How do you incorporate faith into your daily nursing tasks?

Nurses Spirituality

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The question is pretty much self-explanatory. I'm getting my BSN in a faith-based, private university with their own hospital. I've observed that there's such a huge difference between nurses who incorporate their faith into their nursing job compared to others who do not. So in what ways, do you incorporate your faith into your work?

Specializes in psych, general, emerg, mash.

agreed! its not the faith, but the work you put into what you do for the patient. Extra mile or other buzz words, if the patient is more comfortable..you got it.

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to medpro32 if this is your opinion then i am not sure why you joined in this discussion, just to bring negativity?

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The question is pretty much self-explanatory. I'm getting my BSN in a faith-based, private university with their own hospital. I've observed that there's such a huge difference between nurses who incorporate their faith into their nursing job compared to others who do not. So in what ways, do you incorporate your faith into your work?

I don't.

I find your post to be rather offensive, as if nurses without concrete religious beliefs are somehow LESS effective than those with.

An atheist nurse can be just as effective as a Born Again Christian, and if you walk around judging your colleagues on these terms; your time in nursing wil be short.

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).
I never said it didn't. What I said was the cultural assessment is about the patient. Incorporating faith in nursing is about the nurse.

Asking a patient about their religious needs and preferences, if there is anything regarding their faith I need to know to make their stay more comfortable, would they like to see a chaplain or their own faith leader while in the hospital, do they have any dietary restrictions, is focusing on THEM and their needs, not me and my beliefs.

So I don't see how a nurse who doesn't push his or her religious beliefs on a patient would necessarily have trouble with a cultural assessment.

I don't disagree with anything in this post.

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Originally Posted by orangepink

I've observed that there's such a huge difference between nurses who incorporate their faith into their nursing job compared to others who do not.

It is this sentence that makes some defensive. It is easy to read it as "If you don't have faith you suck and couldn't possibly be as good of a nurse as someone with faith".

EXACTLY!!! And honestly, in my opinion, what you say you have observed is a biased opinion because you are probably very religious! Seriously, you will never EVER see an Atheist, or anyone else who isn't religious or doesn't believe in "god", ever make an ignorant statement like that.

Some people are saying that you didn't mean it in that way and you just wanted to know how to incorporate faith into your nursing job.. but if that is the case, you would have just asked a specific question.

I'm quite sure you wouldn't want me to post information about IQ tests, etc when comparing religious people to non-religious people.. honestly what you said was just really uncalled for in my opinion. Just sayin...

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It is this sentence that makes some defensive. It is easy to read it as "If you don't have faith you suck and couldn't possibly be as good of a nurse as someone with faith".

I don't.

I find your post to be rather offensive, as if nurses without concrete religious beliefs are somehow LESS effective than those with.

An atheist nurse can be just as effective as a Born Again Christian, and if you walk around judging your colleagues on these terms; your time in nursing wil be short.

Very well said! I honestly wasn't going to even comment on this thread..but it was just driving me crazy!!

But really.. I just wanted to say to you that I LOVE Steely Dan! THEY ROCK!!!

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Specializes in Oncology.

Wow! Can't believe this post has ruffled so many feathers. Why are so many people in here so sensitive and take stuff so personal? We ALL have faith. There are all kinds of things that we are faced with everyday that requires faith, like boarding a plane. It takes some faith to trust the pilot with your life. Having surgery? Faith helps people trust the docs with their life. Believe it or not, but that is faith. Now religious faith is the topic here and not even so much faith, just how nurses adapt that part of their life into their nursing. I don't think the question was made to make anyone feel less because they don't belong to a certain group or belief, (maybe the subject is touchy because people feel guilt). I don't know I'm just saying. So no you don't have to be religious to have faith. You can be spiritual and have faith and not be religious. Who really cares what all you are, the point of the matter is do you incorporate that into your nursing, does it help you, and how do you do it. That is the question the person asked in the beginning. Why everyone is getting all fired up is strange to me but whatever. To answer the REAL question here I'd have to say for myself, I pray everyday before my shift and at night before going to bed. I'm a new grad so really, atheist or not, who can go into that job without fear and without prayer? If any of you do, whew you got some balls!! I don't think it's a good idea to go preaching at everyone and passing out literature unless its asked for, but if a patient is religious and maybe wants to pray, whats wrong with that? Faith and hope have been proven to do miracles and if it helps the patient, we should do what we can. I wouldn't mind praying with my patients and they don't have to be christian, if their muslim or hindu what ever, if they want me to pray with them, sure why not. I had a great nursing instructor in school who said he is not religious at all but doesn't mind praying with patients because it makes them feel better. Thats a good nurse. Not shoving your beliefs down everyones throat, but being open and supportive in all aspects of care. I think it's the nurses that tell patients, "I don't believe in that so I can call someone for you" passing the buck and not being therapeutic. Bad Nurse!! haha

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Specializes in Oncology.
I don't.

I find your post to be rather offensive, as if nurses without concrete religious beliefs are somehow LESS effective than those with.

An atheist nurse can be just as effective as a Born Again Christian, and if you walk around judging your colleagues on these terms; your time in nursing wil be short.

The post never said that an atheist nurse can't be effective or is less effective, they just said they've noticed a difference between the two. There is no mention if that difference is good or bad so why are we jumping to conclusions here? Why so sensitive? I don't think that post was judgmental at all, I think that if anyone wants to talk faith or religion, people obviously can't handle it.

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Specializes in Oncology.
Originally Posted by orangepink

I've observed that there's such a huge difference between nurses who incorporate their faith into their nursing job compared to others who do not.

EXACTLY!!! And honestly, in my opinion, what you say you have observed is a biased opinion because you are probably very religious! Seriously, you will never EVER see an Atheist, or anyone else who isn't religious or doesn't believe in "god", ever make an ignorant statement like that.

Some people are saying that you didn't mean it in that way and you just wanted to know how to incorporate faith into your nursing job.. but if that is the case, you would have just asked a specific question.

I'm quite sure you wouldn't want me to post information about IQ tests, etc when comparing religious people to non-religious people.. honestly what you said was just really uncalled for in my opinion. Just sayin...

Who are you to say that this persons observations are wrong or inaccurate? If the institution they work is some how doing very well and patients are always having a great experience and its so "faith based" that this person can see a difference from this institution compared with another non faith based one, who are you to say that observation doesn't exist? Oh it didn't happen? Whatever! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have to hate. Gosh can a person have an opinion in here? Seems like everyone who does gets chewed out.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Specialty.
Wow! Can't believe this post has ruffled so many feathers. Why are so many people in here so sensitive and take stuff so personal?

Faith most often connotes with religion/spirituality. Not everyone has religious or spiritual faith. The issue was that the original poster (orangepink) said, that she feels that staff who do not openly show faith are different compared to those who do. See the below quote from the OP in which she clarifies this difference as negative.

I noticed some nurses incorporate their faith by praying with their patients together. For example, when one patient was admitted into our unit, one CNA took time out to offer a prayer with the patient and her husband. As I observed, that really meant a lot to the patient.

I've noticed (for example) this one nurse, who do not pray with her patients, was viewed as rough and uncaring by her patients.

So I thought that perhaps it is because that CNA incorporates her faith into her work.

__________________________

I don't think the question was made to make anyone feel less because they don't belong to a certain group or belief, (maybe the subject is touchy because people feel guilt). I don't know I'm just saying. if a patient is religious and maybe wants to pray, whats wrong with that? Faith and hope have been proven to do miracles and if it helps the patient, we should do what we can. I wouldn't mind praying with my patients and they don't have to be christian, if their muslim or hindu what ever, if they want me to pray with them, sure why not. I had a great nursing instructor in school who said he is not religious at all but doesn't mind praying with patients because it makes them feel better. Thats a good nurse. Not shoving your beliefs down everyones throat, but being open and supportive in all aspects of care. I think it's the nurses that tell patients, "I don't believe in that so I can call someone for you" passing the buck and not being therapeutic. Bad Nurse!! haha
Many people feel it would compromise their faith to openly pray to a god other than the one they believe in[if they do]. If it doesn't bother you that's fine, but respect that others shouldn't have to do what they feel compromise themselves to do the job. For example, a nurse may believe that abortion goes against her religion, therefore she should not be forced to participate in it for a patient. If you would agree with that nurse's right to opt out of something that goes against her religion, why would you feel that a nurse is bad for not participating in prayer which is not of his/her religion, especially when an alternative is available? Chaplains are the experts educated in anticipating and attending to the spiritual/religious needs of the patients in a sensitive manner. Why do you feel that a nurse is 'passing the buck' by getting an expert involved to give more thorough spiritual care? Why is that not a therapeutic thing to do?

The post never said that an atheist nurse can't be effective or is less effective, they just said they've noticed a difference between the two. There is no mention if that difference is good or bad so why are we jumping to conclusions here? Why so sensitive? I don't think that post was judgmental at all, I think that if anyone wants to talk faith or religion, people obviously can't handle it.
See the above clarified quote by the OP as she does specifically mention that she thinks it is a bad thing. It would have been a far, far different thread if the original poster had simply asked "How do you incorporate faith into your nursing practice?"

Who are you to say that this persons observations are wrong or inaccurate? If the institution they work is some how doing very well and patients are always having a great experience and its so "faith based" that this person can see a difference from this institution compared with another non faith based one, who are you to say that observation doesn't exist? Oh it didn't happen? Whatever! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have to hate. Gosh can a person have an opinion in here? Seems like everyone who does gets chewed out.
Just as you are saying that the original poster can have their views, so too can the respondents have their dissenting views. You are yelling at someone else for their opinion too you know -- just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have to hate ;) . It is good to talk about and challenge other's perceptions.
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How any person, nurse or not nurse who can believe that "faith based" is better had better think again. We are all in this together. I can't believe I am reading this dribble. I work at a faith based hospital (catholic) and I am as far from being catholic as one can think. Working at a faith based hospital is just a non-profit and gives away to charity, but........they still make a huge amount of $. If a patient or staff needs help, we call spiritual care and they show up very fast. And the best part.........in this catholic hospital........the chaplains are a bit generic. We even have buddist chaplains. One can ask for a specific religion but most just want to see any chaplain and they are all good. I may not believe in God but I believe in my patient. I am not there to pray. I am there to help heal.

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To answer the REAL question here I'd have to say for myself, I pray everyday before my shift and at night before going to bed. I'm a new grad so really, atheist or not, who can go into that job without fear and without prayer? If any of you do, whew you got some balls!! I don't think it's a good idea to go preaching at everyone and passing out literature unless its asked for, but if a patient is religious and maybe wants to pray, whats wrong with that?

It's sad to say, but it is typical of "religious" people to wonder how in the world anyone could be offended by the OP question, and imply that those of us without a belief in any god still have some kind of faith. How can you say that an atheist is going to pray before going into work? Pray to what?

I believe that prayer works for people, only because it gives them the strength to handle what comes their way. I believe that strength comes from within. If believing that some guiding force is out there helping you gets you through the day, fine. But don't assume that everyone feels the same way. I get through my life with a belief in MYSELF and my abilities.

No atheist in this thread has said that it's NOT ok for a patient to pray. I myself said I will gladly hold a patient's hand while they pray. I will gladly get them what they need to feel better, whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual comfort. But assuming things about a patient's faith and saying things like "God bless you" when you don't have a clue what the patient believes, well, it is offensive.

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