Abstract
Although not used in most nursing texts and journals, the term "nurse healer" is common in holistic nursing literature. Nurses who identify themselves as healers have tapped into a source of strength and confidence that adds creativity and vitality to their nursing work. In this qualitative study, the researcher asks 11 relatively "holistically naive" medical-surgical nurses if they would label themselves as healers. Their responses reveal an inherent understanding of the multidimensionality of the healing process and the importance of relationships and therapeutic presence to the healing role.