Amy Quarberg, MA, RN, CCAP
Amy Quarberg, MA, RN, CCAP, is a pioneering integrative and holistic nurse with over four decades of experience transforming healthcare through complementary therapies and staff wellbeing initiatives. She began her nursing career in 1982 and has since dedicated herself to blending traditional nursing practice with innovative approaches such as Healing Touch, therapeutic touch, acupuncture (Battlefield in the Ear and NADA protocols), sound healing, Qigong, and mindfulness-based interventions. Amy’s work emphasizes the importance of presence and holistic care, focusing not only on physical health but also emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing.
Throughout her career, Amy has held roles ranging from integrative nurse clinician to staff wellbeing consultant, impacting both patients and healthcare providers. She currently works at the Center for Integrative Health and Healing at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, where she implements holistic care practices and teaches mindful movement to veterans. Amy also maintains a private practice and previously ran Soul Power Coaching, offering Healing Touch and transformational wellness programs. Her contributions to nursing have been recognized with honors including the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award for Innovative Nursing and the St. John’s Nurse Excellence Award, and she was featured in the Netflix documentary series (UN)WELL for her clinical work with essential oils.
Amy holds a Master of Arts in Human Development from St. Mary’s University, with a focus she designed herself on holistic nursing and presence, and a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from Gustavus Adolphus College. She attributes her success to curiosity, optimism, and a commitment to continuous learning, always striving to find better ways to support patients and staff. Outside of healthcare, Amy is passionate about dance and mindful movement, teaching movement medicine classes, and cherishes time spent with her four children and six grandchildren. Her career reflects a lifelong dedication to creating positive, human-centered healthcare experiences that honor the whole person.
• St. Mary’s University – Master of Arts in Human Development, Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education
• Gustavus Adolphus College – Bachelor of Arts in Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
• Healing Touch practitioner
• RN – Registered Nurse
• MA – Master of Arts
• CCAP – Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Practitioner
• Trained in Battlefield Acupuncture and NADA protocol
• Certified Holistic Nurse Baccalaureate Board Certified
• Featured in Netflix Documentary Series “(UN)WELL,” Episode 1, 2020
• St. John’s Nurse Excellence Award, 2017
• March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award for Innovative Nursing, 2017
• American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation
• Staff Wellbeing Consultant for multiple senior care communities, providing stress management and health promotion for staff
Integrative Nursing in Senior Care Communities, Integrative Nursing, 2nd Edition
Chapter contribution: Nurse as an Instrument in Healing, Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Nurses, 4th Edition
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Holistic nursing
- Mindfulness teaching
- Integrative nursing
- Energy work
- Healing touch
- Therapeutic touch
- Acupuncture (Battlefield in the Ear
- Sound healing
- Qigong
- Stress Management
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
I love the human condition. I love being able to be there at times of crisis and times where it really matters. That's what drew me back to nursing when I almost left the profession early on. I remember helping a woman with my dad in church who had passed out, and I realized, I love this. This is what matters to me. I want to be in these moments. That's where I feel I can make the biggest difference. And now, what really motivates me is being more upstream, being more proactive and keeping people well so they don't end up in crisis positions. Really getting into the proactive wellness aspects of health and well-being has become my focus. I recognize that our emotions make a difference, our support makes a difference, our spiritual values make a difference, our physicality and what we take makes a difference. I've had the opportunity to work in so many different places in healthcare because I love being able to be there at times of crisis and times where it really matters.
Locations
Center for Integrative Health and Healing | VA Medical Center
St. Paul, MN 55102