Jerelyn Resnick

PhD, RN

I have been studying aromatherapy for about eight years, with classes at Bastyr University, ACHS, and short courses from some online schools.  I am a retired nursing instructor from a school that has BSN and MN majors. 

I am interested in exploring how nursing and aromatherapy can be combined for the benefit of both patients and nurses. Some nurses in my MN classes used lavender to help patients sleep and used peppermint for nausea, but there is so much more they could be doing. I am also interested in how nurses can use aromatherapy for self-care. 

Last summer I taught BSN students about how to protect their skin with essential oil products. Nurses have to use alcohol- based cleanser many times a day so their hands get very dry.  The products they made in my class are helping them. Nursing programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels should include regular courses on how to integrate aromatherapy into nursing practice and how to value, evaluate and use research undertaken by aromatherapy practitioners.