Has anybody ever done "spiritual caring" for patients in the hospital?

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GomerPyle

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I am starting this volunteering program next month, and it involves "spiritual caring" for patients in the hospital. You walk into the patient's room, and ask them if they would like to do a prayer, or you can just be there for them and hold their hand and talk to them. Has anybody ever done such a thing, and if so, can you share your experiences? I have never done something like this, and I don't even pray, so I have no idea what to expect. It is definitely something I want to do so I can gain some patient exposure experience.

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you can hold their hand

gross
 
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Walking through rooms and providing company and informal chat for patients without visitors - nice.

Walking around and acting like an amateur clergyman - a plus if you're applying to Loma Linda, could be a minus anywhere else.
 
So how could this be a bad thing? This is as close as you can get to patient/clinical exposure. I am not very religious, but I do believe in God and if a patient could use some hope and guidance (which we as eventual doctors need to provide), then I am willing to do my best to provide that. I have never done such a thing, and I was hoping some of you have had experience visiting patients and chatting with them...and I am surprised none of you do!
 
So how could this be a bad thing? This is as close as you can get to patient/clinical exposure. I am not very religious, but I do believe in God and if a patient could use some hope and guidance (which we as eventual doctors need to provide), then I am willing to do my best to provide that. I have never done such a thing, and I was hoping some of you have had experience visiting patients and chatting with them...and I am surprised none of you do!

I'd imagine it could be bad if, when describing this activity, you make it sound like you were imposing your own specific religion on patients. Physicians probably need to keep their own personal beliefs out of interactions with patients. But if you are just offering nondenominational, general spiritual support to people of all religions, it's probably a great activity/ a great way to interact directly with patients. I can think of a couple schools that would love to see an activity like this--Georgetown and its cura personalis philosophy come to mind. Then again, I'm just pre-med, so take my advice with a grain of salt and wait for LizzyM or Catalystik to come along haha.
 
So how could this be a bad thing? This is as close as you can get to patient/clinical exposure. I am not very religious, but I do believe in God and if a patient could use some hope and guidance (which we as eventual doctors need to provide), then I am willing to do my best to provide that. I have never done such a thing, and I was hoping some of you have had experience visiting patients and chatting with them...and I am surprised none of you do!

This seems like good patient exposure to me, though a concern I might have is whether you may be misconstrued as having religious training that clergy members typically have. As long as the patient knows you are not a substitute for a pastor, priest, etc. (if that is what they are looking for) then it sounds like a good experience.
 
This seems like good patient exposure to me, though a concern I might have is whether you may be misconstrued as having religious training that clergy members typically have. As long as the patient knows you are not a substitute for a pastor, priest, etc. (if that is what they are looking for) then it sounds like a good experience.

Well I don't even pray, so it would kinda be uncomfortable to me to be practicing something with a patient that I don't even follow. I mean, I believe in God, and some times I do pray in my head, but nothing official like grace.

I am hoping to just walk into the patient's room and be there with them, have a chat, see if they need help with anything, ask them about their lives, etc. Just provide some company.
 
This seems like good patient exposure to me, though a concern I might have is whether you may be misconstrued as having religious training that clergy members typically have. As long as the patient knows you are not a substitute for a pastor, priest, etc. (if that is what they are looking for) then it sounds like a good experience.

This.

You mentioned you're not way too religious. Inevitably, some patients might ask for (religious) advice and things, will you absolutely know what to say?
 
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Well I don't even pray, so it would kinda be uncomfortable to me to be practicing something with a patient that I don't even follow. I mean, I believe in God, and some times I do pray in my head, but nothing official like grace.

I am hoping to just walk into the patient's room and be there with them, have a chat, see if they need help with anything, ask them about their lives, etc. Just provide some company.

Yeah, that sounds good then. I was just assuming they wanted you to initiate prayer, or something similar, with the patients, which I thought was odd. Since it seems like more of a time to chat about life with patients, it should be a good way to get patient exposure. It's definitely more patient contact than I get at my volunteer position.
 
This.

You mentioned you're not way too religious. Inevitably, some patients might ask for advice and things, will you absolutely know what to say?

Why can't he make it up as he goes, isn't this how the Bible was written?
 
This.

You mentioned you're not way too religious. Inevitably, some patients might ask for advice and things, will you absolutely know what to say?
:scared:

Lol, there is a training involved before I start, so hopefully I learn what to say! I want to avoid prayer as much as possible, I just think it would be weird - just imagining a nurse walking into the room and be like "wtf are you doing" lol. It appears that most of these volunteers are older, more informed people. I am a 23 year old premed student but I am going to make this work the best way I can! The experience that I gain from this, I think, will definitely make me stand out.
 
In every post you have mentioned looking good on your application. Make sure that if you're doing something that could really impact a patient's mental state, that you're doing it because you will actually be helping them and be good at it.
 
:scared:

Lol, there is a training involved before I start, so hopefully I learn what to say! I want to avoid prayer as much as possible, I just think it would be weird - just imagining a nurse walking into the room and be like "wtf are you doing" lol. It appears that most of these volunteers are older, more informed people. I am a 23 year old premed student but I am going to make this work the best way I can!The experience that I gain from this, I think, will definitely make me stand out.

For some reason, this just made me picture that young priest from Gran Torino trying to talk about religion with Clint Eastwood...
 
In every post you have mentioned looking good on your application. Make sure that if you're doing something that could really impact a patient's mental state, that you're doing it because you will actually be helping them and be good at it.

I am a very compassionate and caring person - which is why I want to be a doctor. With this opportunity, I will do my very best to put a smile on someone's face, because evidently that is what I want my life to be about. It will also be a great learning experience. The reason I mentioned my application was because it's the deciding factor of whether I become a doctor or not, so making sure I have experiences on my resume that will make me "stand out" is a must, and I feel that this experience will do that for how rewarding it is...
 
I'm curious about the kind of hospital that's associated with this program. Does it have some sort of religious affiliation? If there's a hospital close to you that's next to an undergrad, try to volunteer there because it's volunteer services are likely to cater to pre-meds and have awesome clinical opportunities.
 
I'm curious about the kind of hospital that's associated with this program. Does it have some sort of religious affiliation? If there's a hospital close to you that's next to an undergrad, try to volunteer there because it's volunteer services are likely to cater to pre-meds and have awesome clinical opportunities.

It's a very big, fancy, and newly built hospital. No religious affiliation.
 
It's a very big, fancy, and newly built hospital. No religious affiliation.

I see. This sounds like a great opportunity. If it were me though, I'd stress the "caring" part of what you're doing more than the prayer side on the primary.
 
I see. This sounds like a great opportunity. If it were me though, I'd stress the "caring" part of what you're doing more than the prayer side on the primary.
what do you mean?
 
OK, so you are in the patient's room holding their hand and talking with them so this is clearly, "volunteer, clinical". They will be sharing their joys and sorrows with you so you are going to be seeing/hearing some pretty intense stuff (just got the news of a biopsy, badly injured but lost a loved one in the same event, etc) that is more than just playing video games with pediatric patients.

Treating the whole patient means being supportive of their physical needs but their functional and psycho-social needs as well. For some people that includes spiritual needs. You will be trained. If the training gives you the impression that this is not something you would be comfortable doing, then you can drop it and you need not even list it on your AMCAS. You may find that holding a patient's hands and reading a formal prayer such as a psalm (covers Christians and Jews) or some other formal prayer, or praying more spontaneously (e.g. "Lord God, we give you thanks and praise for the good news that Ethel received today and we ask your blessings upon her for her continued healing.") is a very rewarding activity and one that helps patients feel better because someone cares and is helping to meet their spiritual needs.
 
I don't think that being someone who "walks around to pray with patients" would be them forcing their religious beliefs on people because my guess is that the hospital sets up a way so that the patient (or the patient's nurse) can request this service. Like I have a volunteer job where I go in rooms and play music for patients... what if someone hates piano? Am I being a bad person? No, because I don't just force myself in, I ask them first if they want to hear something that's all. I like this job because it connects my love for piano and medicine. If I could find something like OP's thing, I'd like it too because it would connect my Christianity to medicine. They could have this service as Christian-based, or Jewish, or Buddhist or whatever kinda of spiritual advice the patient requests, no forcing necessary.

Geez, it's as if the moment religion is mentioned on SDN everyone pulls out their "what's the rudest thing I can say right now even though it makes no sense" book. :rolleyes: You all need to calm down.

PS. OP, on the other hand, if you ONLY want to do this to get some sort of patient experience but are not interested in the actual type of job it is, then there are MANY other types out there that don't include praying. So no need to settle..
 
Geez, it's as if the moment religion is mentioned on SDN everyone pulls out their "what's the rudest thing I can say right now even though it makes no sense" book.
I don't do that. But I'm amazed that anyone thinks others find it either acceptable or welcome to have personal beliefs or bible quotations shoved in their face in clearly non-religious settings.
 
I don't do that. But I'm amazed that anyone thinks others find it either acceptable or welcome to have personal beliefs or bible quotations shoved in their face in clearly non-religious settings.

Obviously, you haven't enough experince to know that a hospital bed is sometimes a very religious setting and that a lot of prayer and soul searching goes on in those places and that not all pain is physical and that not all suffering can be addressed by a physician. I'm going to chalk up your comment to ignorance.
 
Geez, it's as if the moment religion is mentioned on SDN everyone pulls out their "what's the rudest thing I can say right now even though it makes no sense" book. :rolleyes: You all need to calm down.

That's why I try to avoid any thread on SDN that mentions religion :rolleyes:
 
Just a heads up, if you ask them if they want to do a prayer, it's generally going to be expected that you're the one doing the praying for them. So I guess learn some. And maybe find out if they're Catholic or Protestant and tailor your prayer accordingly. ;)
 
Obviously, you haven't enough experince to know that a hospital bed is sometimes a very religious setting and that a lot of prayer and soul searching goes on in those places and that not all pain is physical and that not all suffering can be addressed by a physician. I'm going to chalk up your comment to ignorance.
No, I have, and I think perhaps you misunderstood because I didn't explain myself well. I'm very well aware of the multitude of religious affiliations of many hospitals, whether it be direct (Catholic/Lutheren/Jewish hospitals) or the a rainbow of clergy on staff and on call at others, etc. It's an obvious component of treatment and healing that patients want and need. My comment about the volunteer opportunity had to do with my bewilderment about a hospital having a crew of un-ordained lay persons filling that role. I think others might similarly react to that in wonder, as I did. That was my comment.

The second comment was perhaps snarky and a reaction to the person's biblical quotation in their signature, something I found out of place in a non-religious forum. I think your comment related to my first post.

Carry on.....
 
OP, if you are unsure if a patient is religious and would like to pray with you, mention that Tim Tebow is the greatest quarterback of all time, and guage their reaction.
 
Von Neuman a great mathematician. an atheist through his life, one of the great contributor to nuclear weapons, quantum mechanics, economics and game theory turned catholic in his last phase of his life and asked for sacrement. This was all done in the hospital since he was in hospital. That would be spiritual caring. What Mother Theressa did was essentially spiritual caring without trying to convert her patient. Nothing wrong with that. Providing peace to the mind is spiritual caring, and a patient desires he/she should be given, and would help healing process as long as it is in parellel with medicine based on medical science.
 
I'd hope not.
 
The second comment was perhaps snarky and a reaction to the person's biblical quotation in their signature, something I found out of place in a non-religious forum. I think your comment related to my first post.

Carry on.....

Are you going to criticize my avatar as well?

The fact is, we all believe in something (or the lack of something), and in this thread and other previous threads, it is the non-religious people who are intolerant and pushing their beliefs by belittling the beliefs of others.
 
The fact is, we all believe in something (or the lack of something)

Please, just, no. Why go there?

Brb, off to not smoke a cigarette (that's my habit) and not collect stamps (that's my hobby).
 
Please, just, no. Why go there?

Brb, off to not smoke a cigarette (that's my habit) and not collect stamps (that's my hobby).

I do not understand either part of your post.
 
I do not accept the 'fact' that non-belief is a belief. It's hoary and condescending. It's like calling bald a hair color, to give a third analogy.

That's all.
 
I do not accept the 'fact' that non-belief is a belief. It's hoary and condescending. It's like calling bald a hair color, to give a third analogy.

That's all.

You are believing that there is no deity. I fail to see how that doesn't qualify as a "belief" about our world. Your argument doesn't seem to hold water to me, and it is used as justification to bash those who do believe in a deity. Which ties back to my original statement.
 
The second comment was perhaps snarky and a reaction to the person's biblical quotation in their signature, something I found out of place in a non-religious forum. I think your comment related to my first post.

Carry on.....

Some people don't compartmentalize their life into religous and non-religious. If someone wants to quote a letter from a holy man to his followers about the strength found through faith, why is it any skin off your nose? Live and let live?
 
You are believing that there is no deity. I fail to see how that doesn't qualify as a "belief" about our world. Your argument doesn't seem to hold water to me, and it is used as justification to bash those who do believe in a deity. Which ties back to my original statement.

Would you say that you believe in the nonexistence of Santa Claus, Zeus, Magneto, etc? Not trying to bash, it's just that by this logic anyone can posit X and declare everyone else to be a believer in not-X. Whether or not X is trivially easy to disprove, it's an argument in favor of everything, which is to say that it ultimately means nothing. It's self-refuting.

Anyway I agreed with the rest of what you said. Really not trying to derail everything, as this thread covers an issue that I deal with from time to time, volunteering at an institution explicitly dedicated to a religion I do not ascribe to. Personally I just smile and nod, and on the occasion that people bring up their faith I empathize with them in terms vague enough to remain intellectually honest. :)
 
This sounds like a wonderful opportunity! I don't even believe in god, but I think that this gets you closer to the patient than even the scent metric usually suggested on this forum.
 
Some people don't compartmentalize their life into religous and non-religious.
Sure, and that's fine. But we live in a diverse society. One can't be oblivious to the importance of giving some forethought about "I am" or "I'm not" or "I don't know if I'm" with people who share my view, before expressing a personal thought in public. It's arrogant to not do so. And many times that quick assessment leads to concluding "Hey, better not to say this right now or to this person"

I think there are times and places religious comments belong and others where they don't - don't you?

It's often the people who don't compartmentalize, as you describe, who are the most active in trying to impose their views on others. They would respond to your question "Live and let live?" by saying "Yes, but only my way".
 
Sure, and that's fine. But we live in a diverse society. One can't be oblivious to the importance of giving some forethought about "I am" or "I'm not" or "I don't know if I'm" with people who share my view, before expressing a personal thought in public. It's arrogant to not do so. And many times that quick assessment leads to concluding "Hey, better not to say this right now or to this person"

I think there are times and places religious comments belong and others where they don't - don't you?

It's often the people who don't compartmentalize, as you describe, who are the most active in trying to impose their views on others. They would respond to your question "Live and let live?" by saying "Yes, but only my way".

You seem to be the one saying, "Only my way." In a diverse society, some people are going to wear their faith on their sleeve and others will be more private while we also have the freedom not to practice any religion or display any religious symbols at all. I don't see those people who have bible verses in their signature lines criticizing anyone for not having the same.
 
Musclemass, are you one of those people who doesn't like being wished a Merry Christmas? Just wondering.
 
I do not accept the 'fact' that non-belief is a belief. It's hoary and condescending. It's like calling bald a hair color, to give a third analogy.

That's all.


+100.

Usage of term believers/nonbelievers was used with respect to particular belief, that is belief in god or supernatural being. Now the modern day believers in supernatural are trying to change that. But when you do that the meaning becomes content free: it desrcibes nothing.

As a scientist I would frame it this way:

Proposition that there is some supernatural being has no compelling experimental evidence. If you make a proposition that there is a supernatural being one cannot design any experiment that will falsify that proposition. Anything can then be explained by saying that it was done by supernatural being about who we don't know any thing. It is no more than saying I don't understand, and as a scientist I will have to investigate further.

Supernatural Being is slippery slope. We may need a super-supernatural being to explain why there is supernatural being.

In content free way of using the word "believer" every one is beliver: We certainly believe that we exist, and was starting point of Descarte's reflection (proof?) of existance of god. But that was no more than saying that there is some thing we call Universe rather than there being nothing.

If we want to have effective communication we have agree on the meaning of word "believer" in contentful way rather than contentfree usage.
 
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If it is something you want to do(stated in your last line) then go for it! Many adcoms want you to have interacted with patients. I got asked in several interviews about whether or not my shadowing involved patient contact.
I also wanted to say that I agree with LizzyM's posts here. It is very ignorant to think that all of your patients only want you there medically. As a physician you are playing the role of healer. If the patient considers his spirituality a part of his health then you are doing him a major disservice by neglecting his needs.
 
As soon as I read the title of this thread I knew it would be filled with morally superior, enlightened individuals that realize how important it is to not impose religious values on others. The natural conclusion is that any sort of religious expression in any setting - but particularly healthcare - is inappropriate. Because, you know, it's all about making sure the patient is comfortable.

I wasn't disappointed.
 
As soon as I read the title of this thread I knew it would be filled with morally superior, enlightened individuals that realize how important it is to not impose religious values on others. The natural conclusion is that any sort of religious expression in any setting - but particularly healthcare - is inappropriate. Because, you know, it's all about making sure the patient is comfortable.

I wasn't disappointed.

It's definitely an interesting thread, though. I've actually been in a hospital setting and had a rabbi come into my room simply because of my name, and while I was being polite and allowed him to do his thing, I was marginally annoyed, but not enough that it really mattered. Definitely not something I would go bat**** about.
 
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