Parish Nursing
A programme of training and education

At the end of this programme the student will be able to carry out the role of parish nurse within the level of his or her competences, and in accordance with NMC regulations, from the context of a church/faith community.

Pre-requisites
Registered Nurse. In order to practice the nurse will need current registration status with the NMC and PIN details will be checked by the faith community appointing or placing him/her. 
NB..if someone from a related health profession wishes to take the course they are most welcome to do so, but in order to practice they must be in current registered status with their own professional body and will not be able to use the term “Parish nurse” or “Faith community nurse”. Other possible titles are Health minister, Parish Physiotherapist, Faith Community health worker.

Acceptance and adherence to a faith community’s beliefs and values. In this pre-requisite the Parish nurse role with its emphasis on Spiritual care needs to be practiced by someone who has experience of Spiritual care and some theological understanding. The employing or appointing body (who is not the course provider) will want to employ or appoint someone who is sympathetic to the ethos of their organization.

Objectives;
Participants will be enabled to:

• Embrace the integration of faith and health

• Operate effectively as a healer within a ministerial/faith community leadership team

• Identify and carry out agreed role functions

• Manage, co-ordinate and support the work of others in healing ministries

• Identify and access ongoing development opportunities in terms of knowledge, skills and spiritual growth 

Course Themes

Nursing – theology and ministry
Concepts and theology of health
History, philosophy and theology of parish nursing
The scope and limitations of Parish Nursing
Ethics of parish nursing
Functioning within a ministry team
Integrating faith and healing

The Role of the Parish Nurse - Knowledge and skills audit

Assessment: individual, family, congregation, community
Health education and promotion
Faith and health counselling
The structure of national and local health and social services
Advocacy and referral to other agencies
Development and management of support and self-help groups
Clinical and professional skills as required to serve the job description

The nature and role of faith communities

Structure and relationships within faith community
Links with other faith communities
Relationship of faith community to local community
Mission and strategic/operational plans of faith community
Location of Parish Nursing within faith and local community

Management of the service

Recruitment and selection of employees and volunteers
The role and management of volunteers
Training and development
Mentoring, support and discipline
Legal aspects of parish nursing

Teaching methods
Lecture and discussion. 

Concepts of health, Theology of health, Health promotion, Nature of nursing, Scope and limitations of parish nursing, Ethics of parish nursing, Legal aspects of health and nursing, Advocacy in parish nursing, Faith and counselling, Management and support of volunteers. Structure of health and social services. Structure and relationships in faith and local communities.

Project/case study 

Analyse relationships within own and another ministry/leadership team
Identify structure of local services and key referral points and methods
Assess and plan support for individual, family, congregation, community
Analyse own skills and training needs and identify sources of training 

Skills workshops: These may include

• Counselling for health from given faith perspective

• Development and management of support groups

• Needs Assessment – individuals, families, community

• Specialist skills as required e.g. coping with death, grief and loss

• Health education and promotion

• Advocacy in health and social care

• Managing services

• Others as identified from role requirements
  

Assessment

Award of the qualification will be through submission of a portfolio of reflective practice. The Certificate achieved is validated by the International Parish Nurse Resource Centre, St. Louis, Missouri. This is recognized around the world as adequate preparation of registered nurses for Parish nursing practice. The course would qualify as P.R.E.P. study days for continuing registration requirements.



Course Structure

The course consists of a 4-5 day taught residential followed by the portfolio work with the help of a local coordinator and/or tutor. Further study days are offered as required for networking and mutual support. On satisfactory completion of the portfolio, the certificate and badge are awarded. The placement is intended to be for a minimum of three years so that adequate evaluation may be facilitated. The church and nurse may decide to continue the ministry or expand it beyond that.   Comments from students

Copyright Parish Nursing UK 2004

The Faithworks Charter

Principles for churches and local Christian agencies
committed to excellence in community work and service provision in the UK.

This charter can be downloaded from www.faithworks.info
It forms an excellent code of practice for church-based community work, 
and its principles are taught on the Parish Nurse introductory course

Reference list for further information and reading on Parish Nursing


Solari-Twadell, Phyllis Ann; McDermott,Mary Ann
“Parish Nursing: Promoting whole person health within faith communities”
Sage publications, California, 1999
ISBN 0-7619-1183-9

Rian-Evans, Abigail 
“The Healing Church; Practical programs for Health ministries”
United Church Press
Cleveland, Ohio, 1999
ISBN 0-8298-1340-3

Rian-Evans, Abigail
“Redeeming Market-place Medicine: a theology of Health care”
Pilgrim Press,Ohio, 1999
ISBN 0-8298-1310-1

Shea, John
“Spirituality and Health Care; reaching toward a Holistic Future”
Park Ridge Centre for the study of Heath, Faith and Ethics, Chicago, 2000
ISBN 0-945482-02-7

Hurding, Roger
“Pathways to wholeness: Pastoral care in a post-modern age”
Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1998
ISBN 0-340-67129-7

Healing Ministry Review group, The Church of England
“A Time to heal”
Church House Publishing, London, 2000
ISBN 0-7151-3837-5

Maddocks, Morris
“Journey to Wholeness; a Biblical pilgrimage to Health and Healing”
SPCK, London, 1995
ISBN 0-281-04852

Patterson, Deborah
“The Essential Parish Nurse”
Pilgrim press, Ohio, 2003
ISBN 0-8298-157-6