Teaching spirituality to student nurses

Abstract

Since Florence Nightingale, spiritual care has been embraced in professional nursing as the integration and promotion of purpose and meaning in life.  Research reports that nurses have a prominent regard for spiritual care and acknowledge that it is part of their role.  The intention of this literature review is to explore effective ways for nursing faculty to teach spiritual care.  This in turn will help to advance spiritually educated nurses who can rise above obstacles to providing spiritual care to clients.  During the nursing formation process, spiritual care must be integrated into the nursing curricula throughout the didactic and clinical nursing education.  Numerous nurses today consider themselves underprepared to meet the spiritual needs of their clients, despite nursing’s past dedication to spiritual care.  Research further supports the appeal of clients to have their spiritual needs addressed while hospitalized.  Given the suitable resources and education, nurses can be positioned to address the spiritual care of clients.  Relevant nursing education on more effective ways to teach spiritual care will enhance the delivery of this vital aspect of holistic nursing.  The focus of holistic patient care is based on the Neuman systems model, where the spiritual variable considerations are necessary for a truly holistic perspective and caring concern for the patient.  As part of a successful pedagogy, a course of action and theory-based approach must be translated into preparing student nurses to incorporate spiritual care into their emerging practices.