Philosophy of Parish Nursing Root Assumptions of Parish Nursing Strategic Vision for Parish Nursing Assumptions Regarding Parish Nursing Practice and the Curriculum Parish Nurse Education
- Philosophy
- Vision
- Accessibility and Availability
- Organizing Framework
- Core Competencies
- Certification
- Management of the Curriculum
Modules of the Basic Parish Nurse Preparation Curriculum Modules of the Supplemental Parish Nurse Preparation Curriculum List of Educational Partners and Affiliates Current Educational OfferingsFaculty PreparationCourse Completion Record - Word Document (IPNRC Educators Only)
Course Completion Record - PDF Document (IPNRC Educators Only)
2008-2009 Course Posting Form (IPNRC Educators Only)
Marketing Agreement 2008-2009 (IPNRC Educators Only)
Philosophy of Parish Nursing Parish nursing is a recognized specialty practice that combines professional nursing and health ministry. Parish nursing emphasizes health and healing within a faith community. The philosophy of parish nursing embraces four major concepts: spiritual formation; professionalism; shalom as health and wholeness; and community, incorporating culture and diversity.
- SPIRIT - The spiritual dimension is central to parish nursing practice. Personal spiritual formation is an ongoing, essential component of practice for the parish nurse and includes both self-care and hospitality, through opening the heart to self and others. Spiritual formation is an intentional process of intimacy with God to foster spiritual growth.
- ROOTS - The parish nurse role reclaims the historic roots of professional nursing. Aspects of health and healing found in many faith traditions are embodied in the role of the parish nurse. The parish nurse practices under the scope and standards of practice and the ethical code of nursing as set forth in their country.
- SHALOM - The parish nurse understands health to be a dynamic process that embodies the spiritual, psychological, physical, and social dimensions of the person. Shalom, God's intent for harmony and wholeness, serves as a foundation for understanding health. A sense of well being can exist in the presence of imbalance, and healing can exist in the absence of cure.
- COMMUNITY - The practice of parish nursing focuses on a faith community. The parish nurse, in collaboration with the pastoral staff and congregants, participates in the ongoing transformation of the faith community into sources of health and healing. Through partnership with other community health resources, parish nursing fosters new and creative responses to health and wellness concerns. Parish nurses appreciate that all persons are sacred and must be treated with respect and dignity. The parish nurse serves the faith community, creates safe and sacred places for healing, and advocates with compassion, mercy, and dignity.
back to top Root Assumptions of Parish Nursing Parish nursing is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and the historic practice of professional nursing, and is consistent with the basic assumptions of many faiths that we care for self and others as an expression of God's love.
back to top Strategic Vision for Parish Nursing Access to a parish nurse in every faith community.
back to top Assumptions Regarding Parish Nursing Practice and the Curriculum Practice
- The participant is a registered nurse with a current license or a student in a baccalaureate nursing education.
- Parish nursing is considered a calling in which ministry shapes the practice.
- The practice of parish nursing requires specialized knowledge and skills.
- The practice of parish nursing encourages a partnership model between parish nurses, individuals, families, congregations, and communities across the life span.
- Parish nursing contributes to the health of the faith community.
- Parish nursing values Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA/HMA, 2005), in the United States; parish nurses in other countries are accountable to their own specific standards of practice.
The Curriculum
- Focuses on core concepts of spiritual formation; professionalism; shalom as health and wholeness; and community; incorporating culture and diversity.
- Encourages individual spiritual growth.
- Is developed from a Judeo-Christian theological framework of care and is applicable to and respectful of other faith traditions.
- Is inclusive of socio-cultural and geographic diversity including ethnicity, gender, lifestyle, sexual orientation and faith tradition.
- Includes various ways of thinking and knowing such as the application of the nursing process with involves assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation; a theological perspective is also emphasized.
- Develops the nurse for a leadership role in collaborative health ministry.
- Supplies the content to develop and sustain a parish nursing practice.
- Fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among educators.
back to top Parish Nurse Education Philosophy Parish nurse education is based on the philosophy of parish nursing and includes a transformative curriculum that supplies knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to develop a parish nurse practice. Content includes core concepts of professional nursing: person, health, environment, and nursing. As a specialty practice of health ministry, parish nursing also embraces the additional concepts of spiritual formation; professionalism, shalom as health and wholeness, and community incorporating culture and diversity.
back to top Vision Parish nurse education will be based on a broad range of theory, research and practice. It will emphasize theological concepts to reclaim the spiritual dimension of nursing. Parish nurse graduates will be expected to pursue continuous learning and personal spiritual formation through denominational and/or seminary activies. Periodic evaluation and development of the curriculum will reflect changes in the specialty. This curriculum will be available and accessible worldwide to schools of nursing, health care institutions, faith communities, and seminaries. The parish nurse specialty will promote sharing of research and best practices in lay and professional literature. This parish nurse curriculum will be responsive to regional, religious, and cultural differences.
back to top Accessibility and Availability From a social justice perspective, the current health care environment dictates that parish nurse education is made available and accessible to all registered nurses and baccalaureate nursing students interested in this specialty practice. Integrity of the curriculum demands a flexible delivery format that is responsive to the following considerations:
- Participants will be recruited from a broad constituency to reflect a variety of cultural and ethnic groups. Participants will come from and interface with individuals and communities from diverse socio-cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The basic curriculum recognizes and honors the cultural diversity of participants and can be adapted accordingly. In addition, educators teaching the curriculum must be culturally competent.
- This curriculum is intended to be implemented in such a way that economic barriers can be reduced by grants and scholarships, partnerships with health systems, and financial support from faith communities.
- The curriculum can be offered in a variety of formats in order to make it accessible and available in local, national, and international communities includes:
- Formal academic settings
- Continuing nursing education settings
- Collaborative arrangements between health care institutions, public health departments, schools of nursing and/or seminaries/schools of theology, pastoral care agencies, denominational structures, nursing organizations, or home health agencies.
- Flexible delivery methods include; retreat experiences, traditional classroom settings and technological learning.
back to top Organizing Framework The International Parish Nurse Resource Center recognizes that there are a variety of ways that parish nursing is practices as well as differing strengths and skills of parish nurse educators. The curriculum allows for flexibility while maintaining the integrity of the module objectives. The specialty of parish nursing is a unique blend of nursing and ministry and incorporates a broad variety of theoretical frameworks and theological perspectives. The curriculum embraces the core concepts of person, health, environment, and nursing. However, as a specialized practice of professional nursing and a specialized area of health ministry, parish nursing embraces additional concepts that are woven throughout each module: spiritual formation; professionalism; shalom as health and wholeness; and community, including culture and diversity.
In addition, the organizing framework for the curriculum identifies the following seven functions of parish nursing:
1. integrator of faith and health
2. personal health counselor
3. health educator
4. referral agent
5. health advocate
6. coordinator of volunteers, and
7. developer of support groups.
These functions may be expanded or contracted depending on community needs, resources, and professional expertise.
back to top Core Competencies Core competencies are included with each module. The competencies:
- Describe fundamental knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected of an entry level parish nurse
- Serve as guidelines for educators, students, parish nurses, congregants, and employers
- Constitute the basic requisites for successful completion of the basic educational program
back to top Certification Currently, there is no professional nursing certification for parish nurses. Parish nursing in the United States has been recognized as a specialty practice by the American Nurses Association (ANA). Parish nurses are licensed, registered nurses who practice under the guidelines set forth by their State or Provincial Boards of Nursing and the standards of care and professional performance identified in the Scope and Standards for Parish Nursing Practice developed in their country of employment. In the United States, this document is Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA/HMA, 2005).
back to top Management of the Curriculum The Basic Parish Nurse Preparation Curriculum is written at the baccalaureate nursing level. The curriculum may be offered through continuing education or for credit courses at the baccalaureate or higher degree level.
Qualifications for the providers of parish nurse education include Master's preparation in nursing, completion of a basic parish nurse preparation course, and experience with parish nursing practice. Sponsoring organizations include colleges and universities, seminaries, denominational structures, nursing organizations, non profits organizations, health care institutions, home health agencies, hospice agencies, and other health related institutions.
Providers attend the Faculty Preparation Course to gain information on the content of the curriculum and the process dynamics. A contractual agreement is entered into by the sponsoring organization and the International Parish Nurse Resource Center (IPNRC) to ensure that the curriculum is managed appropriately. Organizations are to make note on all their materials that they are offering the curriculum developed by the IPNRC and they are encouraged to use the logo approved by the IPNRC.
Special circumstances may amend the qualifications of providers and/or the sponsoring organizations. This may be done at the discretion of the Executive Director of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center.
back to top Modules of the Basic Parish Nurse Preparation Curriculum Revised 2004
Suggested order for teaching:
| 1. Health, Healing and Wholeness in the Faith Community |
3 |
| 2. History and Philosophy of Parish Nursing |
1 |
| 3. Ethics in Parish Nursing |
1 1/2 |
| 4. Legal Issues and Accountability in Parish Nursing |
2 |
| 5. Self Care for Parish Nurses |
2 |
| 6. Assessment: Individual, Family, Congregation |
1 1/2 |
| 7. Function of the Parish Nurse: Integrator of Faith and Health |
3 |
| 8. Function of the Parish Nurse: Personal Health Counselor |
1 |
| 9. Function of the Parish Nurse: Health Educator |
1 1/2 |
| 10. Function of the Parish Nurse: Health Advocate |
1 |
| 11. Function of the Parish Nurse: Referral Agent |
1 |
| 12. Function of the Parish Nurse: Coordinator of Volunteers |
1 |
| 13. Function of the Parish Nurse: Accessing and Developing Support Groups |
1 |
| 14. Getting Started |
2 |
| 15. Functioning Within a Ministerial Team |
2 |
| 16. Health Promotion and Wellness |
2 |
| 17. Prayer and Worship Leader |
2 |
| 18. Grief and Loss |
2 |
| 19. Family Violence |
2 |
| 20. Documentation 2 |
2 |
| Total |
34 |
back to top Modules of the Supplemental Parish Nurse Preparation Curriculum Supplemental Curriculum 2005 Supplemental Curriculum 2007back to top List of Educational Partners and Affiliates Current List of Educational Offerings Complete List of Educational Partners and Affiliates back to top