Prevalence of Christians in the field of nursing

leslie :-D · Mar 8, 2013

i guess i'm not understanding why it would make a difference...

since Christianity or any other religion, would not affect your role as a nurse one way or the other.

we (nurses) do not share our religious beliefs with our pts, and our care is non-denominational and holistic.

if the pt has spiritual distress, we get a chaplain, etc.

maybe if i could understand how you would feel alone, noting that one has nothing to do with the other? :)

leslie

Columnist · Mar 8, 2013

One of the responsibilities of the nurse as well as the health care team is to assess and address the spiritual needs of the patient. Meeting spiritual needs may be done directly by the nurse or through another member of the health care team, such as the chaplain or parish nurse.

While many Christians may feel led or called into the nursing field, it is important to remember that, as nurses, it is the patient's needs that we focus on. While Christian nurses may draw upon their faith for strength to get through their day, especially traumatic situations, we must be careful not to proselytize in the work place. We may, however, offer to pray with the patient or family request of the patient. Nothing can prohibit the silent prayers of the nurse.

As far as the prevalence of Christians in the field of nursing, I would think that greatly depends on the geographical location. I live in the bible belt where the prevalence of Christians in general is very high. So, it would be expected that it would hold true that the number of Christian nurses would also be high.

FSUNurse2b · Mar 8, 2013

tnbutterfly,

Thank you. My question was not clear. I was getting at the prevalence of other Christian nurses (employees) within the workplace. I agree with your comment on geographical location. Just wasn't sure if the field of nursing perhaps drew more Christians to it's ranks due to the nature of the job.

FSUNurse2b · Mar 8, 2013

leslie,

I totally understand all that. Thanks for your comments.

Columnist · Mar 8, 2013

This would be an interesting study to do. Poll hospitals across the country and see what the stats show. Who knows.......maybe a study has already been done.

The nursing profession does have its roots in Judaeo-Christian traditions of caring for the sick.

FSUNurse2b · Mar 8, 2013

That would indeed be an interesting study! It's interesting, but one could search day and night, without any success of finding any journal of this sort in my industry (banking industry).....

Journal of Christian Nursing

A quick Google search will find a deep connection between Christianity and Nursing. An almost non-existant relationship between Christianity and Banking. Which is probably why the banking industry has been plagued by unethical practices for years.

Columnist · Mar 8, 2013

That is an excellent magazine with very inspiring articles.

FSUNurse2b · Mar 8, 2013

Perfect! I think I'll subscribe for my wife.

allnurses Guide · Mar 8, 2013

I will be making a career change, from the banking industry to nursing. Thought about it over the past year. In my industry, Christians are far and few between. I suppose much of this has to do with the main focus being, money.
Wondering about the prevalence of Christians in the nursing field? I know much of this has to do with what area of the country one works. Also, non-Chrisitans may not be looking out for Christians in the workforce. I know in my industry, I feel alone, to say the least.

I'm wondering how you came to the conclusion that Christians working in the banking industry are few and far between when a quick Google search reveals that according to Gallup 95% of all Americans who have a religious identity are Christians.

If you are hoping to find your future co-workers placing their religious beliefs on the front burner as they go through their daily job responsibilities you may be disappointed. It's precisely because we deal with other people on such an intimate basis and our work involves directly the experience of birth, death, illness and spiritual states such as compassion and even the healing angel archetype that we don't emphasize our personal beliefs with patients or in areas where patients and family members can hear it.

I wouldn't want a Jewish, wiccan, or Islam co-worker to feel alone at the workplace either.

FSUNurse2b · Mar 9, 2013

nursel56,

The Gallup is absolutely spot on in their conclusions. America is still predominantly a "Christian" nation versus other religions. That doesn't necessarily permeate within the industry I work in. Just my observation, but of course I suppose it depends on geographic location, employer, culture, etc. I am very quiet about my faith, because I know that the workplace is usually not the place for those conversations (at least where I work!) I can't see how it would be any different within a hospital setting. My wife's nurse manager and a couple other girls on her unit are also Chrisitans and to her, it is comforting to work alongside other like minded individuals. Again, much of this is dependent on other factors such as location, hospital culture, etc. For example, I have a friend who is an NP at a Catholic based hospital in the city I reside in and this is their mission statement:

Mission Statement

We serve together in Trinity Health,

in the spirit of the Gospel,

to heal body, mind and spirit,

to improve the health of our communities

and to steward the resources entrusted to us.

She is able to have many very open conversations about Christ, with co-workers and patients. The hospital that my wife works at is much different. More diversified and less outspoken when it comes to personal beliefs.

I'm sure many Jewish, wiccan, or Muslim believers in this country absolutely feel alone in the workplace! Especially since they are of the minority. But if they happen to have an opportunity to work alongside a likeminded person, with the same beliefs, it is probably most comforting.:)

allnurses Guide · Mar 9, 2013

I went to Catholic schools as a child, my Catholic high school was next door to the Catholic hospital of the same name. Regardless of their Mission Statement, they employ a broad spectrum of people from all over the world. Their mission is to serve. I'm still close to my high school Vice Principal (a sister) who served later in a very high ranking position in that corporation. They do not proselytize. They provide for the spiritual needs of patients, but that is patient-centered and not facility-centered.

As far as whether or not one feels more comfortable with a co-worker who calls themselves the same religion I call myself, I feel that is also highly dependent on the personalities of those co-workers. The only times I've heard people say their non-mainstream religion causes them a problem at work is when the larger number who share the same religion either make them feel alone or try to convert them to their beliefs.

If nobody in your current industry, including yourself, ever talks about religion it's no wonder you felt alone. People are always free to associate with like-minded individuals for prayer, Bible Study or whatever they choose to, in whatever industry they choose to. I'm not ready to paint an entire industry that employs millions of people as one who you will find "Christians few and far between".

We haven't even touched on the subject of whether calling oneself any religion necessarily translates into moral, spiritual, values-centered behavior, but it is a huge factor in this discussion as well.