What is a Reiki Nurse? Is there even such a thing? When I have spoken on or written about the term before I typically receive the following assumption:

“A Reiki Nurse is someone who uses Reiki as a healing modality on or with their patients.”

On one hand, this could be the case. If you check out my page of Reiki Resources for Nurses (click here), you will see that there have been articles written on this very thing: bringing Reiki Practice to our nursing careers. On the other hand, when I think/speak/write the term ‘Reiki Nurse‘, I use it in a way that bridges the two modalities.

Reiki and Nursing, while unique and separate modalities, are two practices that very nicely complement each other. I would even take that a step further and argue that Reiki Practice can enhance, and even sustain, a nursing career. [Tweet “Here are the top three ways Reiki Practice can sustain a nursing career”]

• As a spiritual practice, Reiki invites balance and promotes well-being. That being said, we all know how stressful healthcare environments have become. What nurse wouldn’t benefit from a resiliency practice that is easy, convenient and fun? The best way to sustain your nursing career is to be a healthy and happy nurse yourself. Reiki Practice is one modality that can enhance your total well-being, which can ripple out to your work as a nurse professional.
• Reiki Practice reminds us to come back to and stay in the present moment. Nursing careers often consist of fast-paced, ever-changing roles. The days are high stress and the work is task oriented. In order to fully be with our patients and their needs, we can tap into what we learn in Reiki Practice to allow us to stay focused. A nursing career with decreased distraction certainly would be a breath of fresh air.
• Reiki in nursing can be a program to build healthy work environments. Lots of attention is given to nurse bullying and workplace violence. Communication breaks, personality clashes and competing priorities make it hard to work in our intra-professional teams. Reiki is a healing modality that can be shared among colleagues. Giving Reiki to each other between shifts can be a wonderful way to enhance professional relationships in nursing, thus creating more joy and satisfaction in our nursing careers.

Have you ever tried Reiki? Does your organization provide Reiki for nurses? I would love to hear what others are doing and how Reiki and Nursing can be paired together. For more information on my Reiki programs for nurses, you can visit my Reiki Training pages.