Nurses' Perspectives on the Distinctive Aspects of Providing Nursing Care in a Congregational Setting

As the number of parish nurses grow, it is important to understand the unique attributes of providing nursing care in a congregation. Through a focus group and interviews, this qualitative research study¹ explored this question with 17 parish nurses participating in a hospital-sponsored, volunteer h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of community health nursing 2002, Vol.19 (3), p.173-186
Main Authors: Chase-Ziolek, Mary, Iris, Madelyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Caring
Christianity
Churches
Community Health Nursing - organization & administration
Educational counseling
Faith
Female
Health education
Health promotion
Humans
Middle Aged
Nurse-Patient Relations
Nurses
Nurses - psychology
Nursing
Nursing education
Parish nurses
Pastoral Care
Public health nursing
Setting
USA
Volunteerism
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Summary:As the number of parish nurses grow, it is important to understand the unique attributes of providing nursing care in a congregation. Through a focus group and interviews, this qualitative research study¹ explored this question with 17 parish nurses participating in a hospital-sponsored, volunteer health ministry program. Content analysis revealed the nurses felt they had the greatest impact through health promotion and prevention, advocacy, health education, and health counseling, including psychosocial support and spiritual care. The nurses appreciated the unique opportunities afforded by the congregational setting including integrating faith and health in nursing practice, the more relaxed environment, the opportunity for long-term rela-tionships, and the level of professional autonomy. Challenges were experienced from the client's autonomy, the impact of religious beliefs, the nurse's worship experience, and time constraints. This study demonstrates that parish nurses can provide a valuable adjunct to the traditional care system as they practically and conceptually integrate faith and health.
ISSN:0737-0016
1532-7655
DOI:10.1207/S15327655JCHN1903_05