A faith-based community nurse is a specialized nursing practice that focuses on intentional care spirit and promoting holistic health and prevention or minimizing illness within the context of a faith community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015).  Well-developed clinical and interpersonal skills, a strong personal religious faith, and a desire or felt called to serve the needs of a faith community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). They believe that health and illness are human experiences. Health is the integration of the health consumer’s spiritual, physical, psychological, and social aspects to create a sense of harmony with oneself, others, the environment, and a higher power. In the presence of disease or injury (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). Therefore, the purpose of community nursing is to nurture the human spirit through health education, spiritual assistance, and connecting the whole person’s needs with resources within the community and health system (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). Currently, the advocate is working with various communities that are struggling financially—connecting people with resources, facilitating referrals, assisting with navigating through health care, conscious cultivation of the mind, and integrating spiritual care into health promotion through the organization of self-help groups (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015).  They also assist in creating conversations around end-of-life care and other critical health care decision-making (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). The nurses work creatively, passionately, and holistically every day with those most in need and who can often not connect with the services and programs available to them (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015).  They provide for people’s most basic human needs for food, shelter, a place to be warm and safe, love, and compassionate connection (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015).

References

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (9th ed.). Mosby. https://doi.org/www.elsevier.com/permissions.