Nursing And Ministry Research Paper

Nursing and Ministry Historically, the nursing profession has roots in the Christian concept of ministry. A caring ministry calls for persons to serve others who are in need physically, mentally, and spiritually. This includes family, friends, neighbors, the sick, the poor, and yes, even our enemies. We are instructed in the early studies of our profession to see those that we serve as “whole” individuals. This includes the physical, mental, and spiritual being. Jesus was our first and primary example of how nursing and ministry work together. He not only saw what people were, but what they could be, and he showed us that caring for the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of people is important to health. His compassion for

Her name is Paula (Shelly) O’Bear and she is without a doubt, a great inspiration to me as I have seen her care for her patients over the past 15 years. Shelly cares for her patients with compassion, grace, and understanding that only, a person of faith would have. I have witnessed her, and joined her, as she ask family members who were facing the imminent death of a loved one if she could pray with them. I have watched her as she held them while they said good-bye to that loved one, and I have seen her bathe, feed, and show human love towards a homeless, filthy, lonely, and hungry soul who came into the ED on a cold, rainy night just to get dry for a few hours. Shelly is not shy about sharing her faith and yet she is not overbearing in her actions. She is a great example not only to me, but also, to the new nurses who come into our stressful and many times rough environment. Shelly is a prime example of someone who cares about the whole person no matter what his or her circumstances

It is imperative that we look as each person as an individual who brings their unique needs, beliefs, family dynamics, and perceptions to the health-care table. We as health-care providers must look at the entire picture, not just the “medical” issues. Sometimes we are nurses, sometimes we are counselors, sometimes we are pastors, and sometimes we must be friends. Shelly told me of an elderly man that she remembered well. He was alone, septic, and likely to pass away while in the hospital on this visit. She said that even though he was most likely in his last hours, the most important thing to him was getting a bath because he felt like he was not clean (he was a resident of a very poor nursing home). She told me that her mission in that moment was not to only to care for his medical needs, but his personal worries and concerns as well. “I gave him a full head to toe bath, gently cared for him, and then tucked him in. He died later that night but I helped him be just a little more comfortable, and maybe more at peace” (Paula O’Bear, personal communication, January 30,