Topeka, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/22/2014 -- The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) named Lynn Keegan, PhD, RN, FNAA, AHN-BC, of Port Angeles, Washington, the 2014 Holistic Nurse of the Year at the just-completed AHNA annual conference held in Portland, OR.
The award recognizes her for her career of holistic innovations and significant contributions promoting holistic nursing. The honoree was nominated for being a pioneer in the development of holistic nursing and for developing procedures and resource materials that foster and enhance holistic healthcare in a variety of settings.
About Lynn Keegan
Dr. Lynn Keegan currently serves as the Director of Holistic Nursing Consultants in Port Angeles, Washington. She is a founding member of the American Holistic Nurses Association, is a past AHNA president, and a continuing supporter of AHNA’s Elder Council.
Dr. Keegan received a BSN from Cornell University; an MSN from Loma Linda University; and a PhD in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. She has served as a nursing professor at numerous educational institutions. Previous honors include being named a Distinguished Alumnus at Cornell University and an American Academy of Nursing Fellow (FAAN). She has also received five American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards for her publications.
Dr. Keegan is the author or co-author of numerous books, nursing chapters and journal articles. One of her most significant publishing accomplishments is being co-author of all six editions of Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice. She also co-authored the 2013 edition of The Golden Room: a Practical Guide for End of Life.
In this latter volume, Dr. Keegan discusses the need for changing the paradigm of death and dying from that of an impersonal environment of a hospital setting to one that embodies “goodness, compassion, peace, dignity and relief” with the loving support of family, friends and healthcare attendants.
Dr. Keegan’s career long work exemplifies the core values of holistic nursing through her volunteer leadership, holistic focused publications and her personal mentoring of other nurses as they meet the challenges of nurturing wholeness and inspiring peace and healing for their patients.
About AHNA
Since its founding in 1981, the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) – a non-profit professional membership organization - has increasingly become the definitive global voice for holistic nursing for registered nurses and other holistic healthcare professionals around the globe. It is open to registered nurses and other individuals interested in holistically-oriented health care practices throughout the United States.
The organization recently announced their 35th Annual Conference, entitled Healthcare: Grounded in Holistic Nursing, will be held June 12-17, 2015 at the Chateau on the Lake Resort Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Missouri.
AHNA’s primary mission is to advance holistic healthcare by increasing awareness, education, and both professional and personal community-building among nurses, other healthcare professionals, and the public.
Over the past 34 years AHNA has consistently delivered valuable resources, improved educational tools, and offered superior networking opportunities to a vibrant and expanding universe of healthcare professionals. AHNA currently services almost 4,500 members through 130 local chapters/networks in both the U.S. and abroad.
AHNA supports the education of nurses, allied health practitioners, and the general public on health-related issues and the concepts of holism: a state of harmony among body, mind, emotions, and spirit within an ever-changing environment. Holistic nursing is recognized by the American Nurses Association as an official nursing specialty with both a defined scope and standards of practice.
The American Holistic Nurses Association™ Education Provider Committee is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center™ Commission (ANCC) on Accreditation. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #10442.
More information about AHNA can be found online at www.ahna.org.