Transforming Care: A Christian Vision of Nursing Practice

Nursing involves skill, judgment, compassion, and respect for human life whether or not the nurse is a Christian. Is there anything distinctive, then, about Christian nurses? The authors of Transforming Care address the question of how Christian faith molds nursing practice. Suggesting that such faith entails something more essential than evangelism or a certain position on moral dilemmas, they deal with the ordinary, everyday nature of nursing practice. The first part of the book articulates the relationship between Christian faith and nursing practice while analyzing the concepts of nursing, person, environment, and health common to nursing literature. The second part describes and evaluates nursing practice in three different health care contexts: acute care settings, mental health facilities, and community care contexts. Sidebars throughout the book offer thought-provoking quotations from well-known authors and nursing e x p e r ts. Contributors: Cheryl Brandsen Bart Cusveller Mary Molewyk Doornbos Mary Flikkema Ruth E. Groenhout Arlene Hoogewerf Kendra G. Hotz Clarence Joldersma Barbara Timmermans About the Author Mary Molewyk Doornbos is professor of nursing and chair of the Department of Nursing at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Ruth E. Groenhout is professor of philosophy at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan.