The Functional Nurse Podcast - Nursing in Functional Medicine · Brigitte Sager, DNP

Nurses in Policy and Integrative Medicine: DC Advocacy and NYC Conference Highlights

·32 min·1 clip

Show up. Increase their understanding. Speak their language.

Host Bridget Sager, founder of the Institute for Functional Nursing, shares key takeaways from two recent professional trips. This episode serves as a field report from the AANP Health Policy Conference in Washington D.C. and the Integrative Healthcare Symposium in New York City. Sager details her experiences advocating for nurses and promoting the functional medicine model. At the AANP conference, she advocated on Capitol Hill for policies including reversing barriers to federal loans for nursing graduate school. Sager references a talk by North Carolina Senator and nurse practitioner Gail Adcock on transitioning from clinical work to politics. Adcock’s three advocacy tips are to show up, increase politicians' understanding through lived experience, and speak their language by connecting policy to constituent outcomes. Sager notes that last year she was the only attendee from Washington state, but had more colleagues join her this time. A surprising moment was Sager randomly sitting next to a nurse practitioner colleague she hadn't seen in over a decade on the flight to D.C. The conference was held in frigid February because it's the optimal time to initiate policy change. Sager argues that when nurses lobby, their advocacy is uniquely patient-centered rather than revenue-driven. She explains how the group framed the loan issue by highlighting its link to worsening primary care and nursing faculty shortages. In New York, the Institute for Functional Nursing had its first exhibition booth at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium. A key goal was to discuss how nurses can fill gaps in integrative care to improve accessibility and reduce patient costs. Faculty members like Caroline Ortiz, Chip Nguyen, Megan Crooker, and Everest Goldstein attended to support the effort. Sager observed that many conference talks reinforced concepts taught in her Functional Nursing program. She highlights specific talks, including one by naturopath Eric Dorninger on using non-intoxicating cannabis for perimenopause, sleep, and healthcare worker resilience. Functional medicine speaker Yusuf Ilyas emphasized the role of nitric oxide in pumping the glymphatic system to clear brain toxins. Dr. Ebony Cornish discussed using advanced brain imaging to detect inflammation and TBI before clinical diagnosis. Nutrition expert Dr. David Katz detailed the inherent challenges of conducting randomized controlled trials for dietary studies. Faculty member Everest Goldstein gave a well-received talk on nutrition and mental health that attendees found highly actionable. Sager also describes a community effort during a NYC blizzard, where businesses worked to keep sidewalks clear and stay open. The tone is conversational, enthusiastic, and reflective, blending personal travel anecdotes with professional insights. The style is educational and advocacy-focused, aiming to inspire listener action. This episode is ideal for nurses or nurse practitioners interested in policy advocacy, functional medicine, or expanding the nursing role in integrative health. Listeners seeking a highly structured, single-topic deep dive may find the dual-conference format too broad.

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