How do the worldviews demonstrated in your own nursing environment compare with a Christian
worldview? What tensions arise from the differing worldviews of your employer, colleagues, and the
patients or students in your care?
The worldviews I have seen in the world of nursing is very similar to the Christian
worldview. In fact, it is much more similar than you would think. The goal of nurses is to
promote healing, which is one of the main focuses in the Christian worldview. One of Jesus’s
goals was to help heal the broken and broken-hearted. Jeremiah 30:17 states “For I will restore
you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord” (New International Version), which truly
sums up the goal in nursing care: to help patients heal. Whether it is physically, mentally,
emotionally, or spiritually, nurses are trying to help their patients heal.
In order for patients to start the healing process, there are three factors that need to
happen for both the nurse and the patient: focus, compassion, and intention (Pfeiffer, 2018). If
both the nurse and the patient are able to find common ground on those three factors to help
the patient heal, then the healing process can truly begin. In the Christian worldview, it is
important to pay attention to the people you are talking to, especially when they are confiding
in you about any problems they are facing. Then, as the listener, you need to show
compassion/empathy to the person you are listening to so they feel that they were heard. In
addition, showing intentional listening and that you are willing to hear them out helps the
person talking feel like they are being heard and understood. As a Christian, showing people you
care is a form of living Christ-like, which is why, in my opinion, nursing is the ultimate form of
caring for others and selflessness. When looking back throughout history, it is no wonder why
the first infirmaries and hospitals were run by churches. It was their way to give back to the
community in any way they could, especially to help their patients heal (Rieg, et al., 2018).
During my time as a student nurse and registered nurse, I have dealt with many people
that express their differing perspectives. I have always worn my cross necklace I received as a
gift from my mother since I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church at the age of 13 and that
necklace, alone, sparked a lot of questions and skepticism. I remember as a student nurse, I
worked with a patient that was an Atheist and tried to make me question every aspect of my
Christian faith. One thing he said to me had me pause the care I was providing him: “There is a
reason that the more people read and learn about biology and human anatomy that people do
not believe in God anymore.”
I stopped what I was doing, looked up, and asked him “Have you ever read the Bible
before? Because, for me, after I read the Bible and learned about biology and anatomy, I am
more and more fascinated by God and how He decided to make us all so complex, yet we are all
supposed to be an image of Him. Learning about these things while reading the Bible reaffirmed
and grasped my faith and belief in God and Jesus Christ even more.” He could not think of
another snarky comment towards me and ended up getting curious. The next day, I saw him as
my patient again, and he then told me that he did some more research that shows the
connections of the Bible, biology, and human anatomy and was fascinated with what he
learned. It was an experience that I cannot forget because I did not think he would be so curious
about my words and be willing to do research about it.
References
Pfeiffer, J. (2018). Strategies Christian Nurses Use to Create a Healing Environment. Religions,
9(11), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9110352
Rieg, L. S., Newbanks, R. S., & Sprunger, R. (2018). Caring from a Christian Worldview. Journal of
Christian Nursing, 35(3), 168–173. https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.0000000000000474
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