Nurses are the backbone of any healthcare system, and CPD training courses for nurses are vital for keeping their knowledge and skills up to date.
Acupuncture is one such cpd training course for nurses. It has long since been used within the NHS and in the private sector to treat chronic pain, osteoarthritis, hot flushes, an overactive bladder, and to improve mental health and wellbeing. Acupuncture for nurses can help with a number of conditions that you see in your clinic. In this article, we discuss the benefits of including acupuncture into your nursing practice, and explain the benefits of attending an acupuncture course for nurses (which go towards CPD training).
Why is acupuncture useful for a nurse?
Acupuncture can help patients with a huge range of issues that you see in the clinic, from musculoskeletal issues, pain, and hot flushes, through to stress and anxiety. Acupuncture for nurses, alongside other modes of treatment, can help you treat your patients holistically to encourage not only a better mind and body connection, but an overall feeling of wellbeing. What’s more, acupuncture has been shown to significantly reduce pain, and therefore, can aid with ADLs and patient mood.
How can acupuncture be integrated into nursing practice?
Acupuncture can be integrated into nursing to help patients cope with a variety of illnesses and injuries. Using acupuncture before, during or after another mode of treatment, can help increase the effectiveness of nursing interventions, and improve the wellbeing of your patient.
Furthermore, acupuncture is extremely easy to administer, has very few side effects, and is an extremely low cost intervention – nurses can learn acupuncture, and feel confident, safe and effective, after attending a foundation acupuncture for nurses course like our hybrid Nursing Foundation Course.
The Benefits of integrating acupuncture and nursing
Because acupuncture is so quick to administer, it is a simple, but effective, tool that can be used alongside other interventions. Commonly, acupuncture is used to help alleviate pain and, having reduced the intensity of pain, patients are more likely to be able to tolerate ADLs/other interventions, which may result in a more calm mood and a greater sense of wellbeing.
The needling skills required to administer acupuncture means that nurses are in a prime position to be able to offer acupuncture. In fact, because acupuncture requires the use of solid needles (i.e. no substances passing through the needle), nurses find that acupuncture needling is much easier, and much more pleasant for the patient, than injections or taking blood.
Annual CPD requirements ask nurses to attend regular CPD training courses. By completing an acupuncture for nurses course, not only are you benefiting your patients with increased knowledge and skills, you’re also helping to shape your own future with significant contributions to your CPD.
Contraindications of acupuncture
Don’t just assume that acupuncture is suitable for all patients; there are a few risks associated with acupuncture, mainly for at-risk groups such as:
- Those with unstable medical conditions
- Those with blood disorders
- Those taking anticoagulant medication
- Pregnant women
Anyone falling into one of these groups that wishes to undergo acupuncture should first consult their GP to determine suitability, and ensure to tell their acupuncture practitioner of their condition before proceeding with treatment.
Side effects associated with acupuncture generally tend to be rare and mild. Some people report mild pain, bleeding and bruising at the site of needle insertion, and some report feeling faint or dizzy post-treatment. Providing that a patient isn’t in an at-risk group outlined above, these side effects are usually nothing to worry about. Click here to view our Resources page with various studies regarding acupuncture safety and at-risk patient groups.
Acupuncture courses for nurses
Acupuncture is not a regulated practice, but registered health professionals must attend appropriate training to ensure they administer acupuncture safely and effectively. Our Breeze Academy Foundation Course for Nurses gives you all of the knowledge and skills you need to be able to include acupuncture as part of your day to day practice. Breeze Academy offers a variety of locations and dates for our foundation acupuncture course for nurses. View our acupuncture and dry needling courses here.