CAREERS STUDENT LIFE
Spiritual connections Placement with a hospital chaplain became the basis for a new module for nursing students. Catharine Sadler reports
‘Spiritual care begins when nurses provide patients with holistic care and compassion. This is reflected in how nurses speak to patients, what they do for them and how they do it,’ he says. Ms Jolley adds: ‘Nurses can always find time to understand how patients feel. They may pick up on someone’s unhappiness or need to talk as they take their temperature, or walk them to the bathroom. This is the essence of holistic care in our undergraduate programme.’
Holistic
Third-year mental health nursing student Rachael Rouse became a ‘willing guinea pig’ for a new teaching module when she decided to volunteer for an eight-day placement accompanying hospital chaplains on their daily ward rounds. ‘I was chosen to accompany the Rev Charles Thody, who is head of chaplaincy at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust,’ she says. ‘He certainly isn’t the stereotypical hospital chaplain. I was particularly impressed by his informal, professional manner. This enables him to communicate on a spiritual level very quickly with patients, even those who said they were not religious. I learned a lot.’ Though not conventionally religious, Ms Rouse believes it is vital for nurses to be aware of patients’ religious or spiritual needs. ‘Hospital admission is a crisis in patients’ lives. Nurses are expected to use a holistic care model, but are seldom encouraged to consider
Rachael Rouse’s placement with the Rev Charles Thody proved invaluable
patients’ spiritual needs, which are crucial to their recovery,’ she says. The idea for a teaching package took root when Mr Thody contacted Sue Jolley, nurse lecturer at the University of Hull. The chaplain suggested he and a chaplaincy colleague from Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust could offer student placements. ‘I jumped at this opportunity for our student nurses to gain insight into patients’ spiritual needs,’ Ms Jolley says. In their evaluations, students have rated the placements so highly that Ms Jolley and Mr Thody are developing a full spiritual care module. Mr Thody says: ‘Student nurses may need to discuss their first encounter with patient death or how to respond to their spiritual needs. Patients come from many spiritual backgrounds. Yet when facing illness, most will wonder, “why me?” or “why is life so fragile?”. Nurses need support and preparation for such questions.
Ms Rouse felt inspired by the breadth of spiritual support Mr Thody offered to patients, regardless of their faith. ‘He has unique communication skills and these enabled him to provide support to women grieving after loss of a pregnancy, and quickly put families in touch with their relevant religious leaders.’ Ms Rouse believes her chaplaincy placement has left her much better equipped to implement the holistic nursing model that is essential to good mental health nursing. ‘Mental health patients often need spiritual support, particularly those experiencing delusions with religious themes. Nurses must find time to listen to and assess patients’ concerns, and refer them for further support when appropriate.’ Ms Rouse will submit a dissertation on patient spirituality before she qualifies in June. She says: ‘I would like eventually to study for a higher degree in multi-faith spirituality. If a nurse/ chaplain post was created, I would apply for that’ NS Catharine Sadler is a freelance journalist RESOURCES Hospital/healthcare chaplaincy www.nhs-chaplaincyspiritualcare.org.uk RCN pocket guide Spirituality in nursing care: tinyurl.com/RCNSiN
66 april 1 :: vol 29 31 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded fromnoRCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 27, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Spiritual connections Placement with a hospital chaplain became the basis for a new module for nursing students. Catharine Sadler reports
‘Spiritual care begins when nurses provide patients with holistic care and compassion. This is reflected in how nurses speak to patients, what they do for them and how they do it,’ he says. Ms Jolley adds: ‘Nurses can always find time to understand how patients feel. They may pick up on someone’s unhappiness or need to talk as they take their temperature, or walk them to the bathroom. This is the essence of holistic care in our undergraduate programme.’
Holistic
Third-year mental health nursing student Rachael Rouse became a ‘willing guinea pig’ for a new teaching module when she decided to volunteer for an eight-day placement accompanying hospital chaplains on their daily ward rounds. ‘I was chosen to accompany the Rev Charles Thody, who is head of chaplaincy at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust,’ she says. ‘He certainly isn’t the stereotypical hospital chaplain. I was particularly impressed by his informal, professional manner. This enables him to communicate on a spiritual level very quickly with patients, even those who said they were not religious. I learned a lot.’ Though not conventionally religious, Ms Rouse believes it is vital for nurses to be aware of patients’ religious or spiritual needs. ‘Hospital admission is a crisis in patients’ lives. Nurses are expected to use a holistic care model, but are seldom encouraged to consider
Rachael Rouse’s placement with the Rev Charles Thody proved invaluable
patients’ spiritual needs, which are crucial to their recovery,’ she says. The idea for a teaching package took root when Mr Thody contacted Sue Jolley, nurse lecturer at the University of Hull. The chaplain suggested he and a chaplaincy colleague from Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust could offer student placements. ‘I jumped at this opportunity for our student nurses to gain insight into patients’ spiritual needs,’ Ms Jolley says. In their evaluations, students have rated the placements so highly that Ms Jolley and Mr Thody are developing a full spiritual care module. Mr Thody says: ‘Student nurses may need to discuss their first encounter with patient death or how to respond to their spiritual needs. Patients come from many spiritual backgrounds. Yet when facing illness, most will wonder, “why me?” or “why is life so fragile?”. Nurses need support and preparation for such questions.
Ms Rouse felt inspired by the breadth of spiritual support Mr Thody offered to patients, regardless of their faith. ‘He has unique communication skills and these enabled him to provide support to women grieving after loss of a pregnancy, and quickly put families in touch with their relevant religious leaders.’ Ms Rouse believes her chaplaincy placement has left her much better equipped to implement the holistic nursing model that is essential to good mental health nursing. ‘Mental health patients often need spiritual support, particularly those experiencing delusions with religious themes. Nurses must find time to listen to and assess patients’ concerns, and refer them for further support when appropriate.’ Ms Rouse will submit a dissertation on patient spirituality before she qualifies in June. She says: ‘I would like eventually to study for a higher degree in multi-faith spirituality. If a nurse/ chaplain post was created, I would apply for that’ NS Catharine Sadler is a freelance journalist RESOURCES Hospital/healthcare chaplaincy www.nhs-chaplaincyspiritualcare.org.uk RCN pocket guide Spirituality in nursing care: tinyurl.com/RCNSiN
66 april 1 :: vol 29 31 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded fromnoRCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 27, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
