Religion Needed to be a Good Nurse?

Nurses Spirituality

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We just covered a spiritituality/religion lesson in our BSN course and the instructor (religious) came out and said good nurses had spirituality and would be there for whatever spiritual needs the PT had. I understand the benefits of PTs being able to express their own spiritituality, but not being spiritual myself, I always assumed this could happen without me losing my own identity/belief system by praying with the PT. There are professionals in this area afterall and it's not as if nursing doesn't have enough on its plate already.

So the question is, does the nursing career, with all it's specialized education and skills, also view good nurses to be spiritual/religious or is this instructor taking some liberties with the topic?

Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Another good day of intelligent, respectful discussion. Thank you, all.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
Another good day of intelligent, respectful discussion. Thank you, all.

did you expect anything less?;)

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Specializes in Critical Care.
did you expect anything less?;)

Yes, I'm sure this is currently the most watched thread by the moderators. . .

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Going back to the original question, Religion needed to be a Good Nurse:

Part of the problem is our continued characterization as 'angels'. And part of that problem is a problem of history: modern nursing and hospitals are a direct decendant of charitable, religious endeavors.

But in a big way, I also think this is an image problem. I think it holds nursing back. Or, to quote one of my previous HR manager: "I just don't undertand nurses that are in it for the money. . ." (but you have to tilt your head just so and tsk tsk while you say that).

Modern nursing is a high tech job that requires lots of education and even more experience to become adept. As has been discussed here, everybody has unique experiences that they can bring to the table in order to be caring. But not everybody is a professional nurse. And being a nurse is more than just caring. Alot more.

Can you be a nurse without caring? NO. Do you need religion to care? NO. But the more important distinction we SHOULD be making is this: Does it take more than caring to be a professional nurse, a "good'' nurse? Absolutely it does.

And we should be selling that point at least as much as we promote the better angels of our nature.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in Medical.
Can you be a nurse without caring? NO.

I know that this is OT, but I disagree. I work with a few nurses who don't care (in the nursing-theory sense of capital-C care), and they're still excellent. I'm think of one guy in particular, who is kind but dispassionate, efficient and a real asset; he cares about his family, his salary, and doing a good job, but he's not at all invested emotionally in his patients. There are days I wish I could be more like him.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
I know that this is OT, but I disagree. I work with a few nurses who don't care (in the nursing-theory sense of capital-C care), and they're still excellent. I'm think of one guy in particular, who is kind but dispassionate, efficient and a real asset; he cares about his family, his salary, and doing a good job, but he's not at all invested emotionally in his patients. There are days I wish I could be more like him.

I wouldn't say this guy doesn't care, but he has emotionally detached himself from things he cannot control. Pts will live, suffer, and die and all we can do as nurses is promote their comfort and advocate for their rights. If we didn't care about these things then I don't see why we would even bother...but to become too emotionally involved will complicate our objective ability to provide services.

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This is such a fascinating discussion. The Original poster said that one is never supposed to talk about "religion or politics", but I really enjoy discussing these topics. I am an open minded Christian myself. Some people might say that I am not a real Christian, since I don't believe that non-Christians are going to hell. But aaaaanyway..........

I think a disproportionately large number af nurses are Christians, because they are practicing their faith. Jesus said " Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me". So the nurse that does the "dirty work" of cleaning up feces or vomit from a socially "undesirable" person is doing Gods work.

I myself felt that I was doing "rewarding" work when I was helping an old person to dress or bathe.

Also, we nurses see a lot of sadness. It helps to believe in the afterlife when you are working with dying children.:o

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Is that a servants heart to be able to clean feces and vomit, to hold a dying person's hand and resite "The Lords Prayer" ?To hold and comfort the Left Behind? To have your hand on a transducer and see a baby so tiny you need a microscope and yet know there is life in that heartbeat. I maybe tired and downhearted about being a nurse but I Believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin ,lived on this earth to better understand me ,and died for my sins b/c there is no work on this earth that would get me into Heaven except my faith and to live each day to the Glory of Jesus Christ my Savior . Sorry I didn't mean to get on a soapbox Thanks for letting me heal a little

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I'm not a christian and am sick and tired of it coming up in every damn subject. If you're not a christian in the USa you're obviously nothing.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I'm not a christian and am sick and tired of it coming up in every damn subject. If you're not a christian in the USa you're obviously nothing.

In doesn't come up in EVERY subject, but when our nursing leaders define nursing in terms of spirituality (care theory, energy field distrubances), it's not difficult to understand why nurses constantly ponder spirituality in their practice.

Especially since there seems to be a direct linking to nursing and the 'better angels of our nature.' But even that is history. Modern hospital care has its basis in religious orders.

I am a devout Christian. But you have my full support in the concept that nursing is better served by focusing on our scientific and technological education and training.

Indeed, I seriously doubt that nursing can define 'spirituality' for even a minor subset of nurses. We bring our own spirituality to our jobs, whether that is based in religion, or not.

If such is the case, then what is the point of trying to create a theoretical underpinning that can never describe the individual contributions of nurses, whether they are religious or atheist?

Religion, in many ways, defines 'community'. Indeed, the great contribution of America in the history of the world is that the Constitution defines our community - and NOT religion. Benjamin Franklin once said that the greatest thing he ever created was 'Americans'.

I don't think it's accurate to say that you're nothing in American if you aren't Christian. The very thing that makes American unique is that we are a community the crosses theological and cultural boundaries. Indeed, if you could define America, the term that comes most to mind is: we are a melting pot of ideas and peoples.

~faith,

Timothy.

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The very thing that makes American unique is that we are a community the crosses theological and cultural boundaries. Indeed, if you could define America, the term that comes most to mind is: we are a melting pot of ideas and peoples.

~faith,

Timothy.

Why do you think that America alone is unique in this? I am a British citizen and lived there for 27 years. We have had both a Jewish and a female leader (Prime Minister). You haven't. We also hold true that there should be no discrimination on gender or religious grounds. Yet the only leaders you've ever had have been Christian males.

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Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.
Yet the only leaders you've ever had have been Christian males.

And they make darn sure as candidates that they let all know they are strong Christians. Without that vote, they would never get in office.

We may have the freedom to choose our faith in this country and that is great, but I feel a bit patronized when I hearing that from Christian presidents.

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