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Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes! Select case studies will be discussed from the over 250 peer reviewed research papers published by HeartMath, as well as the new emerging science yet to be published. Students will also be directed to our full research library for self study. HeartMath has been doing research for over 25 years, and we will carefully select the relevant research that will most apply to the needs of INCA’s membership and the interests of the group that gathers.
  • Medical Cannabis is not an FDA-approved drug, so it does not get prescribed. If you are an Advance Practice Nurse with current prescriptive authority, you may be able to recommend medical cannabis (or certify patients to use medical cannabis) depending on your practice jurisdiction. Please verify this with your state board of nursing or other certifying body before registering for this course.
  • You can also view state cannabis laws here.
Nurses can make a big difference in how people experience the end of their lives. Most people in our modern health care system still come unprepared into the end of life – their own, and those of their loved ones. Much of peoples’ suffering seems to come from this unfamiliarity with the journey at end of life – and their not knowing how to prepare. Preparation for the last part of our lives would ideally start long before people become hospice-appropriate. Nurses care for patients in their most vulnerable moments, from birth through death. They have the opportunity to ask open questions about what matters most to people all throughout the trajectory of illness. However, without opportunities for self-reflection, talking about end of life can be an uncomfortable conversation for most nurses and other health care professionals. This course will help you build skills and capacities for these important conversations – as well as give you a re-imagined perspective on what might be possible if we talked more openly about living and dying.
This program is appropriate for all nurses, whether or not you have experience in end of life care or coaching. It will help you gain greater insight into the value of conversations about the end of life for yourself, family, and the patients you serve. In addition, some nurse coaches might be intrigued by how to coach people related to serious illness and end of life – not areas we typically think of with coaching practices. Some nurses might be curious about working from a coaching perspective – particularly nurses who have worked in hospice and palliative care, ICUs, elder care, and oncology. These are areas where nurses routinely spend time with seriously ill patients – and their families – and may be intrigued by a different approach to their nursing practice.
This course is open to nurses with a valid license (LPN/ LVN, RN, APRN) from your state/ country of practice. It is important knowledge for all nurses since the endocannabinoid system is the master regulator of all other body systems. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) established the scope and standards of practice in 2018, which states, “Nurses need practical information to care for the increasing number of patients who utilize cannabis via an MMP as well as the larger population who self-administer cannabis as a treatment for various symptomatology or for recreational purposes.” In their 2018 National Nursing Guidelines for Medical Marijuana, the NCSBN listed the following Six Principles of Essential Knowledge for All Nurses:
    1. The nurse shall have a working knowledge of the current state of legalization of medical and recreational cannabis use. 
    2. The nurse shall have a working knowledge of the jurisdiction’s MMP. 
    3. The nurse shall have an understanding of the endocannabinoid system, cannabinoid receptors, cannabinoids, and the interactions between them. 
    4. The nurse shall have an understanding of cannabis pharmacology and the research associated with the medical use of cannabis. 
    5. The nurse shall be able to identify the safety considerations for patient use of cannabis. 
    6. The nurse shall approach the patient without judgment regarding the patient’s choice of treatment or preferences in managing pain and other distressing symptoms.
For both the Resilience Advantage for Nurses and the Heartmath Certification, you will need:
  • Access to a computer with reliable internet and Zoom.
  • To utilize the gift of technology, you will need a smart phone (either iOS or android). If you do not have a smart phone, that is ok… the techniques still are what make the shift for you. The technology is just a great mirror.
  • The willingness to set aside at least 3-5 minutes / day to practice.
When we cultivate coherence (physiologically, mentall and emotionally) in our lives, it sets us up to be in a highly energy efficient and effective state. This means we have the capacity to build energy, reduce stress and cultivate more resilience. When a system has more energy, it can be a neutral facilitator to any outcome that is meaningful to you. If you are needing health related facilitation, there are many studies that show the benefits to blood pressure, diabetes, weight imbalance, nervous and hormonal system function, metabolic syndrome, PTSD, TBI, etc. If you are needing more mental clarity for cognitive executive function and decision making, research shows how heart rhythm coherence facilitates brain function and our capacity to activate more of our intelligence to any situation needing more clarity. If you are needing more harmony in your relationships, both personal, team or patient related, for deeper understanding of the relational dynamics and how to be more of a coherent presence in chaos to optimize the conditions for healing, the heart’s electromagnetic field can support you when coherent. Essentially whatever you focus on, with more coherence, can benefit.
We use CanvasLMS as our learning platform, which is used by major universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth and Yale. Navigating any new platform can be a bit intimidating at first, regardless of level of technological savvy, but after the first week or two, it all becomes second nature. We also offer tech support appointments where we can do a screen share and help you with anything you need. If you are signing up for the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program, you’ll also receive a Google Workspace for Education @inursecoach.com email address to use indefinitely!
For HeartMath Resilience Advantage for Personal Care Workshop students will receive: HeartMath’s Inner Balance Sensor – BTLE (BlueTooth Low Energy) . This is a wireless sensor that pairs with either your iphone or android. It uses an infrared light to gather Heart Rate Variability (HRV) data and display it in a meaningful way on your smartphone. We will be using 2 apps as part of the learning environment: Inner Balance and Global Coherence, both downloadable for free. You will use this sensor in the Certification program too. Imagine the power of visually seeing yourself shift into a state of coherence!
The HeartMath Resilience Advantage for Nurses workshop is 90 minutes weekly for 8 weeks is taught by HeartMath Master Trainers for your personal development and does not license you to teach others. You will receive the HeartMath tools to help you transform your stress into more resilience and apply that to your personal and professional life. You will receive HeartMath’s Inner Balance Sensor technology tool. This workshop provides 14 CE credits for nursing and provides the prerequisites needed to attend the certification course. The HeartMath Resilience Advantage Trainer Certification is a 4 day intensive with preparatory work including videos and a teachers guide. This course certifies the participant to teach the HeartMath tools of the Resilience Advantage Workshop in organizations. Certified HeartMath trainers receive an independent license to be able to teach the intellectual property of HeartMath and also make a profit from the workshops. The certification also provides 32 CE credits for nursing.
With INCA:
  • You will learn the HeartMath tools specifically within the context of nursing, the healing professions, and applied with sensitivity to the unique stress and trauma of nursing and the patients we serve.
  • HeartMath corresponds to the framework of the INCA Integrative Nurse Coach model.
  • You receive a significant discount through the INCA partnership.
  • The HeartMath Resilience Advantage Trainer Certification program is more streamlined, 4 days instead of 5, based on having a specific focus of care vs. holding multiple interests.
  • The course is provided within your own community of like minded and hearted individuals who are uniquely here to care for ourselves, each other and the patients we serve together.
This program will give you a working understanding of the endocannabinoid system — the master regulating system of all the other systems in the body.1 It is built upon the scope and standards of practice for all nurses, set out by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing2 in 2018. Cannabis nurses are needed in all specialities since patients of all types are currently using cannabis (medicinally or otherwise). It has been estimated that 52% of American adults have tried cannabis at least once in their lives and 8,300 new people try cannabis daily. Those number is growing as more states move toward decriminalization/ legalization.  The main goal of this course is to prepare you for clinical practice (in any setting) with medical cannabis patients. You will gain a working understanding of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), evidence-based practice with medical cannabis (including terpenes, cannabinoids including CBD/ THC and more, the evidence for specific conditions, current cannabis research, adverse reactions and contraindications, etc.), social issues relating to cannabis, and holistic and lifestyle medicine interventions to balance the ECS with or without cannabis. Upon successful completion, you may choose to call yourself a cannabis nurse and work in the practice setting of your choice. For some, this will be as a nurse coach/ consultant/ entrepreneur, for others this may be part of their bedside nursing or other clinical practice. Others may go forward in the fields of advocacy, education, or legislation. Cannabis nursing is not an either/or with regards to other specialty areas; all nurses should have a working knowledge of the ECS and cannabis. For nurses with a coaching, consulting, or other entrepreneurial practice, upon successful completion of the program, you may choose to become a CannyNurse™️ registered practitioner for an annual licensing fee.
  1. VanDolah, H. J., Bauer, B. A., & Mauck, K. F. (2019). Clinicians’ Guide to Cannabidiol and Hemp Oils. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 94(9), 1840–1851.
  2. The NCSBN National Nursing Guidelines for Medical Marijuana. (2018). Journal of Nursing Regulation, 9(2), S1–S60.
  • Classes will be conducted via pre-recorded training modules, reading assignments, reflective journaling, case studies, quizzes, and a final exam (timed, open book). This allows you the greatest flexibility in learning the materials on your own schedule. Your instructor (Ariana Ayu, RN, MSc) will be available via email and office hours (video conferencing) to answer questions and otherwise assist you in mastering the evidence-based materials presented.
  • This program is 50 CEUs divided over the course of 12 weeks. This course was designed with working nurses in mind, so you should expect to spend around 4 hours per week on your coursework. Due dates for assignments will be clearly explained in each module, but you will not be required to attend any class at a specific time.
  • Beyond assignment due dates, your timed open book final exam will be open over a specific period of time (i.e. 72 hours), during which you may retake the test if you do not pass it the first time.
You can use all of the HeartMath tools to benefit your personal stress and resilience in all contexts of life.
  • If you only take the HeartMath Resilience Advantage for Nurses workshop, you will be able to use the tools in all areas of your own life, which will also positively affect others around you. You will also be given permission to share 1 of the core techniques, Quick Coherence (which is open source) to everyone you meet (nurse huddles, as a coach, safety huddles, team meetings, family dinners, etc). However, you won’t be able to teach by permission or with confidence the other 7 tools and accompanying science and evidence base without going through the full certification.
  • With the HeartMath Resilience Advantage Trainer Certification you can formally teach 8 of the HeartMath core tools within all contexts (education, coaching, family members, etc) and also have the permission to charge for those services if needed. You can also include on your credentials HMCT (HeartMath Certified Trainer).
  • Yes. There is one required textbook which can be purchased as an ebook or paperback for $50-60.
  • Additionally, if, at the end of the program, you choose to become a registered CannyNurse™️, there will be an annual fee to license the CannyNurse™️ brand and use the done-for-you educational, marketing, and client materials. This is optional; more information on this will be shared during the course. If you choose not be become a registered practitioner, you will receive the same education, but you will not be able to call yourself a CannyNurse™️, use the CannyNurse™️ brand, be listed in the CannyNurse™️ practitioner directory, or use our proprietary forms and materials.

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Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program

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