APHN-BC case studies
APHN-BC · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Advanced Practice Holistic Nursing Certification (APHN-BC) is a board credential for advanced practice nurses - typically CNSs, NPs, nurse educators, and nurse leaders - who want formal recognition that holistic philosophy and modalities are central to their practice, not an add-on. It signals that you can integrate mind-body-spirit assessment, intentional caring, and evidence-informed complementary approaches into advanced nursing roles across settings. The APHN-BC case studies are 5 cases and about 3,184 words.
1Postoperative Pain, Opioid Tolerance, and the Ethics of Advocacy
R, 58, is 18 hours post open reduction of a femur fracture. He has a documented history of opioid use disorder in sustained remission for 4 years and takes buprenorphine 16 mg daily.
735 words, about 4 min2Cultural Discordance, Family Authority, and a Serious Diagnosis
L, 44, immigrated 2 years ago and speaks limited English; her 22-year-old son interprets at appointments. She has newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer.
679 words, about 3 min3A Nurse's Own Grief and the Limits of Self-Care on Shift
A hospice nurse, D, has worked 5 consecutive 12-hour shifts. Overnight, two long-term patients died within 3 hours of each other, and a third family is actively grieving and repeatedly calling.
567 words, about 3 min4Coaching a Patient With Low Health Literacy and Competing Priorities
K, 67, has new type 2 diabetes (A1c 9.8%), hypertension, and stage 3 chronic kidney disease. He works two jobs, has no car, and uses a prepaid phone with limited data.
623 words, about 3 min5Interprofessional Conflict Over a Family's Requested Intervention
In an inpatient palliative care unit, a 79-year-old patient with advanced dementia and aspiration pneumonia is dying. The family asks that "everything be done," including ICU transfer and intubation, although the patient's advance directive names a daughter as surrogate and states "comfort-focused care; no intubation." The intensivist says, "The family is asking; we should just intubate to avoid a complaint." The bedside nurse believes intubation is not in the patient's interest and conflicts with the directive.
580 words, about 3 min