Chapter 45 The Nurse in the Faith Community

1. Chapter 45The Nurse in the Faith Community

2. Objectives Describe the heritage of health and healing ministries in faith communities. Relate models of faith community nursing to the current scope and standards of practice of faith community nursing. Develop awareness of the nurse’s role as a faith community or parish nurse within faith communities for spiritual care, health promotion, and disease prevention.

3. Objectives, Cont’d Use the nursing process in a faith community to assess, implement, and evaluate programs for healthy congregations using Healthy People 2020 guidelines. Examine the professional issues related to faith community nursing.

4. Introduction Faith community nursing or parish nursing is the dynamic process of working with faith communities to promote wholeness of body, mind, and spirit Work in close relationships with individuals, families, and faith communities to establish programs and services that significantly affect health, healing, and wholeness.

5. Definitions in Faith Community Nursing Faith communities Health ministries Congregational model Institutional model Healing Holistic care Wellness committee or health cabinet

6. Historical Perspectives Faith Communities Health Care Delivery Holistic Health Care

7. Faith Communities In the roots of many faith traditions are concerns for justice, mercy, and the need for spiritual and physical healing. The appeal for caring, healing of diseases, and acknowledging periods of illness and wellness is universal. Religion plays an important role in the lives of many individuals. An important aspect of living out one’s spirituality and religion is being a part of a community of faith from birth to death, throughout wellness and illness.

8. Health Care Delivery Shift in health care delivery to a more comprehensive wellness-focused program Consumer demand for involvement in health care decisions Collaborative practices and formation of partnerships

9. Holistic Health Care Emphasize nurses and patients embrace of a commitment to optimal wellness Focus nurses and patients on seeking the meaning of wellness for the individual or situation, and on considering options from an array of therapies. Harmony between the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual self is sought American Holistic Nurses Association standards (2000)

10. Faith Community Nursing Practice Characteristics of the Practice Scope and Standards Educational Preparation Activities of the Faith Community Nurse

11. Characteristics of the Practice Health promotions and disease prevention services for underserved urban and rural areas Embrace the vital role of families and community support for healthy outcomes. Working with the congregation as a population group Spiritual dimension of health

12. Scope and Standards Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2004) 1998 Scope and Standards of Parish Nursing Practice Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA and HMA, 2005)

13. Educational Preparation Extensive continuing education contact hours Designated coursework in a faith community nurse preparation at the baccalaureate or graduate level IPNRC curriculum

14. Activities of the Faith Community Nurse Personal health counseling Health education Referral or liaison activities Facilitating groups Integrating faith and health Health advocacy Coordinating volunteer services

15. Future Growth Faith community nurses can develop comprehensive, population-focused practices. The continuing challenge for nurses, other health care providers, and the communities will be to garner government, foundation, and private funding and combine it with support from volunteer activities, family involvement, and community groups to create the unique mix needed for the distinctiveness of each community.

16. Issues in Faith Community Nursing Practice Professional Ethical Legal Financial

17. National Health Objectives Encourage communities to support individuals and families to attain high quality lives free of preventable diseases across the life span, reduce health disparities across groups, and create environments that promote health. Enhance quality of life, promote longer disease-free years of living, create environments that promote health, and eliminate health disparities that can be readily addressed.