Parish Nursing: Expanding the Vision
Volume 18, Number 3 Summer 2001

Article Summaries

Editorial-Parish Nursing: Firing the Imagination by Judith Allen Shelly
After briefly reviewing the historic connections between the church and caring for the needy, Shelly discusses why present-day Christian nurses are being drawn to parish nursing. Having time to attend to their clients'spiritual and emotional needs, not often possible or felt important in the secular world, is a big draw. She cautions us to "walk carefully and prayerfully" in this ministry, and mentions several troublesome trends: more parish nurses in affluent suburban churches than among the poor in urban areas, and the tendency to seek the world's approval through professional status with standardization, credentialing and third-party reimbursement. She warns us to listen carefully to God's voice, to be sure that his standards are not violated as the ministry expands and matures.

Parish Nursing, Jesus People Style by Norma Singer
Maggie Spielman serves as a parish nurse in a unique urban setting in the inner city of Chicago, Illinois, at a homeless shelter. Using her nursing background, as well as her master's degree in community health, Maggie works at the Cornerstone Community Outreach, a ministry of the Jesus People USA (JPUSA), and loves what she does. Maggie came to a personal relationship with Jesus after working for a while at the homeless shelter, seeing her colleagues live their faith in their love and compassion for their clients.

My Life's Song (poem) by Rebecca Howell
This is a prayer by a caregiver, asking God to use her by filling her with his music.

Inner City Health Center: Dispensing Help & Hope by Karen M. Schmidt
Founded in 1983 in the inner city of Denver, Colorado, the ICHC now serves 1,300 people each month, over half of them Hispanic. The clinic has a physical and a spiritual ministry to people without medical insurance, or on Medicaid or welfare. Ninety per cent of the nurses are volunteers, who are united in knowing that their work at ICHC is a calling from God. Even though the needs they confront daily are complicated and overwhelming, the nurses love the freedom to discuss faith and pray openly with patients, as well as participate in a staff Bible study.

Circle of Christian Caring: A Model for Parish Nursing Practice by Margie Maddox
Maddox takes us step by step from her attraction to and preparation for becoming a parish nurse, and then outlines the process she followed in one congregation. She learned about all the ministries already in place in the church and provided creative leadership in adding a wellness element to them. Included is an original diagram with the elements of holistic care (mind, body, spirit) at the center of a wheel, and the various ministries that support that as the spokes of the wheel. The Model became Maddox's organizing structure for the four parish nurse roles: health educator, health counselor, referral resource/client advocate and facilitator.

What's a Parish Nurse to Do? Congregational Expectations by Lisa J. Mayhugh & Karen H. Martens
Interested in outcomes of parish nursing, the authors polled a congregation in Springfield, Ohio, to identify the scope and effectiveness of one parish nurse program as described by members of the congregation, the pastor and the parish nurses. Dividing the parish nurse role into four categories (education, consultation about problems, visiting [caring] and coordination, participants were asked which services they preferred. Overall, people thought parish nurse services should focus on helping people to stay well and to manage physical or emotional disease. The authors include a chart with numerical tabulations of results and end with a section on "Implications for Parish Nurse Programs."

Church Health Fairs: Partying with a Purpose by Pattie Boyes
The author saw her challenge "to organize a health fair that would assist in people's journeys toward wholeness." Boyes outlines the steps used in organizing health fairs in two different churches, as well as incorporating ideas, experiences and advice from other parish nurses. She honestly shares things that worked very well, and others that didn't live up to expectations. "Health fairs provide a fun-filled, high-intensity opportunity to communicate good information about wellness to a church community."

Breaking the Cycle of School Violence: How Can Parish Nurses Help? by Joyce E. Peterson
School violence is a major societal concern today. Peterson, a school nurse exploring parish nursing, has done some research about possible interventions that parish nurses could make that could decrease school violence in the future. She explores some solutions being proposed and finds them inadequate. Experts are beginning to consider a public health approach as an increasingly important resource because it identifies risk factors and taking steps to educate about and protect against them. Peterson ends with a practical section "What Can You Do?"

Spiritual Assessment: Comparing the Tools by Rosemarie A. Vandenbrink
Concluding that some of the maladies we face are symptoms of spiritual need, Vandenbrink sought to assess this elusive aspect of health. She chose to use two tools in her research on spiritual assessment: the JAREL spiritual well-being scale and Stoll's guidelines for spiritual assessment. Using both tools in her interviews of parishioners of a Lutheran church in Ontario, Canada, where she was doing a practicum, Vandenbrink was able to compare the ease of usage and the results of the JAREL and Stoll assessments. "Spiritual assessment is not a perfunctory exercise but a vital tool to foster holistic health and excellence in nursing."

The Power of Presence by Nancy A. Andrews
All nurses have patients whom they find difficult to communicate with and who try their patience and compassion. Andrews met one on her Mother Baby Care unit, Allison, and uses the confrontation to discuss the power of caring, no matter what the circumstances. Despite a rocky beginning, Andrews took advantage of an unexpected breakthrough and ended up having a good relationship with Allison. Even the most belligerent patients will eventually respond to simple acts of caring, delivered with compassion and respect. And that's nursing at its best.

Paulette Holly: Haitian Nurse, Deaconess, Exemplar by Marilyne B. Gustafson
In this historical profile, Gustafson shows the perseverance and diverse accomplishments of Paulette Holly, a nursing leader in Haiti for the past fifty years. Not being content to care only for the physical needs of her countrymen, Paulette studied and became a deaconess in the Methodist church and preached the Word, visited the sick and conducted prayer meetings.

At the Alpha and Omega of Life (poem) by Betty Syverson
Nurses are privileged to be present in the delivery room at the beginning of life, and often also in the nursing home or at the hospital bedside at the end of life. In both situations, if we look, we can see the hand of God at work.

Conversations with God: Keeping a Prayer Journal by Victoria Schlintz
Schlintz has been journaling since she was ten years old. From her experiences she discusses why it's good for us to keep a prayer journal: to develop a relationship with God and with others; to discover ourselves; to discern the will of God; to design a consistent, meaningful devotional life; and to deepen prayer life. Then she gives practical tips on starting a prayer journal, including what to put in it. "A prayer journal can be a delightful blessing, a gift to yourself and an offering to God."

To Stop or Not: Good Samaritan 2001 by Marcena Walker
When do you, as a nurse, stop at a highway accident, and when should you pass by without a sense of guilt? The author gives the guidelines she uses and illustrates with an incident when she knew the Lord had directed her to be in a certain place at a certain time. Walker discusses some of the legislation that protects nurses from litigation when assisting victims in public as a Good Samaritan.

Speak Carefully by Karen Sutherland
We all know that health care personnel have a language all our own. Sutherland cautions us to be aware when our patients don't understand the terminology we use that causes them unnecessary fear and anxiety. If we care as we say we do, we need to take the time to listen carefully and understand what our patients are saying. We need to communicate with them in a way they will understand so that they are able to try to work with us in their care. The author cites Jesus as our example: "He always had time to listen, even when he was pressed on every side with people demanding his time and attention."

The More Than Ten Commandments (poem) by Mary-Kate Heffern
With a touch of humor, Heffern reviews all the counsel we constantly receive of what to do and what not to do to live healthy lives. Then she compares it with our eternal destiny.

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