Seventh Day Adventist and working on Sabbath???

Nurses Spirituality

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I was curious, I am a Seventh-Day Adventist and am struggling with the concept of working on Sabbath when your job, whether it be being a cop, firefighter, or someone else who is saving a life. The Bible is not always black and white and even though the Ten Commandments DO say to rest on the seventh day from all your labors, there are other instances in the Bible where helping others during time of rest are the right thing to do. What about those Nicu babies??? What about those who need constant care??? I would like input from a spiritual standpoint on how you all respect your Sabbaths and do it as a nurse.

Specializes in LTAC, ICU, ER, Informatics.

I was raised SDA. Talk to your pastor. There is no conflict. Jesus healed the sick on the Sabbath. SDA has a long long history of healthcare. the town I grew up in is an SDA college town with an excellent nursing program and lots and lots of SDA are in healthcare. They're not in the news as much lately but Loma Linda in California used to be doing groundbreaking stuff on a regular basis, and that's an SDA facility. You can probably trade some or all of your Sabbath shifts, but I'd be surprised if your pastor doesn't tell you that it's fine.

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The SDA hospital has this as their mission statement as does a catholic hospital I worked for. They don't impose their religious beliefs on the patients. But a private not for profit hospital can have policy's that are in line with the church. You do not force them on patients. Working at the SDA the patients could have meat and coffee while the cafe was vegetarian and had no caffeine.

Working at the SDA facility I worked with a very diverse group of people and all beliefs were respected.

It was asked if a patient wanted to pray, you could pray with them or if you were not comfortable there were other staff of chaplains on hand. One thing I liked was a chaplain was part of the code team and was paged whenever there was a code. The chaplains while most were SDA they were trained in other religious views as well to provide comfort to patients from other religious standpoints.

Your training as a CNA, they don't want you pushing your beliefs onto patients, but respect and honor the beliefs that your patients have.

While working at the SDA I never felt that they were trying to convert me with their policy's, but I did learn a lot about SDA while working there.

It is all about having mutual respect for others beliefs

Hello,

Sorry I should have phrased my words better. I never push my thoughts on anyone, but like to share them if I am asked questions. That was unfortunately something that they said I could not do, even if the patient asked.

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While not SDA I am a devote Christian and I understand your conflict. My father is a pastor and since I have finished school and began working I have always worked every other Sunday. It bothered me for the same reasons as you.

My father told me that some professions need to work 24/7 using the of in the ditch principle. Such as fire fighters, police, emts, ect... he said death, sickness, crime, and destruction never take a day off. He then said that of all the professions the medical field had more basis for working on the Sabbath or Sunday than any other because Jesus healed often on on the the Sabbath!

My father than went to where God told Samuel that he looks on the heart and not the outside. God does know our hearts and I don't believe that we will be judged for this in the end. Caring and compassion are major parts of the Christian faith and what better way than to demonstrate this than thru nursing.

You have to decide what your conscience and belief system will allow you to do. I will pray with you that you find your answer! :)

Hello,

Thank you for that input. Very wise your father is indeed! Thank you for your prayers! God Bless!

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Thank you all so much for your support and advice. This site, AN, is clearly a huge blessing for us nurses and nurses-to-be. God bless you all!

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Sounds like you may be a better fit for a doctors office or some other mon-fri job. Another option is work part time or prn, but if you are working with benefits you also have an obligation to your employer as well as your co-workers to do your fair share and that includes your turn at working weekends. Why should any other staff member have to pull an extra weekend day because you're unwilling? That is selfish, they have a soul also maybe a different belief but still have a life outside of work. Do you REALLY think God is going to punish you or anyone else for working as a nurse on the Sabbath? If he is that kind of God then why does he not heal everyone the day before and not allow any sickness on the Sabbath then no one would need to work?

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I too am SDA and I found what works best for me as to not compromise my Sabbath is to work nights. I work Saturday and Sunday nights as my weekends. I won't do Friday nights. Work better that way as many managers won't budge for religious preferences.

This is the best answer that I've seen so far.. I too faced that as a cna, what I see people do is switch weekends when someone that not SDA and don't mind working every Saturday and you work every Sunday..

How do the Orthodox Jews do it?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

When I worked in acute care I worked with a devout SDA nurse.

I worked those shifts for her, didn't matter to me. She worked other shifts for me.

Later in my career I worked with a physician who was SDA and also struggled with sabbath issues. We became good friends and I spent a good amount of time with her and her family.

What struck me over time was how legalistic their faith seemed to me as a born again Christian. I felt and feel so free in my faith yet it seemed that they felt very confined by some elements and aspects of theirs. No matter, God is perfect even if we are not.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
And you come here for it? Go to your church, my advise is work!

This is the *Nursing and Spirituality* forum. She asked a question about nursing as it pertains to her spirituality. You're not obligated to read or answer her posts, but she can and should post questions like hers in this forum.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
This is the *Nursing and Spirituality* forum. She asked a question about nursing as it pertains to her spirituality. You're not obligated to read or answer her posts but she can and should post questions like hers in this forum.[/quote']

It's like me going to a vegetarian forum asking for steak recipes. At the end of the day nursing is about patient care, not religion.

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Specializes in Gerontology RN-BC and FNP MSN student.
It's like me going to a vegetarian forum asking for steak recipes. At the end of the day nursing is about patient care, not religion.

Please try to understand, for some of us, God comes first then our families then our jobs. We seek to please God at all times, not man but God. After putting God and our families first, we choose nursing as a profession. And as professional nurses, we take care of our patients and our assignments. With God's grace, nothing has to suffer we can be successful in all areas.

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It's like me going to a vegetarian forum asking for steak recipes. At the end of the day nursing is about patient care, not religion.

That is honestly only true for those who choose not to make it a spiritual thing to them. You can NOT speak on behalf of every other person in the world and their profession. People choose to either integrate their spirituality with their work, or to leave it out. Regardless, I respect that this is your opinion and that doesn't offend me. Just keep in mind that spirituality, in any sense of the word, is important to both patient and caregiver and we are being taught how to respect boundaries within this realm while in nursing school. I am trying to sort this foggy area of my beliefs out before I learn how to accommodate for my patients' beliefs when I start my program in the Fall. I need to try to be my best and that is too for the sake of my patients that will-- in the future--spend their last moments of their life with me and might have questions. I want to be a physical healer as well as a spiritual one if it is sought out.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
Please try to understand for some of us, God comes first then our families then our jobs. We seek to please God at all times, not man but God. After putting God and our families first, we choose nursing as a profession. And as professional nurses, we take care of our patients and our assignments. With God's grace, nothing has to suffer we can be successful in all areas.[/quote']

Sorry that's terrible in my opinion. Nothing comes before my family, specially an unproven fantasy. We are all free to think what we want I suppose. In my book it fours like this, family, me, work

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