Connecting body, mind, spirit, community and environment

Clinical Assistant Professor Angelica Walton discusses the whole person health framework during a class with Doctor of Nursing Practice students in the health innovation and leadership specialty.

For the past two years, University of Minnesota School of Nursing faculty have undertaken an initiative to intentionally weave whole person health concepts into the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and create holistic learning experiences to prepare nurses to address the interconnectedness of body, mind, spirit, community and environment.

Faculty have embedded whole health content in foundational, clinical, and leadership courses, giving students exposure to global healing traditions, integrative therapies, and leading systems-level change through a tiered approach.

“Whole person health is a framework for learning, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of factors that influence a person’s wellbeing,” says Stephanie Delkoski, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, assistant dean of the DNP program. “Advanced practice registered nurses trained with this lens can better guide patients in making lifestyle changes to promote health and resilience and manage chronic conditions. Embedding whole person health in DNP education reinforces the distinct contributions advanced practice nurses bring, strengthening their professional identity and preparing them to work in and lead interdisciplinary teams in today’s health care system.”

Integrating concepts across the curriculum

Whole person health focuses on the treatment of isolated symptoms and on fostering environments — both internal and external — that allow individuals and communities to flourish.

“Whole person health is a paradigm shift to recognizing the inseparability of body, mind, spirit, community, culture, place, and environment,” says Clinical Assistant Professor Angelica Walton, DNP RN, who is leading the initiative. “Our faculty have taken up this charge to strategically scaffold learning so that students are introduced to the diversity of global philosophies and scientific evidence as building blocks for practice.”

Faculty have integrated whole person health concepts across all levels of the DNP curriculum. Students are introduced to whole health concepts early in foundational courses. As they progress through the program, they apply these concepts in case-based learning activities, simulations, clinical experiences and advanced leadership projects. 

“By the time they reach their specialty level, they are practicing whole person care and learning to build systems and policies that reflect it,” says Walton. 

The initiative is guided by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials, especially the domains of knowledge for nursing practice, person-centered care, population health, interprofessional partnerships, systems-based practice, and leadership development. The curriculum ensures students meet competency related to cultural humility, evidence-based integrative practice, and systems-level innovation.

Additionally, this approach models the importance of self-awareness, normalizes self-care as part of professional practice, helps students to understand that self-value is foundational to effective leadership, advocacy, and compassionate practice, and builds resilience among students to prevent burnout in their future profession.

Embedding whole person health concepts across the curriculum, instead of an elective or add-on, ensures that all students graduate with the skills and competence to practice whole person health.

A pioneering history

The University of Minnesota is one of only a few nursing schools taking this comprehensive, scaffolded approach to integrating whole person health concepts throughout a doctoral program, making it a leader in the field. The school has a pioneering history in this area, as it was the first in the country to establish a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in integrative health and healing in 2009.

“We have long-standing faculty expertise and community partnerships that have positioned us to be innovators nationally and globally,” says Walton.

A new generation of healers

Students have responded to the curriculum with excitement, describing the material as grounding, authentic, and what they’ve been seeking. They are eager to learn how to collaborate with interprofessional experts in areas such as acupuncture and somatic body practices. They want to deepen their understanding of how to support patients and families in healing through food, the body, community, and cost-free approaches.

“This is helping them connect their values to their practice and envision new possibilities for nursing’s role in health system transformation,” says Walton.

As the initiative continues, faculty will continually deepen the ways they integrate competency and skill development into every stage of nursing education, including integrating the content more intentionally in prelicensure programs.

“We need advanced practice practitioners and leaders who can navigate complexity with wisdom, integrity, and understanding of multiple pathways for healing,” says Walton. “Teaching whole person health at the doctoral level ensures our graduates can design care models, influence policy, and lead teams that reflect an understanding of equity, interdependence and systems transformation.”

What is whole person health?

Whole person health involves looking at the whole person — not just separate organs or body systems — and considers multiple factors that promote either health or disease. It means helping and empowering individuals, families, communities, and populations to improve their health in multiple interconnected biological, behavioral, social, and environmental areas. Instead of just treating a specific disease, whole person health focuses on restoring health, promoting resilience, and preventing diseases across a lifespan.
Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health