From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Tue Jan 28 2003 - 13:06:36 EST
January 29, 2003 == FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Parish nursing is a 2,000-year-old tradition, partnering caregivers and
churches in a relationship that seeks to heal body, mind and spirit. Its
earliest roots are with the monks and nuns who provided care for the sick and
caring for the children, the widowed and the poor during the early days of
Christianity.
Although parish nursing waned for a time, as modern medicine took over caring
for the sick, the tide has turned. Parish nursing is mounting a comeback. And
the Calvin College department of nursing plans to lend a hand.
This fall it will offer a parish nurse basic preparation course so that
registered nurses can integrate their faith and practice. The course will be
certified by the International Parish Nurse Resource Center (IPNRC) and Calvin's
Bethany Gordon, MSN, RN, will coordinate the 45-hour offering which will help
nurses enhance the wellness of a congregation. She will lead an information
session on the new course on February 20 at 7 p.m. in room 201 of the Calvin
Science Building.
Says Gordon: "Interested nurses, pastors or church members are invited to
attend and learn more about this ministry that promotes the health of all
congregation members through health education and illness prevention."
Gordon says a parish or church nurse is a registered nurse who works with a
specific congregation to help church members maintain and improve their quality
of life. She adds that the functions of a parish nurse will vary according to
the needs of the congregation, but that the various roles may include integrator
of faith, health educator, health counselor, referral agent and facilitator of
volunteers and support groups.
A parish nurse usually does not provide "hands on care" or duplicate services.
Rather, the parish nurse partners with other health care providers and church
staff in responding to health care concerns and empowering individuals to take
a more active part in their health care management.
In 1997 parish nursing was designated by the American Nursing Association as a
speciality practice. And although this fall's course is for registered nurses,
not nursing students, Gordon says connections to parish nursing are a good fit
for the new Calvin nursing curriculum and its traditional undergraduate
students. At the core of the new Calvin program is this seemingly simple
statement: "The Calvin College Department of Nursing, in sharing the mission of
Calvin College, seeks to engage in professional nursing education that promotes
lifelong Christian service within a caring and diverse educational community."
That idea of service has practical implications for the look of the program.
One of the things that will be new to the Calvin program is an increased
emphasis on community-based nursing.
While Calvin nursing students will still spend plenty of time in acute care
settings such as hospitals, they also will be spending time in places such as
factories, schools and malls. That's because a big part of the Calvin
curriculum will be on health promotion and protection, serving people before
they become ill. Calvin professors know that this is a significant trend in
healthcare circles and they want the Calvin curriculum to be able to provide for
that need.
Contact Gordon at 616-957-6012
See the Calvin Nursing site at http://www.calvin.edu/academic/nursing/
See the IPNRC website at http://ipnrc.parishnurses.org/
-end-
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