atheism religion and religious hospitals

Nurses Spirituality

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I am an atheist. I work in a non-religious hospital. I like what I do, but there are 2 closer hospitals to me that are both religious. One Adventist and one Catholic. I really don't know how I'd feel working at a religious based hospital, since I feel that somehow I'd be "supporting" the religion. Is there a way of just thinking of it as a "job" without the ethical dilemma of working at a place that supports differing religious beliefs? (Not just geared towards atheists, but I know there are a lot of religions and the employees of various hospitals may not be working with the same one they believe in?) I also work in an area with a good amount of other beliefs like Jewish and Muslims.

So, more I'm asking how do you justify to yourselves working in a place with different spiritual values, or would you avoid that from an ethical standpoint.

(I really could go for a job 3 miles from home, I mean, I could walk it!). Just having a hard time wrapping my heart around it.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.
Not offensive, particularly, but kind of beside the point ... I'm still not getting how collecting a paycheck by itself equals support. It all depends on what you have to do to earn that paycheck.

Again, I think it's worth asking whether the particular religious organization running the facility has policies derived from religious beliefs that would control your own nursing practice in ways you find unethical. As we've seen, such policies are far from universal.

I think that's what I'm wondering. I've been lucky to have always worked at places that were not religious. I did science research before, and before that worked in various restaurants. So, now I'm looking towards my 2nd nursing job.

I know some people don't wanna work for big corporations (like a major bank) because of ethics involved. Some people would rather not work for major chains, either. I think working for a place, their name is next to mine on my ID badge. I like the idea of being proud of who I work for, and stuff they'd represent (I did like my old research job, and felt really proud of the stuff we did there). I like a lot about my current job, but not so much the "corporation" that it is tied to. I think my ideal place would be a non-affiliated community hospital. Don't think there any any near me, though. But, I can go into other aspects of nursing (like home or hospice care, both of which I think I'd enjoy).

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I appreciate people's comments and introspection. For the record, it isn't the prayer/daily reflections stuff that is bothersome. It really is just trying to sort out the ethics of working for a company (religious organization) that goes against many of my deeply held moral beliefs.

I really liked someone's point that working for a religious hospital really isn't going to be significantly different than working for any other corporate hospital (which mine is).

I've been generally lucky that I haven't had to deal with too many ethical issues. (I really hate sticking NG tubes in terminally ill patients that keep ripping them out, necessitating restraints that don't work anyway). I really wish more people had advanced directives, and, as part of all hospital admissions, I try to at least encourage people to talk with social work or their families about them. I wish more people understood about code status, and how even if we (geriatric, medicine) resuscitate someone, chances are they will still die in a few days, just won't be awake in the ICU.

As a hospice nurse now, unfortunately, this is rampant in a parts of medical care. We have been trying for years to show people that hospice doesn't "kill you with morphine" and that Advanced Directives and DNR doesn't mean we are going to kill you.

We have to continue to educate the public and medical providers about this. So, this has nothing really to do with working in a religious hospital.

My own little rural hospital is not affiliated with any religions and has an ethics committee and chaplains. Chaplains are not there to hit anyone over the head with a bible and save their soul . . . unfortunately that is what some of our hospice patients think when we admit them to hospice and tell them about the chaplain. At our hospital, people with religious beliefs are admitted and the nursing staff does have to deal with patients wanting to pray. It is part of our assessment and care plan to address those needs. I truly don't think you are going to be able to work as a nurse and be completely isolated from some religious stuff. :)

I've worked for a Catholic healthcare organization as well. As others have said, the daily short prayer and some statuary (love the elevator story!) are about all I see and it isn't intrusive to my practice as a nurse.

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Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
There are plenty of Muslims and Jews who work at my Catholic Hospital. No religious requirements here. In society you people are more guilty of shoving your ideology down the throats of Christians than vice versa. I don't know why you atheists are so afraid to hear the word of God. What are you afraid of ? The Truth?

Umm no. I have been told I am going to hell, that I am a sinner, that I am a bad parent, and that I need to "get right with god". And all this happened when I was ELCA Lutheran. I am told I need to shut up because this is a Christian nation and there isn't room for my beliefs here. I have had my car vandalized by "you people", I have a friend who was dismissed from her job by a "you people" when they found out she is a Wicca. Yet, you sit here and say we are shoving it down your throat? Just NO!

I have to keep my Goddess worship beliefs to myself so I don't continue to have "you people" berate me for my beliefs. I don't share with ANYONE outside of the very small pagan circle I belong to what my beliefs are because of YOU PEOPLE, of which you are one!

I am NOT afraid to hear about your beliefs but it sure seems to me that you are. Of course, I could be wrong, after all, it was "you people" who got a local library event cancelled because after all, we can't let those poor innocent high school students learn about other religious beliefs (other than mainstream christianity)

So, no. We aren't trying to shove our beliefs down your throat, we are just sick and tired of having to be silent.

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Specializes in ICU, trauma.
Umm no. I have been told I am going to hell, that I am a sinner, that I am a bad parent, and that I need to "get right with god". And all this happened when I was ELCA Lutheran. I am told I need to shut up because this is a Christian nation and there isn't room for my beliefs here. I have had my car vandalized by "you people", I have a friend who was dismissed from her job by a "you people" when they found out she is a Wicca. Yet, you sit here and say we are shoving it down your throat? Just NO!

I have to keep my Goddess worship beliefs to myself so I don't continue to have "you people" berate me for my beliefs. I don't share with ANYONE outside of the very small pagan circle I belong to what my beliefs are because of YOU PEOPLE, of which you are one!

I am NOT afraid to hear about your beliefs but it sure seems to me that you are. Of course, I could be wrong, after all, it was "you people" who got a local library event cancelled because after all, we can't let those poor innocent high school students learn about other religious beliefs (other than mainstream christianity)

So, no. We aren't trying to shove our beliefs down your throat, we are just sick and tired of having to be silent.

Yes, i completely agree! Who knew that me simply telling someone what i believe "Actually, i'm an atheist..." would be so offensive to some? Best to keep it to myself i have learned. Have had people question my morals and ability to be a nurse simply because of this.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
There are plenty of Muslims and Jews who work at my Catholic Hospital. No religious requirements here. In society you people are more guilty of shoving your ideology down the throats of Christians than vice versa. I don't know why you atheists are so afraid to hear the word of God. What are you afraid of ? The Truth?

As a Christian, I am so incredibly embarrassed to be associated with this kind of attitude. To those of you who were offended by what this person said, I'm sorry. Not all Christians/Catholics are like that.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
As a Christian, I am so incredibly embarrassed to be associated with this kind of attitude. To those of you who were offended by what this person said, I'm sorry. Not all Christians/Catholics are like that.

I think most of us know that. The comment was. . . sigh. . .

A couple of points, this to the poster who said rude things about atheists. . .

1. I have acknowledged my disbelief for about 2-3 years. I don't share this with my coworkers because I know the climate. They would judge me a baby-eater or at least morally bankrupt. So, I assure you I'm not shoving my beliefs down their throats.

2. I am most certainly NOT afraid of the "truth". I am extensively educated in bible and theology. Grew up in a fundamentalist church and even briefly attended bible college. Plenty of atheists including myself could probably score higher on a bible & religion exam than the average church goer.

Ok, to the OP.

Not every religiously affiliated organization is incompatible with a secular viewpoint. I work for a large faith-based hospital organization and day-to-day, I don't really see the impact of that association versus a purely secular organization. The reason I don't share details of my atheism is more due to living in the Bible Belt. It probably wouldn't matter if I worked for a purely secular organization.

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Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
As a Christian, I am so incredibly embarrassed to be associated with this kind of attitude. To those of you who were offended by what this person said, I'm sorry. Not all Christians/Catholics are like that.

Don't be embarrassed. My husband and daughter are believers and I know that most are like they are. It's the vocal minority that is the problem. I, unfortunately, live in the bible belt so run into a lot of the vocal ones.

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Oh please people, including those of you who claim to be Christians. You know damn well that if a Christian politely states their belief in public, they are immediately labelled as intolerant bigots. Does Tim Tebow or Kirk Cameron ring a bell ? You expect us to put up with all the moral decay that is now the mainstream without protest.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

To my fellow "heathens": MidLifeRN does not currently speak to the topic at hand. If this topic must be pursued, perhaps a dedicated thread on the topic would be more appropriate?

And I say this without rancor or sarcasm: I would be happy to engage with MidLifeRN or others on the topic of christian versus secular persecution elsewhere!

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Specializes in Hospice.
Oh please people, including those of you who claim to be Christians. You know damn well that if a Christian politely states their belief in public, they are immediately labelled as intolerant bigots. Does Tim Tebow or Kirk Cameron ring a bell ? You expect us to put up with all the moral decay that is now the mainstream without protest.

I agree with Tiffy - start your own thread on the travails of Christians, if you want to fight. This one concerns a perfectly legitimate question about the ethics of being atheist and working for a faith based provider. Could you address that?

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I have a great rapport with my atheist friends. I don't shove anything down their throats. We have atheists on our hospice board. We have atheist patients. Our pastor used to be an atheist. My dad was an atheist until the day he died.

It is the atheist patients who are afraid that they will get a lecture on salvation from our chaplain that breaks my heart. We, as hospice, are careful to explain what chaplaincy is and usually they end up choosing to have the chaplain come over. One patient invited one of our chaplains to dinner a couple of weeks ago and they had a grand time. When I saw him for his usual visit, I asked the patient, "Did our chaplain hit you in the head with the bible?" with a big smile on my face. And the patient laughed and said "No, he didn't. But he did look at my butterfly collection and we talked for hours".

We have a great rapport. I'm grateful. I'm not responsible for what he believes. As a Christian, I'll leave that to the God I believe in and let my patient know I support him.

Honestly, most people with religious faith don't bash other people. But some do . . . and that causes such friction.

So I understand the hesitancy about working in a "religious" facility but honestly, as many folks have mentioned, it isn't hard to do.

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Could you address that?

I already addressed it at the beginning of my first post

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