The American Nurses Association ( Ana ) And The Health Ministries Association

Shelly, J., & Miller, A. (2006). Called to care a Christian worldview for nursing (2nd ed.).

enhance quality. Some of the nursing issues in health care reform are; access to care,

The meeting I attended was the Arizona State Board of Nursing via livestream on September 17, 2015. This meeting is open to the public to attend or watch online livestream which is what I did. The members of attendance were: Board President Randy C. Quinn, RN, MSN, CRNA, Board Vice President Carolyn Jo McCormies, RN, MS, FNP-BC, Board Secretary Terri Berrigan, LPN, C-AL, and Board Members Lori A. Gutierrez, BS, RN-C, DON-CLTC, CBN, Jana Machesky, LPN, Kathryn L. Busby, J.D., Dr. Kimberly A. Post, DPN, MBA/HCM, RN, NEA-BC, M. Shawn Harrell, RN, MS, and lastly Melinda Pheanis Preston, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC. According to the Arizona Board of Nursing mission statement their organization protects and promotes the welfare of the public ensuring that each person holding a nursing license of the practice of nursing license or certificate is competent to practice safely (“Mission Statement,” n.d.). The purpose of these board meetings is to discuss any regulations that need investigating so they keep the nursing standards to protect the public. This involves bringing forth nurses to discuss any disciplinary actions that have been brought up against them or that needs further review.

Standard 16 of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope and Standards Practice, directs nurse leaders to advocate not only for patients but for all members of our healthcare community. As a discharge planner, I am in a unique position to advocate not only for patients but for caregivers as well. As part of my responsibilities, I participate in daily multi-disciplinary team rounds. The meetings take place so that all disciplines can openly discuss patient care needs. They provide the perfect opportunity for anyone to bring to light problems or concerns.

The Texas Nurses Association (TNA) District one meeting for the El Paso area, took place on September 20, 2016 at 1845. The President of District one, Paula Meagher was unable to attend the meeting as she was ill. She did however provide us with a list of the current Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) issues that TNA is engaged in. The issue that really caught my attention was Texas Occupations Code, section 157.011 (b-1) which deals with APRN restrictions on writing prescriptions for Schedule two controlled substances. The TNA website states:

According to American Nurses Association nursing can be defined as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness”. (American Nurses Association 2016) Nursing is a career where a person, should have compassion, a caring heart, and be devoted to their client care. Sometime person goes into the nursing field for the money, job stability, and because a person 's family member wants them to go into the nursing field. I feel like the future of nursing have yet to be determined.

The Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives (KCNPNM) have concerns with three major medical and political issues. One of those issues is a concern about health care to the poor and uninsured. According to the KCNPNM (2014), Kentucky alone has 20% of the population at or below 100% poverty and 41% under 200% poverty in 2007. Their focus on this is driven by the fact that those uninsured suffer negatively, including premature death and illness, due to lack of medical care (KCNPNM, 2014). As a group, they make an effort to provide the underserved community with information regarding available healthcare programs (KCNPNM, 2014). They also work to encourage legislation to aid those without health insurance by reaching out and informing local and regional lawmakers of our due diligence to promote health in all populations (KCNPNM, 2014).

Furthermore, ANA recognized the Health Ministries Association (HMA) as a membership organization that brought together all the faith community nurses in the United States. Later in 1998, HMA's Scope and Standards of Parish Nursing Practice were published and revised in 2005. Other than spiritual health, the FCN predominantly uses interventions of counseling, education, active listening, referral, advocacy, and prayer. However, spiritual care varies from one parish to another depending on the faith community practices and beliefs. Breisch et al. (2013) have acknowledged that advocating for suitable levels of care for vulnerable populations, individuals with healthcare resources access limitations, and healthcare consumers with low-literacy skills are some of the aspects that community nursing should support. FCNs roles include initiating referrals for clinical treatment, assisting in acquiring home care resources, helping with extended care arrangements and supporting healthcare consumers to have access to provider appointments, consequently enhancing health literacy. The FCN perceives the whole faith community and churches as healthcare consumer (Breisch et al., 2013). Faith community nurses participate in the promotion of community awareness related to significant health issues, in addition to developing community collaborations for health

The American Nurses Association (ANA) and Health Ministries Association (HMA) have described Faith Community Nursing (FCN) as a form of a specialized nursing practice carried out by a nurse within a faith community (American Nurses Association & Health Ministries Association, 2012). The role played by the FCN is to protect, promote, and optimize health and abilities, prevent illness and injury, and respond to distress regarding the practice beliefs and the values of a faith community. The FCN emphases on the purposeful care of the spirit as well as the promotion of holistic health and prevention and the reduction of illness (ANA & HMA, 2012). Furthermore, the FCN plays a significant role in developing community partnerships required to

The pervasive influence of scientific empiricism and Darwinism, “inevitably resulted in the establishment of the idea that the final reality is impersonal matter or energy being shaped into its present form by impersonal chance” (Schaeffer, 1981, p. 18). This change in worldview caused the removal of one of the basic foundations of nursing, the Bible. Throughout the Gospels we see that the ultimate purpose for physical healing was to restore people to a vital relationship with God and the community” (Shelly and Miller, 2006, p.24). Being able to demonstrate the value of this goal for today’s nurse is another important reason for me to understand nursing theory and history and how it applies to my philosophy of nursing.

Dr. Montgomery and I made rounds on the cardiovascular unit, and I was able to observe him interact with several patients of different faith background. He offered prayer to some, however, one declined prayer, and most requested prayer. Dr. Montgomery allowed me to pray with him and the patient. He also washed his hands between each patient.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a full-service professional organization that symbolizes the interests of registered nurses through its constituent and state nurses associations. The ANA implements the nursing profession by raising high standards of nursing practice, honoring the rights of nurses in the work field, promoting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by pushing the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. Their mission statement is, “Nurses advancing our profession to improve health for all.” Some of ANA’s main focuses are reformation of the health care system so that it delivers primary health care in the communities, growing roles for

Spirituality is a delicate topic, and some may not be open to talking about their beliefs. Spirituality is generally understood to be an essential aspect of being human (Lyndo-Lam, 2012). Assessing the spiritual needs of patients is a key component in the nursing process. A compassionate and thoughtful nurse can make a patient feel more secure, making it easier for him to express his spirituality. The participation of both patient and health care provider is vital in promoting spiritual health. The main focus of a spiritual assessment is to gather information regarding the patient’s spiritual needs in order incorporate them into the plan of care, so as to treat

Spirituality is considered one of the components of health and wellness, and is a contributory factor in the delivery of holistic care (O’Shea, Wallace, Griffin, & Fitzpatrick, 2011). It only makes sense for us nurses to study and research spirituality since the nursing profession is committed to holistic development, which includes the spiritual dimension of life. However, elements such as time constraints, short staffing, insufficient formal education related to spiritual assessment and confusion between spirituality and religion have led to spirituality becoming a disregarded component of care (O’Shea et al., 2011). Adolescence is a crucial time in the development of a person’s spiritual path (Benson & Roehlkepartain, 2008). Findings showed that most adolescents hold spiritual or religious beliefs already and choose to draw on them when experiencing life-changing events. Despite this information, healthcare professionals overlook the spiritual needs of adolescents (Neuman, 2011).

Nurses that listen to their patients, not only notice that they are physically hurt, but they can also notice their emotional wounds. The empathy of knowing that the patient is emotionally hurt is part of the spirituality connection. Therefore, they might need comfort. O’Brien (2001) states that, “ No other profession provides the opportunity to touch and be touched by the human spirit as does the practice of nursing. It is this intimacy that calls us to reverence: reverence for God as our creator and Lord…” (pg.110). Nurses have the privilege to connect with people in ways that no other profession may be able to provide. Since nurses are patients advocate, our duty is to connect them with their spiritual beliefs and