing Ethical Principles II01:27

Nursing Ethical Principles II

Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
2.5K
Fundamentals of Nursing Process II01:25

Fundamentals of Nursing Process II

There are several characteristics related to delivering nursing care. One vital characteristic of the nursing process is that it can be used to protect nurses and justify the provided care. Productive use of the nursing process requires the knowledge and skills of nurses to assess and solve issues. Nurses should develop and strengthen their critical thinking skills and evidence-based nursing interventions to improve their skills in formulating nursing care plans. A well-defined approach to...
6.0K
Professional Values01:29

Professional Values

Nurses are responsible for caring for patients during birth, death, illness, and healing. Professional values guide the decisions and actions that nurses make in their careers. If nurses know the decisions and actions to take, providing patients with exceptional care is possible.
The values that are the foundation of the nursing profession are altruism, autonomy, human dignity, and social justice.
First, altruism refers to the concern for the welfare and well-being of others without personal...
11.2K