How do you incorporate faith into your daily nursing tasks?

Nurses Spirituality

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Specializes in LTC, Acute care.

How do I incorporate faith in my practice? Well, I pray every morning before I get to work, sometimes if I don't quite make the prayer in my rush to get to work, I pray when I get to my desk. I usually ask for guidance and patience, and for the ability to do the best I can for my patients. I also pray for my unit, manager and staff members. :)

MunoRN, RN

8,058 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.

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.

That's actually way more presumptive and offensive than the original post.

The meanest nurse I've ever met was aggressively religious, although I don't correlate her being mean with her being openly religious any more than I would correlate her having blonde hair with being mean, she was just mean. I think those who are more reserved about their faith are just as capable of being kind and demonstrate that every day, just as people who are more open about their faith are just as capable of being uncaring.

If how caring you are is related to how open you are about your faith and the degree to which you share your beliefs with others, then the members of the Westboro Baptist Church are the nicest people ever.

OCNRN63, RN

5,978 Posts

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

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.

so, all of this was based on the actions of "this one nurse"? from your op, you made it sound like you've seen many examples of differences in how care is delivered based on whether or not a nurse is a person of faith.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN

5,879 Posts

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.

wow. and i really mean wow. i do not pray with my patients. am i to assume my patients feel i am "rough and uncaring?" seriously?!

i actually have a "faith" which i practice privately. i would never presume to practice my religion on the job in any obvious way, however, because i know this may make a patient feel uncomfortable and might well be construed as inappropriately breaching professional boundaries.

bottom line, i do not believe for one minute that patients as a rule would ever conclude that a nurse is "rough and uncaring" simply because s(he) did not offer to pray with or over a patient. that sounds like major projection to me.

apatt2

41 Posts

I have had several patients that were believing God for their complete healing and the Lord used me to pray for those patients. As a result, they was healed. But, I have to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Holy Spirit before praying for anybody.

SwimNurseRun

23 Posts

Any thread that involves politics or faith is bound to get a little heated...

But even though I am Catholic and work in a Catholic hospital, I know that not all of our patients are Catholic. I incorporate my faith in my decisions every day and how I act at my job, but I do not bring up religion unless the patient opens the door first. If a patient asks me about my faith or expresses that they are religious, I would then be okay to make comments like, "You have to put your trust in God," or offer to pray with the patient. If they don't mention it first, I incorporate my faith through my thoughts and prayers.

tbrownlow

3 Posts

Specializes in ER, ICU, TRAUMA ER & ICU, CV-ICU,.

Just today, my facility, had a voluntary candle-lighting and "blessing of the hands that provide care for our patients" ceremony. Very quick and great way to build morale for our employees.

Specializes in Orthopedic, Pain Management, Psych, Family.

"Whatever you do unto the least of men, you do unto me"~Jesus

Its all about keeping patience, trying to stay calm with difficult situations or people, and doing the best job that you possibly can. I don't preach to my patience but I do encourage them to use respect. I pray prior to work, and sometimes during work on stressful days. Its a matter of perspective and how you individually feel, and treat people. I know co-workers who are religious and those who are not. As long as we work together to care for our patience and do our workload, thats all that matters.

shellyjel

11 Posts

I found it very interesting that the responses were so offended by the question and how they took it. If someone has no "faith" it does not make them a lesser person or inferior nurse at all. In fact in my school, we were encouraged to explore our beliefs and to get comfortable with the topics of prayer, other religions other than our own and death. How one lives their faith largely depends on what their faith is IN, or maybe WHO it is in. When you are a believer in Jesus Christ, it is not a religion, it is a relationship and is part of your every day walk in all things. No, it does not make anyone "better than" anyone else, but it definitely affects the way you go about your life and includes your work as well. Especially a career that touches people when they are hurting. What comforts each of us is how we reach out, or not. When you are strong in what you know to be true of GOD, it affects your view of life, death, pain, work ethic etc.

Personally, I have always prayed on the way to work about being aware of the needs and not to miss important things or overlook anything and for patients and fellow workers. Have seen some really great answers to prayer also!

Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).

I'm just wondering...for all of you who are loathe to bring up religion/religious practices with patients.....how do you properly conduct a cultural assessment? Many health practices around the world have their basis in religion.

metalRN

12 Posts

I think there is no reason to incorporate YOUR faith into your job as a nurse. What matters is the patient's faith and beliefs and respecting them.

I am an atheist. I have respect for everyone's beliefs. If a patient wants me to pray with them, I will gladly hold their hand while they pray. I am here to do whatever I can to help the patient's WHOLE health, including spiritual health. I feel no need to push my "faith" or lack of onto anyone.

I work with a nurse who pushes her faith on everyone. She once told a patient who is a Jehovah's Witness, "God bless you." Now, from what I know of this religion, their god is Jehovah, not "God". I had one JW patient who was adamant about "it's not God, it's Jehovah!" So, whether this particular patient was offended, I can't say. But it is not that nurse's place to say that to the patient anyhow.

If your faith helps you to be caring and kind, awesome. For me, I treat everyone with respect and a non-judgmental attitude. I don't need any kind of faith to help me do that.

leslie :-D

11,191 Posts

i carry my faith with me at all times.

it's really very easy to incorporate my faith into my nursing, into my parenting, into my relationships...everywhere.

because it is a (large) part of who i am.

leslie

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