Nurses Christian Fellowship

Sustaining Nursing’s Balance

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Thu, 04 May 2017 15:27:29 +0000

Gordon Govier

Sustaining Nursing’s Balance

National Nurses Week is May 6-12, and this year’s theme—“The Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit”—recognizes the spiritual dimension of nursing care. In fact, it suggests that without spiritual care, nursing is unbalanced.

Nurses Christian Fellowship, a ministry of ��ñ��, has been sharing the spiritual dimension of nursing care rooted in the Christian faith with student and professional nurses since its beginning in 1948. Today there are 997 students and 112 faculty members participating in 88 Nurses Christian Fellowship groups at U.S. colleges and universities. There are almost 300 professional nurses involved in 30 NCF local nurse chapters and 1,572 members of the NCF professional organization.

NCF is offering a special Bible study on the Nurses Week theme, and other resources. This year’s theme plus a professional collaboration involving NCF director and JCN editor in chief Kathy Schoonover-Shoffner over the past five years has provided an opportunity to expose NCF to a much broader audience.

The results of the project Kathy has been collaborating on, were published in the February 2017 issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN). The project focused on a topic that greatly impacts the spiritual dimension of nursing, moral distress and ways to foster moral resilience. The executive summary for “Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing” was published in the April-June 2017 issue of NCF’s Journal of Christian Nursing.

In her own editorial column in that same issue, Kathy reported that the spiritual aspects of moral distress are inescapable: “Spiritual, as in that search for what is right action, is how we figure out what is right, what helps us do right, and how we deal with the distress of not doing right. As Christian nurses we have a Source to go to for wisdom and moral courage.”

Former NCF director Mary Thompson assessed the significance of this project, which had been initiated by NCF. “The articles, which probably will be part of reading lists for nursing ethics classes in universities, can be an avenue for discussion that can lead to considering sources of ethical behavior and how nurses can deal with dilemmas they face,” she said. “The visibility of JCN and NCF through the articles can help to guide people to God’s Word and help them see how Jesus can make a difference in what we face.”

This AJN project was described as a “momentous partnership” for NCF and JCN. It will help insure that not only during National Nurses Week but also for many weeks and months to come, there is a ready resource that helps nursing students and nurses understand ways to develop more resilience to support the balance of mind, body, and spirit.

FINAL NOTE:

For the third year in a row, the Journal of Christian Nursing won recognition for both design and editorial quality in the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors annual awards competition.

Gold Award in the Best Opening Page/Spread: Photo Category “When Sorrow Never Stops: Chronic Sorrow After the Death of a Child” (January/March 2016)
Silver Award in the Best Cover: Illustration Category “Teen Depression and Suicide: A Silent Crisis”(April/June 2016)
Bronze Award in the Best Feature Article Category “Teen Depression and Suicide: A Silent Crisis”(April/June 2016)
Bronze Award in the Best Cover: Photo Category “Trauma-Informed Care: Helping Patients with a Painful Past” (October/December 2016)

News Keywords

Health Care

Journal of Christian Nurses

National Nurses Week

Nurses Christian Fellowship

spirituality

Christmas: A Change of Plans

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 19:48:18 +0000

News

Darlene R. Sredl, PhD, RN

Christmas: A Change of Plans

��ñ��’s Nurses Christian Fellowship helps nursing students, nursing faculty, and nursing professionals lay a foundation for their life and nursing practice that is centered in the love and truth of Jesus Christ. Author Darlene Sredl teaches at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. The following story, like the original Christmas story, is about a baby, inconvenience, a change of plans, and God’s miraculous response. This account is a condensed version of a story which appeared in the April/June 2015 issue of the Journal of Christian Nursing.

Pulling into the hospital parking garage, I turned off the radio while hunting for a vacant spot. Reminded by the Christmas carols I had been listening to that this was the season of hope, I sent up a prayer, “Lord, put me where you need me, but give me your grace to do what needs to be done.” Help never more needed than tonight, I thought, rushing through the heavy doors marked “Neonatal Intensive Care Unit” (NICU).

Although I was what many considered a veteran pediatric nurse, transferring to the NICU meant learning an entirely new body of information on premature infant maladies, and assimilating it quickly. After an intense and grueling nine-week orientation, little did I realize, on this my first night working autonomously in the NICU, just how quickly I would apply my newly acquired information.

The assignment sheet revealed I had three patients but there were no acute life-threatening problems, just infants slowly gaining weight waiting for discharge. What a joy to have a chance to nourish these little ones while cuddling and loving them.

I looked up to see the charge nurse walking toward me. “There's been a change in your assignment,” she said, pointing to the name penciled over a scratched-out entry on the assignment sheet.

“Uh, okay, but just one patient?”

“This one patient will be plenty...but I know you're up to it.” She smiled reassuringly.

I donned the isolation gear then carefully slid past the curtains of the private isolation room. There, in the dim light, lay a huge baby. Unlike most NICU premature infants who were housed in clear Plexiglass isolettes, Marilee* lay on an Ohio table, which is used for larger babies attached to larger and more complex equipment. Marilee looked to be about six months old, bloated from steroids, no doubt, and sedated so that she would not inadvertently turn or pull out her tubes. A clear plastic extension connected her endotracheal tube to an angrily hissing and puffing oscillator positioned next to her bed.

I counted the drips, 11 intravenous pumps in one infant girl. Stroking her forehead gently I said, “I am going to take care of you, Marilee. It's going to be okay.” I begged then, “Lord, please, let that not be a lie!” In times like this I find comfort and strength in believing God's promise, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, NIV).

As if on cue, Robin, Marilee's off-going nurse, entered the room. “Do you know this baby?” she asked, hoping for an easy report with someone who at least had a working knowledge of this infant's care.

“No, this is my first shift off orientation,” I explained.

“Your first shift off orientation and they gave you this assignment?” she asked incredulously, sighing. “Well then, we'd better get started.”

In a nutshell, Robin told me how Marilee had a problem called surfactant B deficiency and had been a patient since the transport team had airlifted her shortly after birth. “Pulmonary surfactant coats the alveoli with a Teflon-like covering that reduces the surface tension of moisture, thereby preventing lung collapse,” Robin began. “The only effective therapy in cases like this is lung transplantation. But this family has a strong faith in God. They are constantly at her bedside praying. Except for tonight.”

She continued, “Tonight is the annual lung transplant Christmas party, and every patient who ever received a lung transplant at this hospital, as well as all those waiting and their families, are invited. Even the cardio-thoracic surgical team is there! The staff felt it was important for Marilee's family to go to the party, partly for stress relief, and partly to engender new hope by seeing all the kids with new lungs acting and looking like normal children.”

“Don't worry,” Robin concluded, “New lungs will probably not be available tonight because of the party.”

Two hours into my shift, I was starting to get comfortable with Marilee's care requirements when her mother called. Yuletide carols blared in the phone's background, making it hard to hear. Marilee's family was at the party, but they were miserable. The past six month's routine of living near or at the hospital, taking vigil turns at her bedside, was not easily changed.

Although I was totally new to the case, Marilee's mom seemed to trust me, and we spoke with easy familiarity. She shared her frustration over the long wait and depletion of the family's financial resources, but spoke of her continuing faith and strength, believing in God's provision. I reminded her that Christmas meant renewed hope. Almost as an afterthought, I asked for her beeper number before we hung up. “You never know,” I said, trying to offer hope again.

Just 30 minutes later beepers started going off. A transplant was available. Debbie, the lung transplant coordinator told me to call Marilee's mom and get her in ASAP (as soon as possible)!

To me, ASAP means, “Always Say A Prayer.” I said a fast one as I dialed the beeper number. The promise of 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) states, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-discipline.” Gradually, a steady calm replaced my anxious trepidation, and I knew with certainty that with God's help, I would be able to do what was required to give Marilee the best possible chance at life.

Marilee's family arrived a short time later. Julie, Marilee's primary nurse, also arrived. She lobbied the charge nurse, asking that I change assignments again so she could care for her primary patient. But the charge nurse gave the choice to me.

Although I was new to the NICU, I was not new to transplant nursing and had, in fact, just transferred from the cardiothoracic transplant floor. I knew I was probably the most comfortable with pretransplant requirements of any nurse there. Although Julie protested, the charge nurse backed me up.

I caught up with Julie a short while later and asked her why she didn't come in at 7 p.m. as she had been scheduled. Julie informed me that she'd been Christmas shopping and showed me two bags of colorfully wrapped Christmas gifts for Marilee and her family.

I reminded Julie that Marilee's family needed a friend as well as a nurse. “Why don't you be that friend tonight?” So, whenever her own assignment allowed a little slack time, Julie donned the isolation garb, came in and talked quietly with Marilee's family, pulling one Christmas present after another out of the bags to “oohs” and “aahs” of delight.

We got word that the transplant was a “go” and the moment came to transfer Marilee to the operating room. Before leaving the room, Marilee's mom asked for a moment of prayer with anyone who wanted to participate. She reminded us of God's promise in Matthew 18:20, “Jesus said whenever two or more of you gather together in prayer, I am with you also.”

Thus, fortified with faith, we sent Marilee off. Many hours, and much nursing care later, Julie and I met at the time clock, both of us exhausted. “Julie,” I stammered, “I'm sorry I didn't want to change assignments with you.”

“No, no, don't apologize,” she said, “You were right not to. I probably shouldn't have even asked. I was late, and I'd probably have been a basket case. I haven't worked up a transplant patient in years!” Her words reminded me of Proverbs 12:25 (NIV), “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

Marilee progressed well after the transplant. Although she would need to be on immunosuppressant medications for the remainder of her life, her parents were thankful to God, the transplant host, and all who had aided in her continuing quest for life. As for me, I regularly settled into one of the unit's comfy loungers, snuggling and loving Marilee up to her discharge. I contemplated the miracle of Christ's birth and the miracle of Marilee's transplant.

Posttransplant patients need a biopsy every three months, checking for organ rejection. Marilee and her family periodically came to the NICU to visit after the procedure. Seeing her thriving, I recognize that I was but an instrument of God's provision to use as he saw fit. I participated in one of the best Christmas gifts possible—utilizing my nursing skills in a procedure that helped to save a life! I thanked God and asked him to please bless the family whose own loss led to this miracle for Marilee.

* Patient name has been changed.

News Keywords

Nurses Christian Fellowship

NCF

Christmas

Nursing Journal Recognized for Excellence

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 02 May 2016 16:18:07 +0000

Press Room

Nursing Journal Recognized for Excellence

For Immediate Release

(Madison, WI) -- The Journal of Christian Nursing (JCN), published by ��ñ��’s Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) in partnership with Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, received recognition in four categories in the 2016 awards competition of the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE).

The cover story of the October-December 2015 issue – "See Me, See My Child: Glimpses Into Autism Spectrum Disorder" – was a Bronze Award winner for Best Feature Article. The article was submitted by Hannah Fraley, a student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in Population Health Nursing; an instructor at Salem State University College of Health and Human Services; and the mother of an 8-year-old boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). JCN developed the article into a continuing education feature article.

Additional awards went to JCN for excellence in presentation:

GOLD Award, Best Cover: Photo - "See Me, See My Child: Glimpses Into Autism Spectrum Disorder" (October-December 2015)
GOLD Award, Best Opening Page or Spread: Photo: "After the Trenches: Spiritual Care of Veterans" (October-December 2015)
BRONZE Award, Best Opening Page or Spread: Computer-Generated; "Nursing for the Kingdom of God" (October-December 2015)

“This is a tremendous honor,” said editor Kathy Schoonover-Shoffner. “I am especially thrilled that our editorial content won an award — it is a testimony about the professional quality of JCN.” JCN has been recognized previously for the work of art director Jenny Choi: a Silver Award and two Bronze Awards for photos and illustrations in 2014.

This well-deserved recognition comes on the eve of the National Nurses Week observance (May 6-12). NCF works with both student nurses (in 87 NCF chapters at nursing schools in the U.S.) and professional nurses (in 24 NCF local nurse chapters).

The mission of JCN is to help students, nurses, and educators practice from a biblically-based, Christian perspective. JCN is published four times each year. More information about JCN and NCF is available at http://ncf-jcn.org/.

News Keywords

Nurses Christian Fellowship

NCF

Journal of Christian Nursing

JCN

Nurses Christian Fellowship Director Named

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 15:16:49 +0000

Press Room

Nurses Christian Fellowship Director Named

For Immediate Release

(Madison, WI) --- Kathy Schoonover-Shoffner has been named national director of Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF). She will begin her new duties in July 2016.

Kathy has served NCF as editor of the Journal of Christian Nursing (JCN) for the past 11 years. “Kathy brings over 35 years of experience and expertise to her new role: nurse, administrator, researcher, editor, and volunteer campus staff,” said Paul Tokunaga, ��ñ�� vice president and director of Strategic Ministries. “She is highly regarded in both the Christian and secular nursing worlds. But foremost, Kathy is passionate about seeing nursing students come to a saving faith in Jesus and then be salt and light in healthcare.”

Kathy first connected with ��ñ�� while a master’s student when she was invited to an NCF Bible study. Later, she was invited to be a Bible study leader and prayer minister at a national NCF conference. And she began volunteering to support NCF faculty advisors and nurse groups in the NCF Central Plains region. She also has served as a volunteer staff member for students and faculty at Wichita State University and Newman University schools of nursing.

Kathy was appointed JCN editor in 2004. The following year she helped NCF negotiate a partnership with publishing giant Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. “That was a miraculous work of God that widened NCF and ��ñ��’s influence,” Kathy said. “We now publish JCN in print, online, mobile, and iPad formats, and it put our biblically based continuing education for nurses online with one of the world’s largest continuing education providers.”

“Kathy succeeds Jane Hall, who retires from her role in June 2016,” said Paul Tokunaga. “Jane has done an excellent job leading NCF the past six years.”

Kathy received her PhD in nursing from the University of Kansas. She lives in Wichita with her husband, Richard, a physician. They have three grown children, and attend First Baptist Church of Wichita.

Currently, there are 87 NCF groups in schools of nursing across the U.S. In addition, nurses are involved in 24 NCF nurse chapters, and there are over 1,500 members of NCF’s professional and ministry organization. Jane Hall is excited about the future of NCF. “I am thankful for Kathy’s appointment," she said. "NCF will continue to see nursing students and faculty transformed by Christ and have a biblical, Christian influence in nursing."

For more information contact:
Gordon Govier
608-443-3688

News Keywords

Strategic Ministries

Nurses Christian Fellowship

Journal of Christian Nursing

Jesus in the Clinic

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:43:13 +0000

News

Kathryn Brill

Jesus in the Clinic

Healthcare professionals are often closest to some of the most intense physical suffering and pain. Because of this, Christians in healthcare have a unique opportunity to model Jesus’ incarnational love, being his hands and feet in a visible, tangible way. Heather Cutillo, a registered nurse and ��ñ�� alumna, has had firsthand experience with living out her faith in the nursing world, and has seen the ways that the love of God still shines brightly in the dark places.

As a graduate student at Rush University, training to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, Heather heard a call from God to work in the field of urban health ministry. At the time, she was responsible for a patient with many financial and other difficulties, whose only support was the health clinic where Heather was working. Seeing how urban health centers could be a support network for those without one opened her eyes to the ways God could use her through urban health work.

Heather initially experienced this as a somewhat scary thing. “In many ways, it was easier to answer the call I got in college to go on a missions trip to Africa than it was to answer the call to urban health ministry,” she said. But ultimately, Heather and her husband, Bob, who was also drawn to urban health ministry, grew excited to see where God would lead them.

Serving Others Daily

God has led Heather and Bob to places where they have learned how to show his love to others through the way they lead their lives. Sometimes this incarnational living has meant literally dwelling with those they serve. For instance, while working in Washington, D.C., Heather and Bob lived in Christ House, a facility that ministers to the homeless. “When most people are discharged from the hospital, they are sent home to recover,” said Heather. “But for those who don’t have a home, it makes recovery difficult. Christ House provides a place for those who are homeless and have serious health problems to recover after their hospital stay.”

Heather and Bob lived on the top floor of Christ House with others who worked and ministered there. Every Sunday, caregivers and patients would worship Jesus together in a small church service. Several people who had recovered and been able to find housing elsewhere would come back to Christ House to worship with the residents. Christ House also held midweek worship services, which took place after the residents ate dinner together. “At Christ House, we were all part of a community,” Heather said.

For the past 13 years, Heather and Bob have lived in Denver, Colorado, where Heather works for Inner City Health Center, a clinic that serves uninsured people. Inner City is also a Christian clinic, which often leads patients to be more open about their spiritual lives with the caregivers. “Because people know we’re Christian, and know that we respect the interaction between faith and life, they are often more open to talking about spiritual things with us,” said Heather. Regardless of whether faith enters the conversation, Heather always tries to listen well to her patients and be present as a source of support in order to show them God’s love. “I know that God cares about the needs of every one of my patients, so I treat them all with the same dignity and respect,” she said.

Leaning on Christ

The pain and grief that nurses witness every day can easily lead to burnout and discouragement. Heather gains the spiritual strength she needs for her work from daily time with God. She first learned how to practice spiritual disciplines in nursing school, when she was a member of ��ñ��’s Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF). “In nursing school, I learned about the importance of having a daily quiet time, spending time in Scripture and prayer, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Heather said. “I really appreciated the emphasis on discipleship and developing my relationship with God that I got from NCF.”

Heather also has a strong community around her that supports her in her walk with God. Her small group Bible study is a source of great encouragement for her, as is her husband who, as a fellow urban health worker, understands the challenges of being a healthcare professional. “Bob and I can support each other well because we both understand what the other person is going through,” she said.

It’s the spiritual support that Heather receives that convinces her that the world needs more Christians in the healthcare professions: “There are a lot of people who want to do good things, but those who don’t have the Lord as their guide and strength can get burned out easily.”

Heather encourages Christians who are contemplating a career in healthcare to go for it, and to bring the countercultural values of God’s kingdom along with them. “There’s a lot of need in places where mainstream doctors and nurses don’t want to go to, because it would be risky, or it would involve earning less money,” she said. “Those are the places where God often calls us.”

News Keywords

Rush University

Nurses Christian Fellowship

��ñ�� alumni

Mobilized to Serve

AD-16225 — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:09:59 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

Mobilized to Serve

“Trusted to Care” is the theme of National Nurses Week (May 6-12). Polls show that nursing is one of the most trusted professions; nurses offer care and comfort to people during some of the most difficult times of their lives. It is a huge responsibility.

Questions

A nursing student attending the National Student Nursing Association convention last month wanted to know, “Can we talk about God with our patients?” Another student said, “I have so many questions about how to help my patients. I see they have spiritual questions and are afraid.”

Kathy Schoonover-Shoffner, the editor of the Journal of Christian Nursing was able to share with these two students, and many others, answers to their spiritual questions about nursing. The Journal of Christian Nursing is published by Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF), a part of ��ñ��. As Kathy shared on the NCF Nurses Blog, many students that she talked with were not aware of NCF. “They were thrilled to learn of an organization whose mission is to bring the good news of Jesus to nursing and healthcare.”

Answers

The nursing approach taught in many schools values wholistic care but leaves God out of the picture. “In NCF we’re mobilizing students to be committed to whole person care,” said NCF director Jane Hall.” We want students and nurses to understand that they need to be very ethical in their approach to spiritual care, and not to impose their own beliefs. But there’s more that they can do.”

She explained, “We work very hard to help students and nurses understand the basic principles of giving spiritual care but also to be prepared. If they ask a patient whether the patient would want prayer, and the response is yes, that they would feel comfortable in giving that, and that they would be able to explain to the patient who they would be praying to.”

A Model of Compassion

Jane Hall believes that a major reason that nurses are “trusted to care,” is because many follow Jesus’ model of compassion and selfless service to others. During National Nurses Week NCF provides online resources for prayer and Bible study that emphasize the spiritual foundation of nursing. Throughout the year NCF provides resources and staff to help students and nurses grow in their faith and their profession.

Audio Extra: Listen to a talk on nursing and shalom, by Grace Tazelaar, NCF Director of Missions

News Keywords

Whole person care

spirituality

Nurses Christian Fellowship

National Nurses Week

Journal of Christian Nursing

Healing for the Healers

webteam@intervarsity.org — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0000

News

Shelley Soceka

Healing for the Healers

What do nursing students identify as their top spiritual need? At a recent convention for 3,000 nursing students, an interactive exhibit by Nurses Christian Fellowship asked delegates to tag their top choice: inner peace, significance, belonging, security or comfort. Which would you choose?

“We weren’t sure what to expect when we asked the question,” said Renee Lick, NCF Director of Student Ministries. “But students quickly opened up to us – sharing their struggles and spiritual needs. Their most common desire was for inner peace, followed closely by the need for belonging. They shared some very painful and personal stories with us.”

Many students feel overwhelmed by nursing school and often their relationships are noticeably affected — as well as their care for patients. “We were able to pray with many students who realized that their relationship with God was also suffering during their time in school,” Renee said.

The exhibit was hosted by Nurses Christian Fellowship at the annual convention of the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) in Orlando, Florida. Renee and five other NCF staff and volunteers also surveyed students about what is missing in their lives and what they identify as the primary need of their patients. NCF also provided a “Prayer Chair” in the exhibit space for people who asked for prayer, along with a prayer box for people to write down their requests anonymously.

The interactive exhibit, or proxe station, was a springboard into spiritual conversations and sharing the gospel. As the week progressed, it also became a significant place of inner healing, prayer and life-giving hope for those preparing for demanding careers as nurses. Students who opened their hearts about their emotional and spiritual needs were invited to embrace Jesus as the one true healer of body, mind and spirit.

“The students we talked to appreciated having someone ask about — and listen to — their spiritual struggles,” said Renee. “They quickly opened up to us, even those who consider themselves non-religious.”

For more on this story, go to ��ñ��’s website for students, StudentSoul.org.

News Keywords

Nurses Christian Fellowship

National Nurses Week

webteam@intervarsity.org — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 +0000

News

National Nurses Week

Nurses Christian Fellowship, (NCF), is celebrating National Nurses Week this week, along with hospitals and other health care agencies around the country. National Nurses Week is traditionally celebrated during the week before the birthday of Florence Nightingale, May 12.

NCF director Pat Emery said that the week is a time not only to honor nurses for the work that they do and the sacrifices they make but also to let people know that there’s a shortage of nurses. The nursing shortage is not a new issue, and it will probably continue for years to come.

“There are quite a few of us in the baby boomer generation that are nurses who are nearing retirement,” she said. “When we were in high school there weren’t all of the options for jobs that women have today. So there are a lot of us in the 50 and 60 year age range.”

Nursing is now one career option among many. And it is not an easy option. Most nursing jobs are in hospitals, which have to be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. “When you start raising a family, the schedule does get in the way,” Pat acknowledged. However, there are options within nursing. “You don’t have to work in a hospital. There is school nursing and parish nursing, a variety of nursing jobs.”

Pat Emery has been director of NCF for eight months. Her first annual NCF staff meeting was held in Chicago this past weekend and included brainstorming in preparation for a strategic plan which will guide NCF in the years ahead.

“We are well and healthy. But we’re looking at a new focus,” she said. “Our greatest thrust right now is to enhance and revitalize student nursing within the colleges of nursing around the country.”

Unlike most other areas of ��ñ��’s ministry, NCF serves both professionals in the field and students. Pat believes more emphasis is needed on student ministry at this time. She will announce further plans related to student ministry in the next few months.

Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, was known for her commitment to professionalism and to compassionate care. Her Christian faith guided her into and during her nursing career. NCF continues to provide Christian models of professionalism and compassionate care to today’s nurses and nursing students.

News Keywords

Nurses Christian Fellowship

Ready, Set, ...Rest?

webteam@intervarsity.org — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:00:00 +0000

News

Carrie Dameron

Ready, Set, ...Rest?

The phone rings early in the morning and a voice says, “Donna, we are short-staffed today. Can you come in?” The nursing program is doing a curriculum revision, and everyone agrees to schedule extra meeting dates to ensure its completion. A volunteer at the church calls: “Steve, Mrs. Lin had hip surgery and is coming home. Can you coordinate a team of nurses to visit her daily?”

These requests and other professional expectations are part of everyday work for nurses in all areas of practice. Whether working in acute care, the clinic, a church, or education, nurses are called to give more and more of themselves.

Along with work commitments, nurses have the responsibility of spouses, children, and/or extended family members. Many nurses juggle work and family while volunteering at churches, clinics, or other community organizations. Nurses also are busy pursuing additional degrees, research projects, and committee assignments. They can become overcommitted, overworked, and overwhelmed.

The concern isn’t that nurses say “yes” to more and more commitments. It is rather that we say “no” to the rest we need. Thankfully, the Lord in his infinite wisdom knows our needs and gave us the Sabbath rest.

The word “Sabbath” usually reminds Christians of the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20:3–17. The concept actually was first presented when the Lord provided the Israelites with “bread from heaven” in the form of manna. The Lord told Moses to instruct the Israelites to pick up enough of the manna for one day, and to tell them that it would last only for that day. If they gathered too much, it rotted by the next day. But on the sixth day, they were to gather enough for two days, so they could rest on the seventh day (Exodus 16:4–5). Thus, they were to work for six days and rest on the seventh day.

This Old Testament command of rest and provision is a New Testament blessing. What does the Lord have for us in a Sabbath rest? Let’s explore the 5 “R’s” of Sabbath: rest, reliance, renewal, relationship, and reverence.

THE 5 R’s OF SABBATH

Rest
Rest was important for the Israelites and still is important for us today. It is more than having a day off. Sabbath is a time to cease from activity. In today’s fast-paced culture driven by cell phones, emails, and entertainment, the idea of ceasing from activity seems impossible. Yet it is possible and can be a priority. We have a clear example of God resting after the creation in Genesis 2:1–3.

Jesus also rested and ensured that the disciples took time to escape the demands of ministry. In Mark 6:31(NASB), the disciples return to Jesus after they had been teaching and healing. Jesus said, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.” I love the next phrase: “For there were many people coming and going, and they did not have time to eat.” Sounds like a typical day for a nurse.

A Sabbath rest can be a time of respite and relaxation when we do not allow the world to drive our activities and our thoughts.

Reliance
Reliance exemplifies or brings to light the idea behind a Sabbath. In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus taught us not to worry about clothes, food, or possessions. He reminded us that our heavenly Father already knows what we need. Our understanding of our reliance on the Lord for everything is exhibited through our ability to practice a Sabbath. Like the Israelites, we should do all that needs to be done in six days and have a time for enjoying the provisions the Lord has for us. Trust allows that God will provide what we need and frees us from feeling compelled to do everything to take care of ourselves. Amazingly, when we give God our to-do list, plans, shopping, finances, and time, he completes it and provides us our needed rest (Psalm 23:1–2).

Renewal
Renewal speaks of hope and strength. Plug “renewal” into your thesaurus and find a long list of great words: regeneration, restitution, rekindling, revitalization, rejuvenation, rebirth, replenishment, restoration, and repair. All these come from the Lord and are essential for nurses. We are the heart and soul of healthcare. As such, we can become weighed down with the pain and suffering of patients, colleagues, and students. “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17). This refreshing prayer reminds us of our heavenly hope and comfort and the renewal we can receive. Notice, it is through renewal that the comfort and strength shines forth through excellent words and deeds.

Relationship
Relationship with the Lord, our family, and each other is a priority with God. Love is the verb the Lord uses to communicate the importance of our relationships. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We are commanded to love our spouses, our children, and our neighbors.

The New Testament letters written to the early churches are full of instructions of what living love is: encouragement, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and instruction, to name a few. The Sabbath is a time to reflect on our relationships—first vertically with our Savior, then horizontally with others. Every relationship in our lives has a purpose. We have an interdependency with one another as members of a family and community: “…and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God” (Colossians 2:19, NASB). A specified time of togetherness can strengthen our ties with the important people in our lives.

Reverence
Reverence is a feeling of deep respect, love, and awe. Many times Christians equate reverence in the Christian life with sanctuaries and the practice of worship and prayer. However, we can have deep respect and awe for the Lord and all his provisions during a quiet time at home, a walk on the beach, or an exploration in the woods or mountains. We can demonstrate reverence for creation, which includes nature and people, by experiencing the renewing of life through seasons, or even by admiring the playfulness and joy of God in puppies and kittens. Romans 11:36 says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. ”A time of reverence can be experienced whenever we are reminded of the Author and Creator of our lives, our work, and our universe.

The idea is to bring worship, prayer, and reverence to all aspects of God’s creation, not just those predefined times in church or on Sunday.The joy and love of God’s music and words can be experienced and discovered wherever we invite him to come. Rest, reliance, renewal, relationship, and reverence all are blessings the Lord provides as we commit to a Sabbath rest. How do we, as busy nurses, implement a time of rest? And finally, what are some of the barriers to our own Sabbath rest?

HOW DO WE DO IT?

Using an acrostic with the word SABBATH, a time of rest can be easily implemented:

Seek the Lord
Ask for help
Be creative
Be flexible
Adjust your commitments
Trust the Lord
Honor the Lord

As you work your way through each letter, you will discover how easy and inviting a true Sabbath rest can be.

Seek the Lord
God rewards our desire to serve him and live for him. Go to him in prayer and tell him your schedule, your concerns and the demands on your life. He already knows, yet the act of telling reminds us that he cares for us and partners with us. The Lord tapped me on the shoulder about Sabbath through my pastor’s teaching. It took a few months of coincidental teachings before I began praying about it. I had not realized it but I had fears about my finances. I was struggling with the Lord about “providing” for me and my family. I also struggled with the idea of “being still.” I was uncertain of my worth if I was not active.

This struggle was significant. Everyone is in a different place of conforming to the image of Christ. Whereas mine was based on financial concerns and identifying with work, others may have concerns about setting boundaries, saying “no” to multiple commitments, struggling with control issues, or feeling uncomfortable experiencing intimacy with the Lord. Only the Holy Spirit can direct each individual to recognize and identify personal barriers.

Don’t just seek the Lord in the beginning, but seek him throughout the process and even amid your Sabbath time. This is a work-in-progress, and he may reveal wonderful ways to find rest long after you have made changes.

Ask for Help
Asking for help can begin with seeking prayer support. Our prayer partners, participants in a Bible study, or significant family and friends can pray for us and guide us in respecting our spiritual changes. Another aspect of seeking help is asking for physical support. This is especially important for those with a family.

Deciding to set aside a specific day for a Sabbath means other people in our lives will be affected. Whether a spouse, children, or extended family, we will need help in deciding days, times, activities, and rearrangement of responsibilities.

Be Creative and Be Flexible
These two, creativity and flexibility, go hand-in-hand, and they are a nursing specialty! As nurses, I believe we can creatively find solutions and make adjustments to almost any challenge. That is the nature of the nursing process. Being creative and flexible simply means finding and experimenting with a Sabbath rest that works for you.

Because many nurses work rotating days, weekends, and other shifts, a full dedicated day of the week may not be possible. If you are a nurse with weekend obligations, choose a day in the middle of the week. Caring for children and loved ones may prevent a traditional Sabbath rest. If you have small children, make your Sabbath rest a time of discovery and fun at the park, the beach, or elsewhere.

What a beautiful way to share the reverence and reliance of God, then to go for a walk and see how our Creator cares for all living things. I emphasize this with my nursing students, who are frazzled with the onslaught of nursing studies, family obligations, and work responsibilities. I encourage them to take a Friday evening after school and have a movie night with their children, a date night, or a walk with their friends. This can be a time for reflection and rest with their family.

As mentioned, the idea of a complete day of rest may not be possible, so devise strategies to get the most rest from the least amount of time.

Maybe spouses or single parents could trade off times. One spouse could take the kids to the park for the afternoon, while the other one enjoys a quiet day at home. Or single parents could coordinate days, switching times of watching children with a Sabbath rest. Be creative and be flexible.

The idea is to rest and enjoy the relationship we have with our Lord. If you end up being stressed and overworked “preparing” for the activity to happen during Sabbath, the purpose is defeated. Reevaluate a less stressful way to enjoy your time of rest. Be sure to institute a “no work” or “no study” policy during your Sabbath time. It is amazing how projects, reading, and other side activities can creep into our rest.

Adjust Your Commitments
This is where it gets difficult. We can be inspired and excited about a “day of rest,” but when we have to say “no” to work, volunteering, and commitments, we loose focus.

I struggled with this step. At the time, I had been working every other weekend for a hospice agency and felt that I couldn’t cut my days. Sounds silly now, but “they needed me,” and “I would let them down, and. . . .”

The excuses were endless and I turned in another monthly schedule of working every other weekend. I felt horrible, knowing I had disobeyed God, so, I mustered enough courage and called my supervisor. I explained to her that I wanted to stop working Sundays and to work only Saturdays. Her response was classic: “Of course, Carrie, you need a day off.” I still laugh at how silly I felt. The Lord gently reminded me that the issue was with me, and that I needed to get over my “work for fun” mentality. Assess what is going on in your life and pray about your commitments. Can you delegate some responsibilities?

Can you make personal changes and adjustments? Do you really have to volunteer to be a coach, to lead a Bible study, or to host a dinner party? The Holy Spirit will lead you in adjusting your life to be in line with where the Lord is guiding.

Trust the Lord
I mentioned how I struggled with trusting the Lord with my finances. This may be an issue for you. Trusting the Lord is more than just paying the bills. It is believing God to be faithful in all aspects of our lives. Can we trust God with our careers, our children’s activities, our aging parents’ needs, our schedule, our time, our education, and all those other details? When the Lord promises “rest” and that he will work out the details of a situation, do we believe he will?

Do I believe I actually can hear God say “yes, do this” and “no, don’t do this?” Just remember it is a process and trust him with the details of taking you one step at a time. Psalm 57:2 (NASB) states, “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.” This is an encouraging verse when details loom large.

One of things that amazed me in practicing Sabbath rest was my ability to get more done in six days than I was able to get done previously in seven days. When you make a commitment to a time of rest, you become focused on having that time. It becomes a priceless treasure of time with the Lord and family.

Honor the Lord
Do your best to carve out an entire day for Sabbath, but mainly remember it is about respecting the Lord. This is the basis of Sabbath rest. A wonderful New Testament example is found with Mary, the sister of Martha (Luke 10:38–42). Like Mary, we need to take time to rest and sit at our Lord’s feet to hear his teaching and experience his presence. Experiencing God’s presence goes beyond having a daily devotional, attending church, or participating in a weekly
Bible study. All these activities have us “doing.” Instead, we need time to relax and soak up all that our Lord bestows upon us.

Recognizing our need for the 5 “R’s” of Sabbath is the first step in discovering our own spiritual retreat. We need to rest and rely on our Father in heaven to provide us with consistent renewal. When we practice reverence in our life, our relationships with our Lord and others will grow and be a joy.

Finally, using the tips found in the word SABBATH as a guide,we can implement a time of rest for ourselves and be readily equipped for the demanding good works required in nursing.

___

Carrie M. Dameron, MSN, RNBC, is an advanced certification med/surg nurse with 15 years experience in surgical nursing, spiritual care, and education. She is assistant professor at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, and an on-call nurse for acute care hospitals in the Oakland area. Carrie has previously written for the Journal of Christian Nursing and is passionate about supporting and educating nurses and nursing students. She attends Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Livermore, California.

From the Journal of Christian Nursing, October-December 2007.
Reprinted by permission of NCF and LWW.

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A New Calling, and No Longer On Call

webteam@intervarsity.org — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:00:00 +0000

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A New Calling, and No Longer On Call

One of the benefits of her new job as director of Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) is that Pat Emery is no longer on call, as she has been for much of her professional life. She didn’t realize how much she would appreciate that. “I’m not tied to a cell phone or a pager as I was,” she says.

Now, instead of being responsible for the nursing care in one facility, she’s responsible for the spiritual care of nursing caregivers across the country. As she puts it, “the Lord has enlarged my borders.”

On October 1, 2007, at the age of 59, Pat Emery took over as NCF director following a 25-year career in nursing administration. Her most recent job was director of nursing at a long term care facility in Bluffton, Ohio.

“I have a background with NCF and ��ñ��,” she says. It was NCF that originally brought her to faith in Jesus Christ, as a student at the Toledo Hospital School of Nursing in 1968; she was on staff with NCF from 1975-1977.

After a few years of nursing, Pat set her sights on nursing administration. Her first position after getting a Master’s degree was director of home care for the Lima (Ohio) Memorial Hospital. “The move to administration was exciting to me,” she said.

She moved on to become director of nursing at a small hospital and then vice president of nursing for a two-hospital system in Ohio. “I got a lot of good administrative experience and had a lot of interpersonal training,” she says.

In 2002 she reconnected with NCF when she was invited to speak on moral leadership at NCF’s national convention. She was also invited to serve on NCF’s national advisory committee.

She enjoyed working with NCF director Mary Thompson on visioning NCF’s future. And then Mary announced that she would be retiring soon.

“I left that meeting knowing that I needed to pray for Mary as she faced retirement, and for the new director,” she recalled. “As I prayed this still small voice said ‘I want you to consider this.’ I kept saying ‘no, you don’t mean me.’ And He said ‘Yes.’”

Ultimately Pat realized that her background and experience, all of the leadership opportunities that she’s had, made her a strong candidate for the job. “The Lord has gifted me with leadership ability,” she says. “Mentoring people and developing people to their fullest potential is my passion.”

As she begins her new job, her two priorities are building strong relationships between NCF and other parts of ��ñ��, and organizing NCF to work as efficiently as possible.

“NCF has strengths that would lend well to ��ñ��,” she believes. “We’re very good in the professional alumni arena. But right now our student ministry is not as strong, and we really need to reestablish that. We need to look strategically at where we grow.”

NCF currently has only 16 paid staff. Last year’s reports show 110 student nurse groups and 62 practicing nurse groups. New student groups and new practicing nurse groups have already started up this fall, several dozen apiece.

Visiting in Philadelphia recently, Pat says she was energized to meet with students and graduate nurses, “who are excited to know that there’s something out there to offer them support from a Christian worldview.”

As baby boomers age, the demand for nursing will continue to grow. But the number of nurses is declining—2.4-million today is down from 2.7 million five years ago. Nurses are being recruited from abroad, such as from the Philippines, and other countries. There are many ministry opportunities.

“That really is where I see our ministry being most effective, integrating faith in life and practice,” Pat says. “Nurses want to do that, because they face life and death everyday. That can be a crisis point in their lives. They need to understand what life and death is all about.”

Talking about spiritual needs is a hot topic in the nursing industry. But the new viewpoints of Muslim and Hindu doctors from abroad are different than what many Americans are used to.

“Everybody wants to be spiritual but it means so many different things to different people,” she says. “We consider ourselves a Christian voice in nursing.”

Nursing is becoming more and mores stressful, with health care costs going up along with Medicare and Medicaid cuts. Nurses are working more hours and the stress is taking a toll.

Traveling and meeting new people are aspects of her new job that Pat Emery enjoys. For now she’s continuing to live in the Bluffton area, so that she can keep connected to her friends and her home church, St. John Mennonite Church of Pandora, OH.

“I love the Lord and this is what the Lord has called me to do. I’ll do it with all my heart as long as He gives me energy and strength,” she says.

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