Parish Nursing: Historical Roots and Modern Recognition

The historical roots for parish nursing are in the business of health and healing professionals. As nurses continue to relate their healing traditions and recognize the gaps existing in service delivery, Parish nursing has gained high levels of prominence (Hickman, 2011). The autonomous roles in nursing, accompanied by the emergence of nursing centers have also led to the acknowledgment of parish nursing (Smucker & Weinberg, 2009). Parish nursing was accepted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) in 1998 as the most known term used to describe nurses who work with faith communities (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). The ANA recognized the Health Ministers Association (HMA) as an organization that advocated for faith community nurses. Subsequently,

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 (Dyess, Chase, & Newlin, 2010). The FCN emphasizes on the purposeful care of the spirit as well as the promotion of holistic health and the prevention and reduction of illness (ANA & HMA, 2012). Furthermore, the FCN plays a significant role in developing community partnerships required to enhance health promotion (Breisch, Hurley & Moore, 2013). The ANA and HMA (2012) noted that an FCN offers services to faith community members and people in the neighborhood. The services provided range from case management, health education, patient advocacy, personal health counseling, coordination of volunteers, to acting as a liaison and referral agent between the people and health care sector (Daffron, 2013; Ziebarth & Miller,

For instance, the health levels of church senior citizens parishioners can improve because parish nurses enhance positive health practices, help in the prevention of injury and illness, and assist parishioners in suffering (Swinney, Anson-Wonkka, Maki, & Corneau, 2001). The two parish nurse models entail the institutional model and congregational model (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Under the congregation model, the nurse is responsible to both the parish members and its governing body, while under the institutional model, the parish nurse enters into a contract and partners with medical centers, hospitals, educational institutions, or long-term care facilities (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). However, with the HMA and the ANA integration of the term faith community nurse, my plan is to develop a faith community nurse model of care. The faith community nurse model of care involves the faith community nurse integration of the church and surrounding community to promote health and well-being through healthcare education and disease self-management, utilizing the acronym FAITH. F: Faith community nurse and faith-based nursing; A: Awareness; I: Integration (the church and the community); T: Teaching and educating; and H: Healthcare