From Bedside RN to Functional Medicine Nurse: How Functional Approaches Changed One Nurse’s Life

Sponsored by the Institute for Functional Nursing. Learn more at www.fxnursing.com

What happens when a bedside RN experiences firsthand what it feels like to be dismissed in conventional healthcare, and then discovers functional medicine?

In this episode of The Functional Nurse Podcast, Brigitte Sager interviews Ashley Braaten, BSN RN, who shares how functional medicine transformed her personal health, her family’s well-being, and the way she practices nursing today.

Ashley opens up about her postpartum health challenges, including sleep disruption, hormone imbalance, stress, and gut health issues, and how a root-cause functional approach helped her heal when traditional care fell short. She also shares powerful real-life examples of applying functional medicine principles to her young daughter’s constipation and respiratory symptoms, illustrating how upstream, lifestyle-based care can change outcomes early.

The conversation also explores what it’s like to return to hospital nursing after functional medicine training—from the frustration of noticing poor nutrition and limited lifestyle education, to the empowerment of offering patients practical, hope-filled guidance they often aren’t receiving elsewhere.

This episode includes an important scope-of-practice discussion, highlighting how registered nurses can ethically and effectively create meaningful change through education, awareness, and lifestyle support—without prescribing or diagnosing.

Whether you’re a bedside nurse, functional nurse, or nurse coach exploring a more holistic path, this episode offers inspiration, validation, and clarity for what’s possible within the RN role.

Learn more about the Institute for Functional Nursing's programs for nurses at www.fxnursing.com/learn