Christian nurses worldwide face a challenging professional environment. Faith-based nurses strive to develop their professional skills, to provide care based on Christian values, and to obtain leadership positions within different countries and working environments. Many face discrimination and prejudice because they are Christians working in a secular environment or because they represent a minority group.
At times filled with reservations about how to express their faith, some Christian nurses struggle to maintain a balance between professional values and personal beliefs. They receive professional training and preparation, but it generally lacks the needed biblical perspective. A participant in one of our leadership courses said, "They really got us thinking about nursing leadership from the biblical context." Following the delivery of the Saline Process course, a participant commented, "Before I did this course, I was afraid to live out my faith, but now I have confidence to live as a Christian in my workplace." A participant in the Faith Community Nursing course said, "I am convicted to come up with a vivid plan to organize the introduction of parish nursing in our church."
The International Institute of Christian Nursing (IICN) is a relatively new organization. We are working toward developing more courses to meet the needs of Christian nurses worldwide. We know that Christian nurses can be leaders and change agents within the profession. However, they often do not have the opportunity to develop the skills or have the chance to maximize their faith values within practice. Education and research skills developed with a biblical perspective can enable nurses to realize their potential as Christians within the workplace. This is the objective of IICN.
Available IICN courses include:
* The Art and Science of Spiritual Care a scientifically based course that assists the nurse in assessing and meeting the spiritual needs of patients.
* Parish Nursing/Faith Community Nursing, that aims to provide care for the faith community, encouraging people to obtain wholeness of spirit, as well as the body.
* Biblical Leadership, equips Christian nurses to maximize opportunities for leading in the workplace and in development of policy and practice.
* The Saline Process is a practical program that equips and encourages healthcare workers to fulfill Jesus' call to be salt and light in their practice. The IICN partners with IHS Global (http://www.ihsglobal.org), who developed the course.
The Christian nurses who teach these programs are volunteers. They hold leadership positions within the profession worldwide, and as Christians, they have experienced the challenges of living out faith in the professional world. They share their expertise and often travel internationally to meet with NCFI members and those interested in teaching IICN courses.
The IICN is looking for experienced Christian nurses who wish to share their faith and expertise in the development of courses, as well as teaching courses in their own countries and worldwide. Training for teachers is provided during NCFI regional conferences and the NCFI International Congress (held every 4 years; next congress is 2020). Opportunities are provided to meet with tutors and to understand how faith can be underpinned in teaching.
IICN publishes Christian Nurse International twice yearly, an online, free resource at http://ncfi.org/resources/cni-magazine/ for learning the thoughts, ideas, visions, and research of Christian nurses worldwide. The editors encourage new writers to submit their work!
The response of those who have participated in IICN courses has been positive. This comment from a participant sums up the responses of many: "Thank you for sharing your expertise and life experiences with us. God works in mysterious ways that at times we cannot fathom. But then your faith, trust, and obedience to God alone remain as an inspiration to us." Another commented, "I didn't realize that I could be a Christian leader at work."
IICN is an exciting resource for Christian nurses internationally. Explore IICN's resources by visiting our website http://www.ncfi.org/the-institute-iicn.