Mystical Angels

Spirituality in nursing from a non-Christian perspective?

Hi, I'm a nursing student enrolled in the course "Spirituality in Nursing." I am supposed to interview 3 people from a faith other than my own. The paper deals with healing and if spirituality/religiosity influences healing. Most of the time, in the circumstances I've seen with the health care field, focus is on curing the body, not healing the whole person: physically, emotionally and spiritually. My questions I am supposed to ask are: (1) What is your spiritual perspective on healing? (is healing solely a physical process or does it involve elements of a person's spirit?) (2) What are the critical components of healing, such as prayer, meditation, belief, etc? (Does prayer, meditation, belief in a higher power help the progression of healing?) (3) What is important to you when you are cared for by health care providers whose spiritual beliefs differ from yours? (Do you appreciate efforts to find out your spiritual/religious views and how those needs can be met in the hospital?) (4) How do you view health care providers who are able to let go of their own beliefs in the interest of your beliefs and practices? Thanks, Jen

Public Comments

1. Nursing is important. Then again, drinking formula from a bottle lets your baby become independent faster, if he/she is doing it on their own.
2. I am a atheist and not a nurse. I however have found through experiences as a patient and as a nurses aide that just spending time talking to patients, ,listening to them, talk about how they are going etc. I found also making sure of little things like flowers, sheets clean and properly fitted, all the little things made a difference. I found it also good for patients to have visitors, family and that cards or notes made a difference. A positive attitude can help in the healing process both physically and mentally. Prayer might help some, other I saw harm been done because the person's religious beliefs they thought that either the person sick was going to hell or that had not prayed hard enough and that is why they were sick. Religion can and does cause enormous harm to people sick at times and at time comfort. It depends on the patient and the people comforting them. As I said I have found spending the time and talking to patients is what helps.
3. 1) In the Catholic Church there are two sacraments of healing, the sacrament of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. I do believe that both of these lead to a healthier person overall. When the spirit is in good condition, physically there may be something wrong but the whole person seems to be better off, happier and more at peace. Reconciliation is meant to cleanse the soul of any sin; it sets the soul right with God. The anointing of the sick has two functions: first to formally request that the hand of God manifest itself in the person's illness and the ailment be removed or 2) to help the recipient accept the will of God and trust in His divine plan. 2) The essential elements of healing, not just physically, are the sacraments. The Eucharist is the way we nourish our souls, the mass is how we refresh our love. Prayer is critical to becoming a whole person, particularly when a serious illness has ravaged that person physically, emotionally and spiritually. Again, prayer is vital, prayer is life. 3) In the city I live in there are two major hospitals, Billings Clinic (which is a full hospital that just has the name "clinic") and St. Vincent's, which is a Catholic hospital. I always choose Billings Clinic for two reasons: various members of my family work there and secondly, they have better facilities and higher credited staff. Nationally, Billings Clinic ranks in the top 5 in numerous health care categories. Even though St. Vincent's is the same spiritually as I am, I can get better care for my body at Billings Clinic. St. Vincent is first and foremost founded to deal with issues of the body, it's not a church. If I need spiritual healing I'm going to any local parish before I go to St. V's. 4) From my experiences the topic of my provider's religion have never come up. I don't really care as long as they have a medical degree and know what they're talking about.