How do you incorporate faith into your daily nursing tasks?

Nurses Spirituality

Published

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?

whoa.

time out.

this is getting out of hand.

let's take a moment first.

and i'm posting this for the 3rd time in case someone gets too "worked up" with my question.

i posted this last night and from what i've read....geez. yes, i should have elaborated. what i meant was:

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.

while 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.

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 should have elaborated further. i apologize if people read too much into it and got carried away with your assumptions.

the only offensive thing in this thread, to me, is how freaking touchy people become over wording. the op's question wasn't a speech that was pored over by speechwriters for hours; it seems to be an honest inquiry by someone looking for advice, not a cyber-beating over semantics.

people need to seriously lighten up. :twocents:

exactly. thank you for saying that out loud. it was not my intention to take this into that sort of direction.

whoa.

time out.

this is getting out of hand.

let's take a moment first.

i posted this last night and from what i've read....geez. yes, i should have elaborated. what i meant was:

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.

while 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 should have elaborated further. i apologize if people read too much into it and got carried away with your assumptions.

exactly. thank you for saying that out loud. it was not my intention to take this into that sort of direction.

from your clarification, it doesn't seem to me that the assumptions were way off....

Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.
I wouldn't be happy, but I wouldn't be angry.

DavidFR--sure--if those you mentioned want to do "their thing" over me, they can go ahead. .

And this is where we differ. None of those people could do "their thing" over me without it being most unwelcome. Some people dislike religion for their own valid reasons and do not want to be prayed for. It kinda seems as if you guys aren't prepared to respect that. One of the basics of my nursing practice is that of patient consent and respecting their wishes - and that includes the things they don't get to find out about.

DavidFR- what if one of your patient's wishes was that you prayed with them?

Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

Well, DavidFR, I guess we agree to disagree. I won't change your mind and you won't change mine. And, that's okay.

Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.
DavidFR- what if one of your patient's wishes was that you prayed with them?

I would explain politely that it's not a normal part of the nurses role, just the same as if a patient wanted me to meet them socially, share a beer or a cigarette with them in the room, sit down and have my dinner with them in the room, go to their house with their keys to pick up something they'd forgotten, accept money or an expensive gift, lend them some cash, ask me to disclose the details of another patient, etc. etc. etc. Not being able to satisfy all of their wishes due to professional constraints is not the same as doing something for them without their consent.

Would you take part in a devil worship ritual with a patient who wished you to do so? I wouldn't.

If they persisted I would perhaps explain that some nurses who are Christian/Jewish/Moslem/Hindu/whatever may sometimes consent to pray with patients of their own or even another faith, but that that's a function outside our usual role performed at the nurses individual discretion, and that as an atheist I couldn't do it with sincerity. I would underline the religious services available to them and I would always ensure that their spiritual needs were met by ensuring access to a priest, rabbi, iman, whatever chaplain necessary to fulfil their religious needs. THAT'S part of my job, not taking on the function myself.

Specializes in MPCU.

Yeah, I'm probably posting a rely in the wrong thread.

Evolution theory takes as much faith as creationism.

First how do you account for biogenesis?

Scientifically, we can account for how amino acids formed from the "primordial soup." It's a little more difficult to account for how those amino-acids formed polypeptides, but if you squint, it sorta makes sense.

Now how those polypeptides eventually formed something resembling life.... a little harder.

O.K., no faith needed. Even though no theory can explain the above, let's move on. Which theory accounts for Eukaryota? No current theory reasonably accounts for this. But, by faith, we can believe that it happened, and by fact we can know that eukaryotes are more successful.

There are a few more bumps along the road, like how do you account for the evolution of phyla cordata?

So, faith means believing in something not proven. Evolutionists most decidedly have every bit a faith equal to mine. (likely more) We just give credit to different authorities.

I am an atheist, and the way I incorporate my lack of faith is respect, acceptance, caring, and nonjudgemental attitude. I do not make assumptions and I respect all people regardless of their faith. I do not judge as right or wrong people based on their decision about who to love, what to do with their unborn child, what religion they are, or how to live their life. At work and in my daily life I do my best keep the "rights and wrongs" to myself. Each person has this one life on earth, and that is their sole opportunity to do as they wish. They may live it as they choose, and it is not my position to judge them as a nurse or impose my beliefs on them either. At work, my patients are free to make their own choices and I will support them. I have worked with the demented, mentally handicapped, homeless, wefare mothers with many kids, alcoholics, women who are having abortions, pot smokers and obese. I remember everyone of them and I am proud about the way I treated them with respect and helped them and listened to their stories because they are people, and that is their life.

Peace and love. :redbeathe

Specializes in Critical Care (ICU/CVICU).
I am an atheist, and the way I incorporate my lack of faith is respect, acceptance, caring, and nonjudgemental attitude. I do not make assumptions and I respect all people regardless of their faith. I do not judge as right or wrong people based on their decision about who to love, what to do with their unborn child, what religion they are, or how to live their life. At work and in my daily life I do my best keep the "rights and wrongs" to myself. Each person has this one life on earth, and that is their sole opportunity to do as they wish. They may live it as they choose, and it is not my position to judge them as a nurse or impose my beliefs on them either. At work, my patients are free to make their own choices and I will support them. I have worked with the demented, mentally handicapped, homeless, wefare mothers with many kids, alcoholics, women who are having abortions, pot smokers and obese. I remember everyone of them and I am proud about the way I treated them with respect and helped them and listened to their stories because they are people, and that is their life.

Peace and love. :redbeathe

I applaud your positive post Cogath! Nice to know that there are great people like you out in the world, that don't judge, belittle, or mock other's beliefs (even if it doesn't necessarily fit their lifestyle). As a person of faith, I would actually prefer someone like you caring for me, as opposed to a judgmental believer, or a condescending athiest. You have my respect.

Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.
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?

evangelising has no place in healthcare. you are doing the work of ' the higher power' by practising your profession, it is also onerous when hospital chaplains attempt to find out the stated religion of patients ( sadly there's one particular Christian denomination who consistantly gets into trouble for this ... here's a hint it';s the one who won't share communion outside their little club )

supporting the spiritual needs of patients is a very important part of working in healthcare, and if this means taking time to pray with a patient then so be it - but it must be at the request of the patient , but do not force the views of your own beliefs on to patients ...

Wow Cogath you are spot on!!! This is exacly the philosophy that my school teaches. I truly hope that I can be a nurse cut from a similar cloth as you :)

Cheers!!!

cogath - Thank you for your eloquent post. There needs to be better representation of the secular community out there, too many people have the idea that atheists are somehow morally deficient. I hope to also be a part of busting that myth!

+ Add a Comment