At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Reiki program is one of many Caring and Healing Modalities programs supported by the Department of Nursing. Since 1997, Reiki therapy has been esteemed in Massachusetts as an autonomous nursing procedure performed within the professional practice of nursing.
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services identify Reiki as a holistic nursing practice, along with several other complementary and alternative modalities. According to the Nurse Practice Act, Reiki may be offered to any individual whom the practitioner or the patient’s nurse judges may benefit. Reiki may also be requested directly by the patient.
At BWH, any nurse, volunteer, or other approved hospital staff member who is trained, certified, and competent in Second Degree Reiki or above thus meets our hospital’s minimum policy requirement to perform Reiki on patients.
