Nurse w/ MA Pastoral Ministry?

[happypolarbear]

I have an MA in pastoral ministry, and served as a senior pastor for 3 years before going back to school for nursing. I'm pursuing nursing as a complementary career to support my first career. :) More and more pastors in my denomination are moving towards "bivocational ministry" out of financial necessity. A good friend of mine, a pastor and healthcare educator, suggested I pursue nursing. I took his advice, and have loved it. Now I'm in my final year of nursing school, and thinking hard about what to include on my resume.

1. Will hospitals care about my previous education/experience?
   
2. Could it hurt me to disclose it?
   
3. Is there some healthcare role that uses/needs both clinical knowledge and pastoral care?
   

Any thoughts?

[amoLucia]

Please, may I ask how/what you plan to do with your nsg education? Unless you've experience as an EMT or medic you've no practical nsg experience.

Personally, (and I say PERSONALLY) I don't see where any nsg facility could use your skills. As a counselor or for pastoral services in a hospital, hospice, NH environment, you' be relying on your past minister experiences & education. And they already have people for those positions.

You have NO experienced clinical nsg skills - that's what facilities require. You would be hired at an entry level with entry job description, entry pay, entry scheduling, etc.

Unless you somehow fall into some very exceptional unique position ...

Now if nsg is your desired goal and general entry hands-on is what you've been expecting, then I can understand that. But I really don't see any duality.

Psych nsg might be a direction, but I doubt you'll find the nsg experience to allow you the opp'ty to counsel/advise, etc

There is a specialty of pastoral nsg, but I don't know much about it. There is a room here in AN for the specialty.

JMO. Good luck with your future endeavors.

[Thanksforthedonuts, BSN, RN]

I feel the previous poster was a bit too tough in their response.

While it is true, a DEGREE pastoral ministry will not help give you a leg up in achieving a position, BUT God will í ½í¸‰.

So the degree won't help you per say but neither will it hurt you. I don't really see how you can add it to your resume as it is not quite relevant to the field you are entering UNLESS you join parish nursing, hospice nursing, school nursing for faith based school, or *maybe* if you are seeking a position within a faith based institution.

So here on the West Coast we have the Providence Health care system and you can always add in your interview (when you get there) how your mission might (I assume it will to some point) align with theirs and so forth...

Hospice nursing for a faith based institution might favor you, however most already have their own chaplains who play their own role within the health care team.

I would keep looking! Maybe you can be of use as a camp nurse?

Many ways you can spin this...