Faith Community Nursing: Providing Intentional Care for Everyone with Linda Mirshafiee and Eithne Keegan
Jul 15, 2022
Every year, in May, we honor nurses all over the world as we celebrate National Nurses Month. It is an opportunity to advocate for the profession and to promote the value of their hard work and dedication.
Being a nurse requires not only specialized education and training but also interpersonal skills and amiable qualities that will help them connect with healthcare consumers better. Needless to say, nursing is a noble profession as it is; but there is a growing specialty practice called Faith Community Nursing that makes this vocation even more challenging but greatly fulfilling at the same time.
Imagine having someone to walk alongside you as you go through health crises in your life. What’s even better is that aside from the emotional and psychological support that they can give, they are trained professionals who can lay out information and answers to questions that you are too afraid or hesitant to ask doctors and other healthcare providers. That is essentially what faith community nurses aspire to do!
With the support of the whole community and the improvement or promotion of healthcare services, faith community nurses strive to develop an integrative model of health and wellness. With this kind of approach, the hope is that more people will be encouraged to address health issues and prevent or minimize illnesses and even mental health conditions.
If you haven’t heard about any of these interesting and trailblazing ideas or if you want to learn more, then tune in to this episode!
Memorable Quotes:
- I think when we all partner together – healthcare providers and parents – in supporting our kids, I think it makes it a much more positive experience. – Linda Mirshafiee
- We used to come together more as communities around crisis… But as church attendance has shrunk, as we've all become more virtual, as we become more mobile and move around the country, those family networks, those church networks, those community networks seem to be fading, falling apart; and more and more, we’re left on our own. – Paul Roberts
- There is comfort in knowing that there is a God… and also the purpose of belonging to a community. – Eithne Keegan
- Sometimes you got to get out and seek some help. And maybe it just reinforces what you already thought. Maybe it's just somebody holding your hand saying, “It's okay. You'll figure [it out].” But you need somebody. Being alone is not the answer to going through all of life here. Not at critical moments; I don't think that's when you should be alone. – Paul Roberts
Other Resources:
About the Guests:
Eithne Keegan is a Faith Community Nurse serving as an RN Advocate for the Hoag Faith Community Nursing Program. Eithne has also served in many international settings as a missionary, teacher, speaker, and short story writer, as well as a co-founder of a School of Nursing in Kenya.
Linda Mirshafiee is a registered nurse with a Master's in Nursing and a Public Health credential. She worked in the pediatric unit at UCI Medical Center and then at CHOC before becoming a school nurse. She has experience teaching Pediatric Advanced Life Support and is a current CPR/First Aid instructor.
About the Host:
Dung Trinh, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of Irvine Clinical Research, medical missionary with TongueOut Medical Missions, and holds leadership positions with multiple health care organizations in Orange County. He is a keynote speaker, best-selling author, and Host of “Health Talks with Dr. Trinh” which can be heard weekly on OC Talk Radio.
Connect with Dr. Trinh:
- HealthTalks OC Website
- Tongue Out
- Facebook Page
- Facebook (Personal Account)
- YouTube
A Team Dklutr Production
Want your own copy of Dr. Trinh's amazing book on Alzheimer's?
Get your own copy of Alzheimer's: What You Need To Know (And Why You Should Care) by Dr. Dung Trinh.
For every patient officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, many more are living with this condition undiagnosed. Stay on top of this cognitive condition by knowing the symptoms and risk reduction strategies.
Spoiler Alert: It's so good you can't put it down.
