What Does a Parish Nurses Do?

[nightingale, RN]

Interesting Website about what is going on in Oklahoma City:

http://www.steugenes.org/Parish-Nurse.htm

2400 W. Hefner Road, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120 [phone]

What Does a Parish Nurse Do?

Polly Keenan, RN, started as the Parish Nurse at St. Eugene Church in July. Many have questioned exactly what a Parish Nurse does and why St. Eugene needs a Parish Nurse.

Doctors offices and hospitals are primarily devoted to care of people after they get sick. Parish nursing is a non-invasive, preventative approach to keeping people well physically, mentally and spiritually. As health educator, Polly coordinates seminars, screenings and health fairs, including flu shots as well as provides literature and health information. Additionally, she will serve as a personal health counselor, offering information about diet, exercises and healthy living. Polly also has an extensive basis for health care referrals. All of this is done while blending spirituality into your physical well-being.

Several programs are tentatively being planned that we hope to be able to offer. These include mammography screenings, prostate screenings, blood pressure screenings, blood sugar testing and additional stroke screenings.

Parish Nursing is a new nursing specialty. Polly attended the Basic Preparation Parish Nurse Institute in May. She has been a Registered Nurse for six years with extensive experience as an oncology nurse and hospice nurse.

If you have any questions about the Parish Nurse Program or services and programs being offered, feel free to call Polly Keenan, RN, at 751-7115, Ext. 169 or e-mail her at [email protected]

B.

[blessu]

Many Parish nurse programs in our area pray with people, listen, provide blood pressure screenings, facilitate yoga practices via video instruction, have walking clubs, workshops, and health fairs. However most important is to reinforce through bulletins, programs and conversation the importance of practicing spiritual wellness.

Each church has a parish nurse coordinator. We provide a hospital based training and have monthly meetings/ training to foster continuing education. The rapid changes in Parish nursing make continuing education and networking extremely important.

Each program should have goals and a "policy" for doing their tasks. Such as: "The parish nurse program will be taking blood pressures and give the measurement to the client. No medical records will be kept and no follow up. Recommendations will be given according to the guidelines set by the American Heart Association."

You may also state that you will keep statics only for the number of pressures each month, what ever your group decides to do.

You may want to keep a sign posted so the cllients know what to expect from your porgram.

Now, if you want to keep records and follow up great - just be sure to follow it all the way through as in; getting consent to keep medical records a place to keep them locked. Permission to call their physician and family, etc. A stated guide that you will use to follow up. (example call all clients with BP's over 190/110) Also be sure that the church knows to what level of liability you are practicing.

Clear expectations will help define your program since there is such a wide varity of ways that parish nursing is practiced.

[dollady]

We have defined our ministry as a volunteer health ministry practiced by those who are called by God and inspired by the Holy Spirit to serve the Church Community. The ministry is a loving and meaningful presence, which reflects the compassionate healing love of Jesus. Caring ministers respond to the needs of individuals and/or groups in order to promote health and wholeness of body, mind and soul.