Praying in the work place

Nurses Spirituality

Published

Hi everybody,

I'm three months into my new job as a hospice RNCM and have been learning a lot. I generally love, love, love my job.

My question today is about praying in the workplace. I know that Medicare requires a spiritual counselor on staff, but I also know that patients can refuse that service.

At my work place, meetings have recently started to begin with prayer lead by the SC. This seems a bit odd to me, coming from years of experience in the work world where things like prayer before meetings did not happen.

Also, I hear a lot of statements from fellow workers that I find offensive regarding patients having a hard time with EOL because they "don't have a belief system." They have a belief system, it just may not be the same as other people. From my limited experience, it seems people die differently, not relatable solely to their belief system. Some with strong beliefs have a hard time, others who don't believe find peace at the end.

I will pray with my patients all they want if that brings them peace and comfort, but prayer in the work place feels like a violation.

Thoughts?

I worked for a hospice company and we offered a prayer and praise session each morning at the end of morning meeting and it was optional to stay or leave. I must admit the office where I worked when the company was small we had almost 100% participation and everyone was happy and the company was thriving. As the company grew more nonbelievers were hired and the morale went down and more troubles began. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer!

Maybe there was too much religion pushing? Religious people aren't in a bubble. Stop acting like the lack of others religions is what messes things up.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

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So again, you wouldn't complain if it was wiccans wanting to perform their rituals?

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

Right, either everyone's equal or no one's equal.

Starting a meeting with a Christian prayer is absolutely no different than staring it with a Wiccan ritual. Or a prayer to the flying spaghetti monster. All equally out of place in that place at that time.

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Why are so many of you so angry about people praying? I don't care who the person is, people have the right to assemble and pray in public even if you are a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or whatever! And doesn't research support the idea that praying soothes the mind and helps stress? If so then maybe the work place wants to put their employees minds at rest. I don't know....I don't see the big deal. Maybe your hospital considers itself as a family like my work place does. Families pray together and in every family you have those who pray and those who do not pray, but the members of that family still care for each other.

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

Spirituality and Prayer Relieve Stress | World of Psychology

Seniors Use Prayer To Cope With Stress; Prayer No. 1 Alternative Remedy

http://www.iomcworld.com/ijcrimph/files/v02-n05-05.pdf

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Right, either everyone's equal or no one's equal.

Starting a meeting with a Christian prayer is absolutely no different than staring it with a Wiccan ritual. Or a prayer to the flying spaghetti monster. All equally out of place in that place at that time.

There's a Flying Spaghetti Monster church?!?!? (Hmmmm maybe there is,

my phone auto-corrected that to all caps?!?) I wanna go there!!!!!

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

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Why are so many of you so angry about people praying? I don't care who the person is, people have the right to assemble and pray in public even if you are a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or whatever! And doesn't research support the idea that praying soothes the mind and helps stress? If so then maybe the work place wants to put their employees minds at rest. I don't know....I don't see the big deal. Maybe your hospital considers itself as a family like my work place does. Families pray together and in every family you have those who pray and those who do not pray, but the members of that family still care for each other.

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

Spirituality and Prayer Relieve Stress | World of Psychology

Seniors Use Prayer To Cope With Stress; Prayer No. 1 Alternative Remedy

http://www.iomcworld.com/ijcrimph/files/v02-n05-05.pdf

Not the time or place. Do you see them praying on Wallstreet? What about in research labs? Police departments? Nope. Not the time or place.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

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EOL = End of Life

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kat7464: I attended a private women's college..religion - Christ based or not - was NOT part of the nursing curriculum even though it was a private college and I politely but STRONGLY disagree that hospice is based on a Jesus Christ belief system so I am confused as to why your belief in Jesus Christ would be the predominant reason for choosing hospice. Maybe I am reading your post incorrectly...I have personal and professional experience with hospice and in neither capacity was the issue of religion raised other than asking the family if they wanted a non-denominational Chaplain to visit and when I worked hospice prayer was not part of any meeting. I am Catholic, not devout, my father Protestant and my mother agnostic/uncertain..both were on hospice and if ANY of the hospice people caring for them had indicated in anyway other than asking about a Chaplain that it was a Jesus Christ based hospice I would've looked for another one as I would not have wanted that pressure placed upon them in addition to everything else going on. While many will disagree with me..NONE of us really know what happens at the time of death or afterwards or what, if anything, our beliefs that we hold in this life mean for us at that time.

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Specializes in Psych/med surg.

Praise the flying spaghetti monster or how about the church of the fonz?

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Praise the flying spaghetti monster or how about the church of the fonz?

Church of fonz says "ehhhhh" too much.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

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At this point I should clarify that I didn't bring up the "flying spaghetti monster" comparison to belittle anyone's religion. I brought it up because people always equate being against institutionalized prayer as being anti-Christian. It's NOT being anti-Christian. It's being against the shoehorning of religion (ANY religion) into the workplace.

Come on people, for a medical facility to begin it's staff meeting with a prayer is, at best, archaic and unprofessional. This is 2013, not 1950.

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And I find it interesting that none of the "what do you have against prayer" crowd have responded directly to the question about if the meetings were opened with prayers *other* than those that are Christian.

I suspect very much that these people would object very loudly if tomorrow their manager opened the meeting with a prayer from the Qur'an.

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Specializes in leadership, corrections.

I agree with lovinlife. I pray with my patients if they ask but I never look down on them or speak harsh words because our religious beliefs are not the same. I worked in hospice and now cover on call. I love it and I love learning about the various cultures I encounter with my patient. However, praying in general before a meeting is a big no no for me. It should not be imposed on anyone. Let me know how it works out.

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