It has been assumed that religion would fade over the years as humanity began modernization. However, religion has established its significance by being the backbone of society and issues that we face today. One religion that has been prominent throughout history is Roman Catholicism, which is considered to be one of the major branches of Christianity. In this paper, I will present an overview of Roman Catholicism and then discuss how an adherent of Catholicism would function as a nurse to show how the particular values and principles of Catholics might influence one’s approach to nursing or the medical field in general. Before we focus on Roman Catholicism, we must understand the foundation of Christianity. The founder of Christianity was …show more content…
Regardless, all assert that humanity is created in the image of god and are responsible to care for the earth (Young, 2013). Moreover, humans are seen to have more than just their physical bodies, but having souls as well, all being one in Christ. The Apostle Paul states this in a passage of the bible, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The cardinal human issue that is seen in the Catholic and Christian religions is that there is a separation from God. This state of existence is known as “sin”, which is the basic introduction that humans have turned away from God. This can be seen through the belief of original sin, where it is believed that humans are naturally sinful beings, as well as disbelief and acts of disobedience. The belief of original sin is not directly stated in the bible, but the story of Adam and Eve is considered to be the basis of the …show more content…
For example, if we imagine a Registered Nurse (RN) as a Roman Catholic, he or she may offer a prayer to the patient, either silently, read, or memorized. If the patient is in critical condition, and the patient were to be curious of the RN’s views of death or the afterlife, he or she may provide her insight of the catholic beliefs of life after death in the Kingdom of God. Moreover, if a patient request a catholic chaplain, it gives the patient an opportunity to confess his or her sins before death or experience the need of the sacraments. However, there may be instances where the patient may have atheistic or nonreligious worldviews. During these situations, a nurse would need to hold their position professionally, combining their privately held beliefs, to “motivate and shape to some degree the care that is given" (Fowler & Marsha, 2012). It is also important for the nurse to be more aware of these certain situations and to not impose their beliefs improperly during healthcare of a patient. In contrast, it would be wrong to divide an individual from their own religion, especially in the medical field, since religion shapes their morals. For that reason, it is not a question of whether a nurse should bring their beliefs to the bedside of a patient, but how they should (Fowler & Marsha,
In taking care of a patient, it is important for nurses to respect the patient, their beliefs, and their right to autonomy. Provision One in the Code of Ethics states “the nurse practices with compassion and respect for inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person” (ANA, 2015, p. 7). With a Jehovah’s Witness patient, the nurse must first acquire information regarding their religion and how it may impact their care and their wishes related to their healthcare. Once their patient’s beliefs are noted and understood, the nurse must establish a professional and therapeutic relationship with their patient without bias to their religion and the associated beliefs. The duty to act without bias can be found outlined in Provision 1.2 (ANA, 2015).
In (Genesis 1:26-27 KJV.) We learn that all humanity was created in the image of God. Just like Adam and Eve we too are commanded to take care of the earth and create life. While human responsibility was made clear all humanity was susceptible to sin. To summarize Lecture 2. (2015), humanity’s purpose from the beginning of time has been to do good continually, learn wisdom be fearing the Lord and follow His example in deed and in thought.
Knowing how the patient views health and illness and understanding the beliefs they associate with preventing disease and sickness, helps the nurse to direct interventions that incorporate the patient’s religious beliefs, life views, and values into their health protection plan of care. Interventions containing prayer, collaboration with healers and spiritual leaders, and accommodating ritual or ceremonial therapies are just a few ways the nurse can incorporate the patient’s cultural belief into health prevention.
First, Pesut uses the arrangement of her ideas to appeal to the audience’s intellect. The article is arranged through deductive reasoning from broad to more specific, as she first describes the religious cultural context and finishes by suggesting ways to improve individual spiritual care in practice. Pesut states that she will arrange her ideas this way in her article: “I will begin by discussing the context that has created barriers to nursing theorizing about religious care. I will then suggest that this neglect of religious theory has produced a spirituality theory-religious theory gap (…) I will then conclude with three recommendations for integrating theory about religious care into nursing education which complements the teaching of
As a Catholic nurse living in California, the author encounters patients with different religion, but the author promptly sets aside her own beliefs, placing the patient as number one priority. The
This concept is relevant and important since, nursing within a Christian worldview supports the concept of covenantal caring, and caring that has a moral foundation in God’s covenant with humankind. Caring is a sacred trust. In caring for the health of others, nurses ultimately
The guiding principles of Catholic Social Teaching have the overarching, dominating theme of human dignity (Condit, 2016, p. 371). The focus is, that human beings were formed in God’s image and in return, humanities purpose is to follow in God’s footsteps and portray the same love and grace (Coleman, 2008) (Condit, 2016, p. 371). Consequently, this affects how human beings interact with each other, requiring commitment, to look after, encourage, maintain and promote each other (Coleman, 2008) (Herbert, 2016, p. 7). One way to apply, this Catholic Social Teaching of human dignity, is to understand the nurse’s relationship with the patient. Nurses need to approach the patient with respect and maintain the person’s privacy, acknowledging that they are a fellow human being, with their own personal characteristics and beliefs (Condit, 2016, p. 371) (Walsh & Kowanko, 2002, p. 143-144, 149).
The topic I have chosen is, how nurses accommodate and overcome religious and cultural beliefs in different patients that may cause issues or obstacles in their hospitalization and recovery process. There are many different cultures and religions in the world, and all of them have different views on healing practices. It is a nurse 's job to do what is best for the patient, however, they also must accommodate the patient 's and their family 's wishes for recovery. It is interesting to discuss this topic because it will be a common issue that many nurses will have to manage while working in a hospital. It is enjoyable learning about people 's beliefs and cultures and any nurse would obviously not want to do wrong by them or offend them in any way. A couple of ways a nurse can accommodate a patient and family’s culture are, being an active listener and taking the nurse’s personal time to learn and read up on other cultures that are unfamiliar or different to his/her own. Nurses are responsible for the best possible care for their patients and accommodating their cultural needs will make the patient’s hospital stay a much easier and comfortable one. (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012) Issues that can arise from cultural differences are food disparities, personal space issues which contribute to levels of comfortability, and stereotyping. These situations can make the hospital stay aggravating and uncomfortable for a patient that is of a different culture than the nurse who is
Assessing for cultural competence is an important factor for nurses to consider as we prepare a care plan for our patients. In order to provide high quality care for our patients it is important to assess each patient’s cultural status and accept the discussions that are made pertaining to their religious beliefs. There are many religious practices and beliefs to consider when caring for a patient. However, it can become an ethical and legal issue when the patient’s life is at risk. Because ethical and legal issues are a risk factor, it is important that the patient understands the risk involved if not treated appropriately.
In today’s world hospitals are the foremost facilities of providing a varying level of care. These facilities supplies its medical professionals with the means to perform any treatment deemed necessary to regain health or save a life. However, as true as this understanding may be, there are hospitals here in the United States that are not allowed to provide certain services because of religious affiliations; meaning they must first follow a religious doctrine before implementing any medical intervention. Consequently, women may find their level of healthcare under these religious hospitals being subpar and lacking since religion has specific views on life. Most if not all religious institutions will not involve themselves in any
According to Dayer-Berenson (2014) religion is a way of life. She asserts that “the nurse should be careful not to assume that a deep faith or even a belief in God exist in all patients” (p.368).
The writer believes Jesus is her leader, and the patient is the primary center for attention. She believes it is her duty to handle each patient with dignity and render the appropriate care. Health is a universal term that is more than the absence of illness. As a future nurse practitioner, she believes that she the responsibility to her Lord, the creator and His people to provide the best available care with the supervision of a physician.
Additional research may be required on the Enrolled Nurse’s part, this is for the benefit of the Enrolled Nurse to gain an understanding of the patient’s culture and apply that level of understanding to the patient. This could be as simple as allowing time for religious practices, for example praying at certain times of the day, or providing appropriate food choices. This action on the Enrolled Nurse’s part is also mentioned in the Code of Ethics that all nurses adhere to within the work place as quoted below;
As the Crimean war came around, Nightingale gathered a group of the few skilled nurses she could find and was determined to provide secular care though the British society was rooted in religion and was deep in religious conflict at that time (Meehan, 2012). Often spirituality would take a backseat to academics and professionalism when it came to training nurses (Meehan, 2012). Since that shift in priorities, spirituality is still often taking the backseat to everything else when it comes to training and patient care. After looking at how spirituality effects health care and the need for it, many places are implementing it back into their assessments while others are struggling to see the benefits.
A nurse is so much more than someone who administers medication, performs physical examinations, and establishes treatment plans. Nurses do not just listen to their patients needs, they advocate for them. They do not just take care of the suffering and ill, they have empathy for them. They do not just treat injuries and wounds, they heal the mind body and spirit. Being a nurse is not just a job title, it is an identity. It involves many core concepts and incorporates many values and beliefs. Being a nurse includes the concepts professionalism and patient and family - centered care. Both in which relate to the Benedictine values of the College of St. Scholastica.