please respond to the discussions with reference

Discussion 1

Spiritual care to me means acknowledging and addressing a
patient’s spiritual worries, doubts, and questions. According to
Shelly & Miller (2006, p264) “Spiritual care means putting
people in touch with God through compassionate presence, active
listening, witness, prayer, Bible reading and partnering with the body
of Christ (the church community and the clergy). It is never coercive
or rude.” “Christian spiritual care means facilitating a
person’s relationship with God through Jesus Christ”
(Shelly & Miller, 2006, p264). I have mixed feelings about
witnessing to my patients because I am worried about being
‘coercive or rude’, and have seen witnessing done badly
more often than not. I cringe at how some people come off. I have
prayed with my patients, a Christian prayer to God, for guidance,
wisdom, and peace. In a secular society, I watch what I say. I have
asked leading questions about patient’s beliefs and if they
believe in God/Jesus, then I will talk relatively openly to them, but
if they do not, I do not witness to them.

According to Shelly & Miller (2006, p265), a compassionate
presence means “we meet patients where they are, provide the
assistance needed at the moment and constantly nudge them toward the
goals God intends for them. Compassion means to feel with another
person.” I can agree with this. I can give nudges, and comments,
but not a lecture which only serves to turn them off. I like the
example Shelly & Miller (2006) give about the angel coming along
side of Elijah and helping him get back on his feet again so he could
go on. That’s one of the reasons I went into nursing and how I
would like to be remembered.

I wholeheartedly agree with active listening; “active
listening includes hearing what a person is not saying as well as the
actual thoughts and feelings articulated.” (Shelly & Miller,
2006, p266). I try to do this with everyone I come into contact with,
not just in the nursing field. “After careful, active listening,
there are times when a word of witness is appropriate and
helpful.” (Shelly & Miller, 2006, p267). I fail at
witnessing because I don’t know when it is ‘appropriate
and helpful’.

I agree with the aspect of Christian community. “Partnering
with the body of Christ—the church community and the
clergy—is another important aspect of spiritual care (Shelly
& Miller, 2006, p274). But this is mixed because sometimes it is
just a cop out, as it is easier to just call the clergy than talk to
the patient myself. I also will call clergy from other religions to
give support for the patient according to their own beliefs.

Reference

Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A
Christian worldview for nursing (2 nd ed.). Downers Grove, Il. Inter
Varsity Press. Retrieved from http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources

Discussion 2

All human beings
experience deep, existential concerns that are intensified when we
suffer. Questions such as, ‘why do I exist?’, ‘why
am I ill?’, ‘will I die?’, and ‘what will
happen to me when I die?’ are all examples of the concerns
that connect us. Illness can drive us to make our lives meaningful,
develop coping strategies, and experience hope. When we support
others whose needs are finding meaning, purpose, and hope, we are
providing spiritual care.

Shelly and Miller (2006)
beautifully, and succinctly state that the definition of spiritual
care is ‘giving hope to the hopeless’ (p. 262).
Matthew 9: 2-8 tells us about Jesus healing a paralyzed man.
Christ first addressed this man’s depression, saying,
‘Son, be of good cheer’ (King James Version). Jesus is
giving this man spiritual care before anything else. He did not
heal his paralysis first, he healed his depression first; he spoke
kind words to him, and then told him his sins were forgiven.
Christ addressed this man’s spiritual needs first, thus
giving him hope. If God addresses our spiritual needs first,
before physical needs, why don’t we? Shelly and Miller
(2006) go on to explain that nurses who provide good spiritual
care facilitate the ‘restoration of an individual’s
relationship with God’ (p. 295).

This truth led
me to consider what it means to provide spiritual care to patients
who do not believe in God. Does it mean if I provide good spiritual
care, it will help lead them to the Lord? Does it mean that I cannot
hope to provide good spiritual care to an atheist? How do I support
someone who is looking for meaning, purpose, and hope, if they
don’t believe in God? If spirituality is the feeling of deep
connection we have towards one another, and with the universe in
general, then we all are spiritual, whether we believe in God or
not. However, my Christian worldview leads me to understand that a
sense of interconnectedness cannot exist without God. How can we be
connected, if there is nothing that connects us? I think the
provision of spiritual care for an atheist would have to include an
assessment of the nature of what it is that gives them hope,
comfort, meaning, and purpose.

I agree with
Shelly and Miller (2006) that spiritual care means putting people in
touch with God, by providing a supportive, compassionate presence.
As an example, the nurse theorist, Jean Watson, explains that
helping a patient with their toileting needs is a sacred act
(https://www.watsoncaringscience.org/). Who or what is it that
facilitates that compassionate, supportive presence, if not God?

Reference

Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B.
(2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing (2

^nd
ed.). Downers Grove, IL: IVP
Academic. Retrieved from http://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources

Discussion 3

Spiritual care to me means ministering to a
patients mind and spirit. It does not necessarily have to exist in
conjunction with medical care. I feel like we can provide spiritual
care to our friends and family in need. When one of my friends or
family members “acts out” or is angry, I try to be calm and
use a combination of empathy, compassion, and active listening to help
them. In regards to my patients, they all deserve spiritual care.
Regardless of their sin, we are to accept them as human beings made
from God. I have found that using techniques that were mentioned in
the readings, I can provide spiritual care to my patients. By having a
compassionate presence, we are letting our patients know that we are
feeling with them. By staying with them and holding their hand or
listening to their fears, we let them share their most private
emotions with us. That is how I feel about my prayers to God. There
are times when I just need him to hear me. As God’s children, and as
nurses, we can be there to listen to the scared patient before surgery
or facing a terminal illness. Being an active listener also encourages
spiritual care. Patients in the hospital are being given a lot of
verbal and written information about their illness. They usually don’t
feel comfortable asking questions because they know that doctors and
nurses are busy. By giving a patient active listening time, they can
express their concerns. Regardless of religious preference, the power
of prayer is amazing. I feel as though it is like a
“time-out” before a procedure. It is a time to bless the
hands of the medical staff, the patient, and the family. A moment of
prayer stops the hands of time for a moment and focuses on the
spiritual needs of the patient.

We were created by God with a physical body
and our own spirit. As medical treatments nurture our physical body,
spiritual care through love and compassion nurture our spirits. I
believe that if a person’s spiritual being is in peace, they can
handle just about anything their physical needs are. I always thank my
patients for allowing me to be a part of their care. I am present for
some of the most private, emotional times in people’s lives. They
trust and look to us for guidance and to help keep them calm. We can
help extend the spiritual care beyond the hospital setting by reaching
out to their community resources such as a pastor, church, or prayer group.

Discussion 4

I
believe spiritual care encompasses caring for the individual
holistically – mind body and soul/spirit. It means to aspire
to provide care which will inspire hope to enable the patient/client
to cope with an illness, trauma, or life change; being cognizant of
the variant ways in which one may choose to seek a devout
relationship with a higher power/God/Deity by displaying respect and
appreciation for that presence regardless of one’s own
religion. I feel as though my view is in accordance with the nursing
Florence Nightingale implemented – without excluding or abandoning
good actions, secular nursing seems best to be observed, as it
leaves out the biases, to include diversified cultures and practices
in an effort to execute for what nurses are meant – provision of a caring relationship that facilitates
health and healing (Shelly and Miller, 2006).

Reference

Shelly
and Miller. (2006). Nusing – Practice of Care. In J. Shelly & A.
Miller, Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing,
Second Edition (pp. 231 – 287). Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press.

Discussion 5

All people are made in the image of
God, whether or not their beliefs tell them that is true, and
therefore, all have value and are loved by God. Spiritual care is
approaching every patient with that first thought in mind and
providing them with care that goes beyond the task at hand. All of
God’s children have a need to be connected with Him (to fill
that God shaped hole in our hearts) and that can be accomplished in
many ways. Allowing the love of God to shine through us is key.
Whatever spiritual care you perform, the goal should be to show the
love of Jesus. Shelly and Miller (2006) list spiritual interventions
that can fall into the categories of compassionate presence, active
listening, witness, prayer, scripture and Christian community. I
agree with how they discuss spiritual care. I would be cautious in
the area of witness and prayer unless that nurse is particularly
gifted in discerning the appropriate time and patient while offering
truth and hope with a huge helping of grace and love. Maybe I feel
that way because of my area of practice in the ED and trauma world
are most always fast paced and we don’t usually have time to
build that kind of foundation. The other interventions can be easily
incorporated into a fast paced ED, including offering to have the
chaplain or their personal clergy contacted opening the opportunity
for payer and witness.

References

Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B.
(2006). Called to care A Christian worldview for nursing
(2nd ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Discussion 6

Have you ever wondered why faith is listed first then hope and last
love? A human does need to have faith in something greater than
themselves. Hope is needed for the future and it takes love of others
to reach out and care for those around us. Spiritual care is learning
what the patient believes or the worldview held as truth and then
respecting the view held by the patient. The nurse respects and
responds to the patient at their level of need. The nurse does not
have the answer but is available to listen, guide, and support the
patient at whatever stage they are in.

Personally, I like several things in this week’s literature such as,
spiritual care given in a spirit of gentleness and humility is usually
well received (Shelley, 2006). This is because it is not
judgmental in nature but can open the door for conversation. To be
able to care for a patient without judgment no matter how their
worldview differs from the one held by the nurse is true Christianity.

This has been a touchy subject with me after working in a hospital
that was attempting to be politically correct after 9/11. The problem
began when they okayed for the Muslim nurses to wear their head wraps
but sent out a notice that any nurses who wore a crucifix would have
to remove it or be sent home. This was a hospital that had a Catholic
priest rounding on a regular basis, fixed fish every Friday along with
performing Ash Wednesday. The thought was that the crucifix was
offensive to the other faiths and we instructed that nurses were not
allowed to pray with any patients. The nurses’ autonomy was being
restricted, beneficence was being taken away by holding one religious
view greater than another.

Is there a difference or an accord with the description of spiritual care?

A difference or harmony is according to the nurse giving care. If
the nurse is combative, negative, pushy, or strongly opinionated this
is destructive to the nurse patient relationship. This type of
attitude will be detrimental to the healing process since it
interferes with the mindset of the patient along with causing conflict
with the worldview held as truth to the patient. Each patient is a
different situation but each patient only wants someone to listen to
their story. The nurses’ responsibility is to be careful not to try to
give answers but to only be a receptive listener. The nurse should
never be Job’s friends that only spoke death.

References

Shelley, J. &. (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview
for nursing. Downers Grove: IVP Academic.

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