Nur 2100/Foundations of Nursing Scholarship

Name: Reflective writing: Catholic Healthcare Ministries

Description: Reflective writing is intended to help you think about a particular

experience. Examples of experiences are: conversations, observations, interactions
with others, etc. This rubric provides you with the key components of reflection that
will guide your thoughts into a narrative format. Reflective writing is informal and
does not require APA format or referencing. However, points will be deducted for late
and/or sloppy submissions. All questions must be answered completely for full credit.
Assignments turned in late will be penalized according to course syllabus.

Noticing (25 points)

 What did you initially notice about Catholic Healthcare Ministries?

My first initial reaction to the Catholic Healthcare Ministries is that it is a strong community that
believes in upmost patient care. From our class readings and discussions, I also was initially
made aware that the Catholic Church proclaims human life as sacred. However, to go along with
that, while they are committed to the patient, there seems to be a variety of what I would call
controversial topics that they will not steer from, according to the Church, no matter the
reasoning.

• Describe how your initial thoughts evolved as you learned more about the themes of
Catholic Social Teaching and the Ethical and Religious Directives?

In class, we had group discussions on the Ethical and Religious Directives. Going into the
discussion, I had personal opinions on some of the topics, such as issues for care for the
beginning of life and issues in the care of dying. Through our discussions and learning more
about the topics, I began to understand why the rules are in place and why the Church feels the
way they do regarding those topics. However, I still don’t have a full understanding as to why
it’s all black and white and no gray area.

Interpreting (25 points)

 Describe how the Sisters of Bon Secours influenced practiced the themes of Catholic Social
Teaching.

The Sisters of Bon Secours took risks after the French Revolution in order to help care for the
sick and then formed the first formal healthcare system. With this, they categorize under the
themes thoroughly to provide holistic healthcare. The sisters saw humans that were sick and
needed help, not their appearances and where they came from. We are called on to protect God’s
people and that is exactly what the Sisters of Bon Secours did through nursing.
 Give an example of how a nurse in today's society could practice using these themes
regardless of their religious affiliation.

As a nurse today, our everyday focus is to provide personalized care to our patients. As we will
be taking care of many patients from many different races, nationality, sex, religious status, etc.
from our own, I believe nurses in today’s society can practice the Catholic healthcare ministry to
provide the upmost care regardless of their own background. For example, one theme is the life
and dignity of the human person. While this states human life is sacred and we as humans are
threatened by new research and advancements in medicine, we as nurses can still follow suit
because it’s part of the job regardless, as the patient and their health is our number one concern
and focus.

Responding (25 points)

 Which of the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching speaks to you the most?

The option for the poor and vulnerable speaks to me the most from the themes. Once I become a
nurse in the healthcare industry, I want to see people as people no matter what. I understand I’ll
be working with many patients from a different background than my own. I also understand the
patients will be coming to me not because they want to, but because they have to. Many patients
will be coming to me with concerns and issues because they cannot afford proper healthcare or
are living in poverty without proper resources. To me, I want to be able to provide them all I am
capable to continue living.

 Which Ethical and Religious Directive can you link your theme to and why?

My theme links to directive #3. This states “Catholic healthcare should distinguish itself by
service to and advocacy for those people whose social conditions put them at the margins in our
society and makes them particularly vulnerable to discrimination.” This means us as nurses must
treat each patient the same regardless of their condition and background.

Reflecting (25 points)

 What does the phrase "Call to Serve" mean to you after learning about Catholic Healthcare
Ministries?

The call to serve can be fulfilled through a variety of avenues. To me, the call to serve is to fulfill
the need for us to protect God’s people as we are called to do. The Catholic Healthcare Ministry
is a commitment to provided holistic care in communion with the Church and I feel we are doing
that as we serve those that come to hospitals in a time of need.
 Describe any changes or an increased awareness in your values or feelings as a result of this
lecture.

Coming into this lecture, as well as starting my nursing career as a Bon Secours nursing student,
I knew there were many standards the Catholic Church held for the industry. However, I was not
aware of the strictness of some of the topics. Now that I’m aware of these, it will help me grow
individually. I many not understand or agree with them 100%, but this gives me guidance and
direction to better understand and be a more well rounded nurse in the future.