A doctrine is basically any teaching that is offered from any standpoint while belief is the acceptance of something as the truth regardless of the position. Belief is the faith people have which is knowledge based on the insight that we have when we understand things by instinct rather than rationally (Small, 2011). When beliefs influence ones to take on important life matters and determine priorities in their life that become their view of the world. The Christian worldview, therefore, refers to the assumptions Christians make based on biblical teachings while making their life choices. Christians will, therefore, relate their vocations and profession to the teachings in the bible and execute their responsibilities at work from a Christian standpoint. Christians will interpret every academic doctrine in relation to the teachings of the Bible (Downey, & Porter, 2009). Therefore, the understanding that man is created in the image of God affects how a nurse behaves and carries out his or her duties in the hospital basing every decision on the faith in the likeness to God.
Nursing has grown to become a career through time requiring professional skill and expertise. However, nursing is a vocational profession that requires calling to handle as it deals with sensitivity and vulnerability of people. A nurse’s role is to help a client to doing the things that lead them to regain their health or to a peaceful death. Nurses should relate to the values and beliefs of those they serve so as to be capable in their roles. On the other hand, a nurse needs to find a basis for the profession that will be their source of motivation since it has extremes that need more than professionalism to work through. A Christian nurse has the privilege to take care of life, which is a precious gift from God. Our bodies are regarded as the temples of God (1 Corinthians 3:6) hence the need to treat them with such respect. Jesus calls people to take care of those in need (Mark 9:41) (Downey, & Porter, 2009). Therefore, nursing is a call from God to serve other people in their times of need and show them compassion.
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Nursing requires the care of a person as a whole mind, body, and spirit as well as in respect to the culture. Nursing care goes beyond giving medications as prescribed by doctors to the psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient. In the cause of caring for a person regarding the whole person, it is likely that their profession may overwrap with beliefs or technology used in nursing which will require them to rely on more than their professional skill and towards their faith as well. In 3 John 1:2, Jesus calls people to enjoy good health, that their souls will get well along too and that everything else may be well with them. In the faith that as nurses they are created in the image of God, they have to be authentic in the provision of these needs (Downey, & Porter, 2009). It would, therefore, be wrong to ignore the social requirements of a patient and only provide them with the medication assuming all their other needs. For instance, a patient might require a nurse to pray with them or may express their distress in the situation to them. It is a nurse’s call to act in the likeness of God and offer them a listening ear as well as encouragement and guidance they may have on the matter.
Nurses are called to care for all regardless of their mental, physical or social status. In humans being made in the image of God they are with dignity and honor and should be treated as such despite their appearance or state at the moment. People shouldn’t be treated with preference because they hold a higher social status to others. People that are physically challenged or deformed deserve the same care accorded to those that are physically reasonable. Those that are mentally ill should receive the same care without dislike or distaste. A nurse is called in the image of God to act like He does which is without bias, favoritism, disgust or preference (Shelly, & Miller, 2006). In Mathew 25: 34-40, The Bible calls for Christians to help all in need irrespective of whether they know them or not or who they are. Nurses are hence called to serve men and women seeing them in the image of God thus according to them the dignity and respect that they deserve. For example, if they are two patient one from a wealthy family and a street child they should both be cared for with the same attention and concern. A handicap or cripple should be taken care of with compassion, and a mentally ill person should be treated without disgust, and they should be cared for with dignity and respectfully. This includes caring for those with a dangerous disease such as HIV/AIDS.
According to Christianity, God is a true God who is honest with us. In our likeness to him, we should be honest and genuine in our work. A nurse should serve in integrity, honesty, and genuineness. In Psalms 139, God knows us in all perspective and measure and knows our actions as well as every outcome. It is thus of no use to cover up responses instead nurses should act diligently with honesty and integrity while dealing with patients and be genuine as God is. In a situation where a nurse is supposed to administer medication to patients and fails to, the nurse poses a risk to the life of the patient, and that is dishonest. Integrity means that a nurse should only promise what they can commit to rather than promise the client and not meet the pledge. For instance, promising to visit at a particular time or to do something and failing to avail themselves defiles integrity while offering superficial and hypocritical responses defiles genuineness. (Downey, & Porter, 2009). Nurses are thus called to be honest, of integrity and genuine as God is to us.
In conclusion, every Christian has a responsibility to seek the counsel of God through the word to determine what Christ would do in the day to day roles they play in their vocation so that they can act in likeness to God. For being created in the image of God, they carry the dignity of God and should show empathy, love, compassion and kindness to humanity for their service regardless of the profession. Besides service to humanity is a fundamental responsibility of Christians just as Christ did. Nurses by taking care of people’s lives are accorded the most volatile responsibility of maintaining, promoting and taking care of lives of people who are vulnerable and needy and are therefore required to be selfless and committed in their service to emulate God and Christ’s healing ministry. In the process of their profession, they are frequently faced with the challenges of relating their beliefs, the beliefs of patients, technology and professional skill to determine what is right and in what accord. In such scenarios, they should take the biblical viewpoint and act as God would: to their capacity as well as in respect to God, considering they are created in the likeness of God.
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References
Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing . Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic/InterVarsity Press.
Downey, D. E. D., & Porter, S. E. (2009). Christian worldview and the academic disciplines: Crossing the academy . Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications.
Small, J. (2011). Faith is Trusting God not belief in Doctrine. The Huffington post.com . Retrieved on 27 April 2017 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-small/faith-is-not-a-synonym-fo_b_810458.html.
