Is a Faith Community Health Ministry in Your Future?
If you are seeking rewarding nursing practice providing the care you dreamed about when you sought nursing as a career, consider faith community nursing!
Once an integral part of the Oregon healthcare continuum and nearly lost as a community health resource, faith community nursing is experiencing a resurgence in Oregon, with FCNs increasingly leading multidisciplinary health resource centers to advocate, educate, and help navigate in places where people worship, live, and play. Faith community nursing brings valuable nursing expertise into the community – specifically the faith community – where it is desperately needed and provides a space for nurses who are called to serve.
Faith community nursing looks different in different faith communities.
The FCN begins by assessing faith community health needs through surveys, focus groups, informal conversations, and/or observation. They use these findings to coordinate or conduct health resource center activities, which may include providing health information individually or in groups, health screenings or other health-related events (such as blood pressure screening), and/or brief office hours for individual health coaching or consultation. An active FCN practice and needs ministry based on a thorough faith community health assessment will help to reduce suffering, improve spiritual care and overall health, and improve healthcare access for those served.
Faith community nursing is a nationally recognized practice specialty. The Health Ministries Association is the official American Nurses Association Organizational Affiliate for faith community nursing and partners with the American Nurses Association to publish the Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice every five years.
Faith community nursing requires additional education. The Faith Community Health Network is a Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing Educational Partner and offers the Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course each fall. The course is available in other locations and can be accessed on the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing Events page. See additional information at the JOIN US link.
Health ministers are an important part of the health resource team!
If you are interested in serving in a health resource center, you might consider taking the Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course and becoming a health minister. There are many ways a health minister supports the health ministry team; anyone with a servant’s heart is welcome to take the training.