Spiritual Care as Part of the Nursing Curriculum
--A Descriptive Study
Carole Piles

In this descriptive study, Associate Degree and Baccalaureate schools of nursing throughout the United States were sent a questionnaire to ascertain if or to what extent spiritual assessment or spiritual care of the patient is included in the curricula content. It was felt that most schools develop the curriculum content based on the philosophy that man is holistic but exclude the spiritual dimension of man from the definition of holistic.

The review of the literature indicated that in the 1960's many nursing educators felt spiritual care should be included in nursing theories and curricula but no evidence was found that it was ever implemented. There was very little in the literature for the next 10 years about man's spiritual needs or spiritual care of the patient. Recently many articles by nurse educators, students, patients and clergy have recognized that this aspect of man's needs should be taught to nursing students and brought into clinical practice.

Questionnaires were mailed to 60 randomly selected Baccalaureate schools of nursing and 60 Associate Degree schools throughout the United States. Of the 120 questionnaires mailed, 103 were returned of which 98 were completed. The returns were evenly distributed between the four National League of Nursing regions (North Atlantic, Midwest, Southern and Western), 49 from Associate Degree schools and 49 from Baccalaureate schools.

From the responses the greatest majority of both types of programs believe that man is holistic and include the spiritual dimension of man as part of the definition of holistic in the written philosophy of the school. Even though the spiritual dimension of man, including assessment and intervention, was stated to be taught, the actual skills were of the psychosocial nature. The schools stating that the spiritual dimension of man was taught indicated from the answers that it was taught at part of the psychosocial nature of man or part of his self concept with corresponding interventions of empathy, listening, or therapeutic use of self.

The reason given as to why the spiritual dimension of man was excluded from school curricula was also that it was considered to be part of the psychosocial nature of man or part of the self concept.

This investigator believes that educators throughout the United States need to become aware of this separate and distinct dimension of man which interacts and intertwines with the physical and psychosocial nature. Interventions appropriate for one dimension will not help a patient manifesting needs in another. This missing link in nursing education is a concern of nursing professionals, patients, students and some educators.