Nursing Theory From a Christian Worldview, Essay Example

The field of nursing has been dominated by women throughout history. The roles of nurses and nurses’ themselves are constantly changing. As the role of the nurse grew from the understanding of Christianity in interpreting that individuals were created in the image of God, they viewed the body as the “temple of the Holy Spirit “and as a living unity. From the start of Florence Nightingale’s view of Christianity and its power of healing, to state of the nursing industry today, it is clear that nursing developed out of a Christian worldview. It is apparent that we as individuals see that within our culture since the emergence of the nursing field, the paradigm shift in our culture that is growing. Florence Nightingale recognized the importance of applying a Christian worldview in nursing, as Shelly states, “the common people in her day were becoming atheist and thereby losing their basis for ethical behavior, nurses today are affected by the philosophies of our time.” (Shelly, Miller, 2009, pg. 15)

The problem however, is that nursing today is increasingly characterized by the reduced comprehension of personhood. For many nurses, the impact of patient care has proven to be discouraging and confusing. It is crucial that nurses today understand that nursing is a calling, a ministry of compassionate care for the entire body, responding to God’s grace toward a world that is full of sin, in which nurses should aim to bring comfort in death and suffering for those in need, and provide optimum health to patients. The field of nursing is a position, that provides nurses with a framework for living out our calling, and understanding our mission, to be of service to God, in caring for others. Even in the reluctance for some nurses to develop within the discipline, we must understand the theory of human as nurses as nurses, nurses as women, and knowledge as a force and resource. (Mellis, 2012) It is important that we acknowledge our role and walk in the light of God in guiding others to facilitate the call to care for others.

References

Mellis, Afaf Ibrahim. (2012). Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress. Lippincott-Raven Publishers. Philadelphia.

Shelly, Judith Allen, Miller, Arienne B. (2009). Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing. InterVarsity Press.