THE
P RTAL
November 2015
Page 22
Faith and Nursing
Practice
Donato Tallo has been reflecting on his profession
and the important role that faith has to play
in his nursing practice
As a
young qualified nurse working in the acute hospital sector within the NHS, I find nursing a
rewarding and enjoyable profession but it can also be highly stressful and challenging at times. I am
passionate about high quality nursing practice and am keen to embark on a career of life long learning,
constantly gaining new skills, knowledge and qualities that I can put into practice in order to make a difference
to those that I care for and meet on a daily basis.
On a personal level, I find my faith important to my
In our increasingly secularised world, where political
nursing practice and also that it helps to lead me and correctness dominates a great deal of our lives, the
to guide me - particularly at times of stress or difficulty values of kindness, sensitivity and respect towards each
but also at times of joy, happiness and thanksgiving.
other should take vital roles in all our lives weather we
are religious or not.
faith through thoughts,
words and actions
However, being a person of faith in the hospital
Working in a multicultural society, I never preach environment helps me in my work as a nurse, which I
within my working environment but I seek to live out personally consider to be a vocation. One of the most
my faith through my thoughts, words and actions. At crucial fundamental principles of nursing is to treat
times, this can be very hard indeed. However, in being all patients as individuals and this concept shows care
reliable, honest, caring, kind, compassionate and and kindness towards those around us.
integral in my actions, I feel I am living out my faith in
valued individuals
my working environment every working day.
From simple nursing tasks to more complex
The idea of living out the faith and living a prayer nursing interventions, through showing patients and
means a great deal to me. When nursing work is taking colleagues they are a valued individuals worthy of
place in a kind, compassionate and competent manner time and respect, through listening to people, being
- whatever the task may be - that in my mind is a type there for them, acting as an advocate and in their best
of prayer.
interest when required I as a nurse am able to live out
my faith in the workplace.
Humility is a concept I have spent some considerable
time reflecting and writing on and as St Benedict says, God must be at the heart
of all that we do
“It is hard to be humble”.
The Catholic faith focused on Our Lord Jesus Christ
humility must play a central role
must not be part of our lives but must be our lives;
For nurses to be effective, safe and holistic practitioners we must remember to place God at the heart of all
humility must play a central role in nursing practice that we do. I am proud to be a nurse and proud to say
but this is a concept often misunderstood.
that my faith helps enhance my practice with humility
being an ongoing concept I am exploring in order to
Through being humble, nurses must be confident enhance my professional nursing practice.
but not arrogant in their practice and if we are to
be humble then we must be open to learning from a rewarding career
others, put those in need first, respect those around
Nursing is a rewarding career and one that brings
us, be thankful when we need to be to others, provide with it many different emotions and one quote that I
those around us with a sense of self worth and be find particularly striking is by Maya Angelou who said
approachable and receptive to our patients, colleagues “a person may forget your name but they will never
and others. Humility really is a way to help nurses forget how you made them feel”.
become more effective.
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