Parish Nursing
Stories of Service and Care
Details and Description
Description
The engaging stories in Parish Nursing provide accessible and enjoyable accounts of real parish nurses, both paid and volunteer, who attend to the needs of their congregations in a variety of ways, from home, hospice, and hospital visits to community outreach. This revised edition gathers their stories of hearing and heeding God's call, of their faith that they are doing the "right thing," of their joys, sorrows, and challenges, and of their quiet dedication as they offer their time and talents to meet the needs of others.
By offering inspiration and encouragement, along with a healthy dose of updated practical advice, this collection will make parish nursing theory come to life. These stories will honor practicing parish nurses, will guide the way for anyone contemplating parish nursing as a career, and will challenge church members and leaders to examine the role that their congregations play in health ministry—especially in meeting the long-term care needs of an aging population.
Table of Contents
Preface / ix
Introduction / 3
1 Answering the Call / 9
2 Called to Serve: Ministry of Presence, Word, and Action / 32
3 The Journey of the Parish Nurse within the Church / 55
4 The Journey into the Community / 80
5 Preparation for the Journey / 103
6 Foundation and Models of Parish Nursing / 139
7 Establishing a Faith Community/ Parish Nurse Program / 154
8 Looking to the Future: The Next Generation of Parish Nursing / 166
Notes / 185
Index / 193
Endorsements and Reviews
Endorsements
The stories of vocational call and healing purpose of the many parish nurses interviewed by Drs. Carson and Koenig are treated with both a healer's respect for the tremendous potential of responding to God's will for our lives along with a researcher's instinct for that which will contribute new data to the profession and have an important impact on the ultimate outcomes, which is healing of our congregations and communities.
The best teachers tell stories to convey information and insight. The authors of Parish Nursing often use stories and a colloquial style to describe the "journey" for becoming a parish nurse. These stories, mixed with some theoretical framing, practical suggestions, and historical perspective, offer practicing and potential ministers of health inspiration as well as information.
All who have been "called" to serve through parish nursing can find their story somewhere in the pages of this book. Carson and Keonig effectively weave the theoretical with real life stories of those who have responded to their "call" to serve through the ministry of parish nursing practice. A must read for those interested in the role of faith communities in health care reform, complexity of fostering quality of life amidst chronic illness and a complex health care system while coming to know God in all things.
Reviews
Journal of Christian Nursing--J/S 2011 Edition
Carson, a nurse, and Koenig, a physician, have done it again in this revision to their second edition book, with a deeply inspiring, and educational resource about nursing in faith communities. The text is based on real parish nurses who tell their stories about being called to parish nursing, what it means to serve in the church and larger community, and how they prepare for the work and the journey.