Sandra Shaw has launched a business as a nurse wellness coach at the Chase Building (former Regal Ridge Building) on Main Street in Osoyoos. (Richard McGuire photo)
A local nurse is bringing nurse wellness coaching to Osoyoos, as an alternative to what she calls “corporate nursing.”
Sandra Shaw, a Registered Nurse, says she’s stepping out of “corporate nursing” to offer nurse wellness coaching from a holistic perspective, as well as direct nursing care in her office or at the client’s home.
Last week she opened her business, Nursing Naturally, in the Chase Building (former Regal Ridge Building) on Main Street in Osoyoos.
“Nurse wellness coaching is a relatively new dimension of nursing,” said Shaw. “It’s more familiar in the United States.”
The approach, she said, is rooted in holistic care.
“When we say ‘holistic,’ we’re talking about the whole person,” she said. “So the person’s mind, physical body, spiritual, emotional, relational, vocational, cultural environment – all of those aspects.”
Instead of simply treating symptoms, Shaw said she will collaborate with clients to reach their vision of health wellness.
Often physical problems can be related to underlying issues such as fitness, nutritional or even problems in a relationship.
Traditional doctors may want to explore these underlying causes, she said, but often they don’t have the time.
She will work with the client to develop a plan over a realistic time to improve their wellness.
“It’s not a therapist role,” she said. “It’s not even a consultant role. It’s a partnership. It’s client driven, so the client takes responsibility for where they want to go. The coach is more like an accountability partner.”
Although her approach shares some commonalities with naturopathic medicine, there are also some major differences.
“I’m not a naturopath,” she said. “I do not prescribe. I do not diagnose. That’s the key difference. The similarity is that we come from a root-cause perspective and try to access what the body can do for itself first… to bring the body back into balance.”
While she doesn’t prescribe, she may invite the client to do their own research on certain natural supplements or natural food sources to help heal the body. She may also refer clients to practitioners and therapists in the Okanagan.
Shaw expects her clients to come from all walks of life from adolescents upwards.
In addition to the nurse wellness coaching, she can also provide private nursing services as a Registered Nurse to people in their homes who may be recovering from an operation or have chronic wounds.
“I am mobile, so I hope to be serving Penticton, Oliver and Osoyoos, Keremeos and Rock Creek for now,” she said.
Shaw said the B.C. Medical Services Plan (MSP) does not normally cover her services, but some people with an extended benefits program may be covered. Otherwise, she operates on a fee-for-service basis.
For more information, visit nurseadvisornaturally.com.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
