When Is It Appropriate to Share Faith at Work?: One Nurse's Story

This article will discuss my personal views on when it is appropriate to share your faith at work. Religion can be a touchy subject for many. Some are offended when you mention religion. Others are comforted. Where is there balance in this? Let's discuss this further. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

As nurses, we wear many hats. To name a few: we are caregivers, providers, assessors, comforters, encouragers, teachers, an ear to listen. Are we to be evangelists or preachers? In my opinion, no and....yes. I believe that it is appropriate to share my faith when the patient has already started the conversation and I am adding to it. Here are a few stories to make my point.

It was 6:40 pm. Twenty minutes left until shift change. (At last!) Of course, this is when my new admit wheels down the hall. I knew she was coming so I was able to finish my other duties and check on other patients before she arrived. I greeted the patient with a smile and introduced myself. She said hi and smiled back. She said "You're a Christian aren't you?" She saw the look on my face that said "Wow, how did you know?" She then smiled again and said. "I can tell by your smile, you have a glow of happiness. You must know the Lord." She was a very spiritual lady.

She was there for 24 hour cardiac observation. We talked and shared our love for the Lord for a few minutes while I checked her vitals and got her settled in her room. We prayed for her situation. She also prayed for me and then I said thank you and goodbye. I went on to shift change report. We both left that situation blessed and at peace.

One more. Some time ago I worked in a surgery center preparing patients for surgery. A patient walked in to my area and sat in the chair. My job was to screen the patient and start an IV. We hit it off from the get go. We learned quickly that we were both Christians. (You know, the smile/glow thing?) I only had one arm available to start an IV due to health issues with the other arm. She also said that she was a hard stick and from her body language she didn't like needles. I tried once but wasn't successful. She asked if anesthesia could start the IV. I let the doctor know and went on to my next patient.

She was a very difficult stick, small veins that blew easily. The doctor and a few other nurses tried with no success. I was busy with my new patient but would look over to her wishing I could hold her hand while they tried to start her IV. When I finished with my patient, I had a moment to go talk with her. She was almost in tears. She really didn't like IVs but could not have surgery without it. Surgery was needed. The doctor did not want to postpone the surgery if possible. When I went to the patient I saw one vein on her hand that was like a neon saying "pick me! pick me! I'm the one!"

I asked the patient and anesthesia if they minded if I tried "one more time". The patient said ok. I didn't want to use a tourniquet. I will have the patient hang their hand over the chair. "gravity is my friend" I always say with hard stick IVs. When I hang their hand over the arm of the chair, I need to be lower. I will put the stool low or sit on my knees. I was on my knees and the patient grabbed my hand and started praying. (She read my mind, I wanted to pray too.)

We both prayed, quietly, only loud enough that we could hear each other. I prayed that God would use this situation for His glory. That it would be a witness to others in the room that God can do anything. Even something as easy as calming a patient and getting a good IV. After we finished praying I was about to start the IV. I started praying again while I was starting the IV. I instantly felt her body and hand relax. I got it! She was so happy. She gave me a big hug and a peck on the cheek.

I found out later on that at her post op visit she described the whole story to the staff at the doctor's office. She couldn't remember my name but I was "the little angel who started her IV".

Times like these stories, this is when I believe it is appropriate to share. When the patient starts the dialogue. If it is started by the nurse and the patient is not a believer I think it can come across as unwelcomed. We as Christians are to go about the world spreading the good news. But I believe this should be done on our own time, not our employers.

What about you? Do you like to share with your patients? Any thoughts?

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Christian nurses are not being attacked.....it is about the appropriateness of discussing religion with patients. Controversial subjects like this are better left out of your conversations with patients.

Wow, new to this board. Shocked that, even separated out into a board specifically for spirituality in nursing, nurses are being attacked for their spiritual beliefs. Would the Chrisitian nurses have more freedom to share with each other in a forum specifically for Chrsitian nurses? Or would people invade that with their negativity as well?

if you are new to this site you will find many people with many belief systems and many opinions. Some people are confrontational, others not so. I look at the posts as an education for me into humans and their inter beings. What you perceive as negativity may be a jolting way of trying to figure out the whys. Why would some think sharing faith is right while others find it to be wrong. I have not taken it as negativity towards any religion, Christianity in particular. We do not have huge amounts of posters who are not Jewish, Christian, agnostic or atheist. i would welcome more input from other religions. Baha'i, Islam, and other religions are rarely shared here. I wish more would share. Knowledge of other religions is very helpful to all nurses.

I don't think I would want to see any religion boxed in. Who would gain more knowledge that would help them to understand others? One of the best reasons I see for the forums we have and also one of the tools nurses need, to be able to deal with all people one is asked to care for.

I am an atheist and I do not tell my patients that. As for that smile and glow thing, I get that all the time due to my personality. I am rarely "mean" or "strict." As an EMT, I was told that I looked like an angel because of my smile all the time.

I work in a Catholic hospital but I do not share my faith. I will consider praying with a family if they ask me to, but I do feel like it is a hollow gesture inside because I am an atheist. We do have chaplains that are familiar with many different religions.

I think if nurses pray with their patients that ask them to, it would be okay. It doesn't bother me. However, coworkers that drag religion into everything kind of bothers me.

Specializes in ER.

I have a tremendous respect and understanding for patients when they engage in spiritual practice and I encourage it if the cues, as you've mentioned, are there. Spirituality, religion, faith, prayer etc is extremely healthy and healing for people. I am a spiritual person, but also an atheist.

There was a funny situation the other day when a preacher was standing over a young girl with an obvious fracture and impressive deformity of her arm. He was praying for her with the family, asking God to guide the doctors to provide competent care, see her through this tough time, and help her find relief from her pain. I was glad to see him there helping me and the docs guide this nice family through this stressful time in their lives. It was kind of humorous though about the pain relief. I was standing there with my hands together, quietly respectful, with 4mg of morphine and zofran in hand. I was thinking "Hello.... preacher dude, need to administer God's pain relief... can we speed this along LOL".

Thanks for all y'alls posts.