Called to Care: A Christian Vision for Nursing

by Judith Allen Shelly, Arlene B. Miller, Kimberly H. Fenstermacher

Nursing is a vocation: a calling from God to care for others. The role of the nurse originally grew out of a holistic Christian understanding of humans as created in the image of God. Yet as nursing and healthcare continue to change, the effects have proven disorienting to many. Now more than ever, we need nurses who are committed both to a solid understanding of their profession and to caring well for patients and their families. For over twenty years, Called to Care has served as a unique and essential resource for nurses. In this third edition Judith Allen Shelly and Arlene B. Miller, now joined by coauthor Kimberly H. Fenstermacher, present a definition for nursing based on a historically and theologically grounded vision of the nurse's call: Nursing is a ministry of compassionate and restorative care for the whole person, in response to God's grace, which aims to promote and foster optimum health (shalom) and bring comfort in suffering and death for anyone in need. Focusing on the features of the nursing metaparadigm--person, health, environment, and nursing--they provide a framework for understanding how the Christian faith relates to the many aspects of a nurse's work, from theory to everyday practice. This new edition of Called to Care is thoroughly revised for today's nurses, including updated examples and new content on topics such as cultural competency, palliative care, and the current state of healthcare and nursing education. Each chapter features learning objectives, discussion questions, case studies, and theological reflections from Scripture to help readers engage and apply the content. For educators, students, and practitioners throughout the field of nursing, this classic text continues to provide clarity and wisdom for living out their calling.

Genres: Christian, Christian Non Fiction, Nonfiction, Nursing

328 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

Reviews

[Erika ♥OwlwaysReading♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nursing philosophy is existentially important to the understanding of Nursing in all settings. It is important for all nurses to be familiar with their own philosophy before caring for a patient. This book explores the nurse’s role within the healthcare system.
Nursing is a special discipline built around a scientific framework, which works to aid, sustain, or walk along side an individual at a specific point in time. There are many different nursing theories that try to depict what nursing truly is, but many fail to incorporate the full scope of the discipline. This book heavily describes a Christian nursing theory. Nursing is a career with high regard, but one that is difficult to define because of its multidimensional framework. Nurses wear many hats, and must incorporate and monitor many different fields of study during patient care. I believe that nurses are the patients’ greatest advocates, and it is up to them to make sure that the patient is benefitting from the care they are receiving. Nurses are the web that connects the patient to their doctor, physical therapist, respiratory therapist, nutritionist, case manager, and the patient’s own family. This book explores a Christian worldview for the nursing field specifically. It has many wonderful and heart-warming nurse-patient interactions. Personally, I don’t believe you need to be Christian in order to act Christian. However I do believe all medical personal, especially nurses, need to treat each patient with dignity and worth. We are all human with human flaws, and our personal backgrounds and intricate personalities should not define our medical treatment.

[Kate Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book during the summer of Covid in the middle of nursing school.
It was a very helpful tool to give me a framework / Christian Worldview for Nursing.

Need to go back and re read :)

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becoming aware of one's worldview is essential for being able to interact respectfully and intelligently with others, especially when there are disagreements. This book is obviously focused on nursing with a Christian worldview. Some of the examples in the book are now a little outdated, going against current regulations, which can frustrate a non-Christian reader. Nevertheless, the book's themes and goals will benefit any Christian wondering what his or her faith might look like practically in a nursing context.

[Cris Watkins]

An inspirational book to help guide future nursing career choices for Christian nurses. I enjoyed reading this as a way to frame groundwork for theory and work on conceptual theories and models in nursing practice.

[Reyna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I ALSO had to read this for class and while it was easier to read than the Bioethics textbook I still didn't particularly enjoy it....it helped do a lot of our assignments though

[Suzanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great perspective for Christian nurses!

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a nurse for over twenty years ago and this book has been on my shelf almost as long. It is timeless and relevant today as the concept of being called to care for others as an outpouring of Christ within us never expires. This updated edition is a must read for all nurses today as it addresses modern issues such as cultural competency and changes in today’s healthcare and education. Whether you appreciate nursing metaparadigms and theory or just want to know how to serve in everyday practice, you will appreciate this updated resource. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

[Michelle Bard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is almost like reading a text book. The information is worth reading, but it's a lot to take in. Not an easy book read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed to find a fairly quick overview of several theories of nursing and this book did it for me. I can see why it is often used in undergraduate nursing courses.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the last 6 chapters to be the most meaningful.