Would You Pray if your Patient asked?

Nurses General Nursing

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If a patient asked you to pray with or for them at the bedside, would you?

I had this discussion with some other nurses and the responses were interesting. Some said they would have no problem, others said it was too personal a request for a patient to ask, and others said they would call the chaplain as they felt it is a chaplain function only.

I witnessed one occurence where a patient asked his nurse to pray with him. Without hesistation, she took his hand and prayed a very nice non-denominational prayer. I realize not everyone can or might not want to do this, but it really brought solace to that patient.

Your thoughts?

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by mario_ragucci

i enjoyed psycholnurses post very much because it introduce new vocabulary. Correctional nurse.

f someone baptized my unborn baby I would just note what year it is. Even though it would be something intended to comfort the living, not a stillborn baby, who has no life. I don't think it is respectful of any mom to display a ritualistic behavior during such a personally tragic event. It's irreverant, and wrong. (no kidding)

How can it be irreverent to want to have your stillborn baby baptized? (she did not baptize an UNBORN baby-but a stillborn one-there is a difference)Nothing is more important to a believer then a baptism.Many find comfort in their religion during such a tragic event....Who is this "ritualistic behavior disrespectful to"? You? You may not be a particularly religious person-but many others are and this is acceptable behavior in most religions.....Now I have to ask-how many babies have you lost? How do you now what is acceptable behavior for someone going through such a thing? I sincerely want to know-what field of nursing do you wish to ultimately pursue? I think you had better pass on L&D and psych.....(no kidding)
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Mario,

As nurses we must not pass judgement or impose our values on others, but support the person wholly. Psychosocial interventions are probably our most important job as nurses. You must bury your own values or lack of and unequivically give yourself to those in need, unless they are harming themselves or others. A religious ritual is part of the grieving process for some, and those of us who are not relious can never pass judgement on something so sacred as another's religious needs and beliefs. (no kidding).

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I've prayed with patients and for patients and their families on many occassions. Patients ask you to pray for and with them because they are frightened of what is going on. They believe in God, or a higher being, but it is being tested at that particular time. What better way to help and gain that patient's trust than to pray with them. It doesn't have to be set prayers, if that makes you uncomfortable. It can be very simple. When you become a nurse you take care of the whole person. That means his spiritual person also.

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I'm not passing judgement; just displaying my own thoughts. I'm not looking at it from any religious standpoint, and what other people do is part of their own conscious. Respect is paramount to the mom, I think. So if a professional health care worker starts to recite a ritual over my dead life, well, I just think it would be better off for the mom to initiate that stuff, as opposed to a health care worker turning a sensitive, tragic event into a pland for their own ritualistic behavior.

You know what I mean. I would just be quiet and allow the mom to cry in peace and be ensuring her safelty and health. nd to listen and comfort. Thats all. if it was a Christian mom of strong faith, who began to vocalize her feelings, of course I would pray with/for her if it's something she wanted. I would NEVER initiate anything like that though, and NEVER jump to conclusions about what are my personal beliefs and what my patient deserves as respect.

I will support and protect my patient, and also educate. Spirituality is also important, but I would never be any way accept open ended.

The still born , I'm imagining, is extremely painful for a mom, and I couldn't take advantage of a situation to introduce myself as a quack "person of cloth" by default if the mom is not mentioning theistic stuff. :)

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Most definitely, I would pray with them and for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Most definitely, I would pray with them and for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Absolutely! I have prayed w/ many patients, for many more patients and will cont to do so as I am led. If a patient has expressed their beliefs and I feel led to pray, I have asked them if I can pray w/ them or for them...the question has never been turned down in 22 yrs of nursing (thank God!). I would be haunted if a pt asked me to pray w/ or for them and I didn't, then something happened to them!!!! I pray for most my patients and for the hands that will care for them DHS. Since my husband is a surgeon...I pray for God to guide his hands and his skills daily! I am much bolder in these days than 20 yrs ago! 20 yrs ago I took care of a 16 yr old who was going to have a bil BKA, so I sat on the edge of his bed and let him cry on my shoulder. I was suspended for 3 days w/o pay for sitting on the edge of the bed and for showing emotion!!! Times have changed!

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Absolutely! I have prayed w/ many patients, for many more patients and will cont to do so as I am led. If a patient has expressed their beliefs and I feel led to pray, I have asked them if I can pray w/ them or for them...the question has never been turned down in 22 yrs of nursing (thank God!). I would be haunted if a pt asked me to pray w/ or for them and I didn't, then something happened to them!!!! I pray for most my patients and for the hands that will care for them DHS. Since my husband is a surgeon...I pray for God to guide his hands and his skills daily! I am much bolder in these days than 20 yrs ago! 20 yrs ago I took care of a 16 yr old who was going to have a bil BKA, so I sat on the edge of his bed and let him cry on my shoulder. I was suspended for 3 days w/o pay for sitting on the edge of the bed and for showing emotion!!! Times have changed!

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by psychonurse

I can remember 17 years when I was taking my RN classes, more than once I had my instructors talk to me about praying with my patients and my OB instructor taught us how to do the baptismal on a newborn when they are not doing well or stillborns. I can remember having to do that once while I was a student, I had a mother whose infant wasn't going to make it and I babtized it before it died.

Just to clarify something for me and satisfy my own curiossity-do you mean that back in the day nurses ran around hospitals baptizing dead or dying babies without the parents permission? I have heard other nurses speak of being taught how to perform a baptism-in case there were no priests available at the time....Do you mean that the mother asked you to baptize her baby? Lay people commonly perform the sacrament of the sick-I don't see a problem with it....
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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by psychonurse

I can remember 17 years when I was taking my RN classes, more than once I had my instructors talk to me about praying with my patients and my OB instructor taught us how to do the baptismal on a newborn when they are not doing well or stillborns. I can remember having to do that once while I was a student, I had a mother whose infant wasn't going to make it and I babtized it before it died.

Just to clarify something for me and satisfy my own curiossity-do you mean that back in the day nurses ran around hospitals baptizing dead or dying babies without the parents permission? I have heard other nurses speak of being taught how to perform a baptism-in case there were no priests available at the time....Do you mean that the mother asked you to baptize her baby? Lay people commonly perform the sacrament of the sick-I don't see a problem with it....
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I would absolutely pray with a patient if he/she asked me to. I have had my aides and homemakers ask me if they can pray with their patients, and I have always encouraged them to do so if it will be a comfort to their patients.

In fact, there have been times when I have suggested to my patients that they pray, like when I am doing blood draws. ;) Especially if I have someone who looks like a hard stick, I look them right in the eye, smile, and tell them, "If you are a person that believes in prayer, this is probably as good a time as any to begin." They always give me a laugh, and most of them tell me they already have been! I tell them, "Me, too!" I think it's great when you can feel comfortable enough to talk about prayer or faith with your patients, it's not always just the body that needs healing.

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I would absolutely pray with a patient if he/she asked me to. I have had my aides and homemakers ask me if they can pray with their patients, and I have always encouraged them to do so if it will be a comfort to their patients.

In fact, there have been times when I have suggested to my patients that they pray, like when I am doing blood draws. ;) Especially if I have someone who looks like a hard stick, I look them right in the eye, smile, and tell them, "If you are a person that believes in prayer, this is probably as good a time as any to begin." They always give me a laugh, and most of them tell me they already have been! I tell them, "Me, too!" I think it's great when you can feel comfortable enough to talk about prayer or faith with your patients, it's not always just the body that needs healing.

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