Using Lavender Essential Oil in Clinical Nursing Settings

The course scope and intention of this course are to provide solid guidance from a certified clinical aromatherapist so you can safely administer lavender essential oil in a clinical setting for specific patients.

The course does not train or certify you to be an aromatherapist. The landscape of aromatherapy is broad and requires additional depth of study before practicing as an aromatherapist.

This CE course is part of a larger series, in development, that covers many aromatherapy topics. If this course inspires you to learn more, you will enjoy the recommended resources for further study that are included. These references are specific, evidence-based, and reflect best practices from the field.

If that information is lacking, there is the possibility the product is not 100% pure or is chemically different than lavender angustifolia. The product could have also been extended or adulterated with a laboratory version of the chemical component. Sometimes, that chemical difference may not be apparent to you. However, in the clinical context, it is considered a red flag where unknown additives might cause allergic reactions. Growing conditions are also a consideration, since a plant treated with herbicides or pesticides may contain harmful residues when they are distilled.

You might also be purchasing lavender intermedia, also known as Lavandin, from a grower who distills this type of lavender because they can get a higher yield than they can obtain by distilling lavender angustifolia, also called "True Lavender". The chemical profile of lavender angustifolia is different from the profile of lavender intermedia (Lavandin). For example, Lavandin has the caution that it can inhibit platelet aggregation."

According to certified clinical aromatherapy practitioners Grace Orosz, RN-BC, CCAP and Barbara Jackson, M.Ed, LPN, CCAP, "Aromatherapy and essential oils are important tools in our toolkit that allow us to shift the energy within ourselves in order to be secure and balanced when we step into the unknown of our working day. We appreciate that essential oils are used along with breathwork and therapeutic touch to be, in the words of Gandhi, the change we wish to see in the world.

Going in full COVID PPE to provide patient care, it’s comforting to have the intention of calm and it is strengthening to have calm-producing scents to back it up... having an essential oil in our mask has helped us make it through our day, more able to tolerate the challenges of COVID.

Essential oils also provide something aromatic for a nurse or CNA who is challenged with tolerating the distinctive smell of c. diff while providing a patient's peri-care. The pleasant aroma from the essential oil helps the caregiver maintain their balance in that intimate encounter and shields the patient from the nurse's unspoken repulsion."

Grace and Barbara are two of the three aromatherapy instructors for the nationwide Integrative Healing Arts Program for Holistic Nurses, produced by the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA). Barbara is the author/instructor of this CE course, and she generously shares her reflections and practical tips about the energetics of aromatherapy in nursing practice. 

Barbara Jackson, M.Ed, LPN, CCAP

Barbara Jackson, M.Ed, LPN, CCAP is a licensed nurse and an essential oil therapist who has more than 600 hours of aromatherapy classroom study. Barbara has trained with some of the leading practitioners who have pioneered this work. She has studied under Robert Tisserand and Kurt Schnaubelt; has a certificate in Aromatherapy from Bastyr University; has achieved the credential of Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Practitioner (CCAP) through the innovative Jane Buckle course, and has completed the Madeline Kerkoff-Hayes course Complementary Care in Palliative and End of Life Care.

Barbara works with hospice programs and in skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities where aromatherapy is effective and appropriate. She also creates custom blends using high-quality essential oil ingredients to relieve symptoms and provide comfort and relaxation for private clients. Barbara’s mission and passion are bringing essential oil therapy into the clinical setting as a recognized nursing intervention. She has presented on the safe use of essential oils in the clinical setting at the local, national and international levels.

When does the course start and finish?

• The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and finish.

How long do I have access to the course?

• After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.

What if I am unhappy with the course?

• If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days, tell us what was unsatisfactory, and we will give you a full refund.

Awakening to Grace, dba HolisticNursingCE.com, is a CE Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #17389.

All of our courses are accepted for nursing license renewal in all 50 states and all levels of AHNCC Holistic Nurse certification and re-certification.