Parish Nurse
What is a Parish Nurse?
By Julie Watts, RN, MN
Oct 6, 2003, 10:55

What is a Parish Nurse?
By Julie Watts, RN, MN

Parish nursing is an emerging area of specialized professional nursing practice where the nurse serves as an integrator of faith and health. The role holds the spiritual dimension as central in the practice of nursing; encompassing physical, psychological, and social dimensions of nursing practice. The historic roots of the role are intertwined with those of deaconesses and other religious sisters who worked in parishes promoting health from a whole person perspective. The development of the role came about as a result of Reverend Granger Westberg and Wholistic Health Centers in the 1970's. Parish nursing services are designed to build on and strengthen capacities of individuals, families, and congregations to understand and care for one another in light of their relationship to God, faith traditions, themselves, and the broader society.

The goals of the Parish Nurse Program are to improve the health of the church and community; encourage people to adopt a view of health that encompasses the interplay of lifestyle, attitudes, physical well-being, and faith; establish health and healing as an explicit part of church activities; and, become good stewards of health care resources through the appropriate use of health resources.

The Health Cabinet is the advisory group for the Parish Nurse Program which helps to plan programs and advise on the health ministry at both RCC and Trinity Ecumenical Parish.






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