The spiritual beliefs and values of many religions, including Christianity, have contributed significantly to the moral foundation of nursing. Some of the values that motivate Christian nurses include beliefs that caring for others represents caring for Jesus and that there is spiritual reward gained through this (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). Additionally, it is believed that one should love one’s neighbor as oneself despite prevalent selfishness in the world today, encapsulating the idea that every person has worth, dignity and is a member of the Kingdom of God (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). Because of these values, many Christian nurses are drawn to missionary nursing. The main goal of Christian missionary nursing is for nurses around the world to use the skills they have acquired in school to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus specifically with those in need of medical attention. According to Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, all nursing, in a sense, is missionary work because all individuals are called to care for others as Jesus did (Nurses Christian Fellowship, 2005). A common misconception of missionary nursing is that it can only be done in poor, distant countries. However, missionary nursing can occur both locally and internationally.

( www.ipc-usa.org, 2007)
A nurse caring for a patient during a mission trip to Honduras.

Missionary nursing is a type of transcultural nursing because it gives care to patients from different cultural backgrounds, while providing care specific to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs called upon by their culture (Johnson & Johnson Services, 2006). Many nurses have traveled cross-culturally to use their knowledge and skills as a nurse while presenting the Gospel (Nurses Christian Fellowship, 2005). Patients cared for have included immigrants; refugees; people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters; or people who are excluded from health care in countries all around the world (Medical Missionaries of Mary, 2007). 

Two principles that are crucial to transcultural nursing are cultural sensitivity and awareness. Cultural sensitivity is “the ability to incorporate the patient’s cultural perspective into nursing assessments and to modify nursing care in order to be as congruent as possible with the patient’s cultural perspective” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008, p.441). Cultural awareness is having knowledge of the values, behaviors, and the belief systems of cultures other than one’s own (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). In order to provide the best care, it is important for nurses who work with patients of different cultures, to avoid an ethnocentric attitude by practicing these two necessary principles (Andrews & Hanson, 2002).

There is a great demand for missionary nurses, especially in under-developed countries. As a result of the nursing shortage worldwide, diseases that are considered minor illnesses in developed countries can be life threatening in under-developed countries. Examples of these diseases are malaria, drug-resistant TB, neonatal tetanus, and leprosy (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). 

According to the Ministry of Health, which set national health standards, 0.5 percent of the total population in developed countries are nurses. But in under-developed countries, such as China, Bangladesh, Zaire, Haiti, Guatemala, most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and the island nation of Indonesia, only 0.1 percent of the population are nurses (People’s Daily Online, 2007). Missionary nurses are important because they strive to lessen the shortage and improve health conditions globally.
By volunteering through non-governmental, private voluntary, and philanthropic organizations, missionary nurses provide almost 20% of all external aid to lesser-developed countries (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). These organizations are funded by people developed countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, and countries in Western Europe (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008).  

(www.unisa.edu, 2008)
World Vision Logo


There are many organizations that provide an infinite number of opportunities to serve. World Vision is one of the largest Christian relief and development organizations in the world that provides opportunities for nurses to work as missionary nurses. World Vision advocates transformational development by helping people develop skills and teaching them to use natural resources to reduce poverty through education, awareness campaigns, and economic development (World Vision, 2008). They also provide emergency relief by responding to natural disasters with health care, supplies, and community restoration
services, World Vision promotes Christianity (World Vision, 2008).

(www.hishealinghands.com, 2008)
His Healing Hands Logo

His Healing Hands, a health mission organization founded in 2002, strives to provide medical treatment to people all across the globe. His Healing Hands is funded by public and private donations and government grants. This organization sends nurses to a specific location, where the nurse will live and provide health care to locals for about 1-3 months (Urbana, 2006). The limited stay of the nurses may actually be detrimental because it does not promote long-term health and wellness support or patient-nurse relationships, which are essential for health improvement and health maintenance. In contrast, patients will receive medical treatment that otherwise would have been unavailable due to financial constraints or a lack of local health clinics (Urbana, 2006).

(www.lawndale.org, 2007)
Lawndale Christian Health Center Logo

Lawndale Christian Health Center is also a missionary organization that was founded in 1984 by residents of Lawndale Christian Community Church (Lawndale, 2007). Their goal is to share the love of Christ while providing affordable and quality health care to Chicago’s Lawndale and Garfield communities (Lawndale, 2007). Lawndale Christian Health Center currently has 300 employees working in these two locations. They are funded by government grants and donations. Employees, including nurses, are expected to work with Lawndale Christian Health Care for a minimum of 4 years (Urbana, 2006). A long-term commitment such as this encourages strong patient-nurse relationships and allows the nurse to become familiar and improve the community’s health care needs.


(www.HopeInternational.com, 2007)
Hope Clinic International Logo

Hope Clinic International is an organization that is aimed at providing health care to women and children in Nicaragua. Their mission is built on Judeo-Christian principles that value the worth of a human life. Dr. Dan Heffernan founded Hope Clinic International in 1997 after personally observing poverty and lack of medical health services in Nicaragua (Hope International Clinic, 2007). They have sent medical and surgical teams to several towns including Estelí, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Leon, Masaya and Chinandega. The teams remain in their assigned countries for 2 weeks. Within those two weeks, they care for about 600 to 1,000 children by performing life changing surgeries and health education (Hope Clinic International, 2007). Nurses can benefit from this short time because they can catch a glimpse of what it is like to serve in a country other than their own and see if long-term missionary nursing is right for them.

Although the structures and demands of these organizations are all very different, they all aim for the same goal: To provide care to those in need while sharing the love of Jesus. A list of many more Christian missionary organizations can be found at www.Urbana.org. Working as a missionary nurse is an opportunity that will both be challenging and rewarding as it contributes to the dynamic capabilities that the nursing profession requires.

(www.drnurses.tripod.com, 2007)
Many children just like these are in need of health care everyday.

References: 

Andrews, M.M., & Hansen, P.A. (2002). Religious Beliefs: Implications for Nursing 

     Practice. Transcultural concepts in nursing care (4th ed.) Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams

     & Wilkins.
Burkhardt, M.A., & Nathaniel, A.K. (2008). Ethics & Issues in Contemporary Nursing (3rd Ed).

     New York: Delmar Learning.
Hope Clinic International (2007). About us. Retrieved January 26, 2008, from      

     http://hopeclinicinternational.googlepages.com/news.
Johnson & Johnson Services. 2002-2006. Transcultural Nursing. Retrieved December 2,

     2007, from http://www.discovernursing.com/jnj-specialtyID_141-dsc-specialty_detail.aspx.
Lawndale Christian Health Center (2007). About Us. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from 

     http://www.lawndale.org
Medical Missionaries of Mary (2007). World Aids Day. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from 

     http://www.medical-missionaries.com/index.php.
Nurses Christian Fellowship (2005). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved January 24, 

     2008, from ttp://ncf-jcn.org/missions/questions/faq1.html. 

People’s Daily Online (2007). China Faces Nursing Shortage. Retreived January 24, 2008, 

     from http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200705/12/eng20070512_373985.html.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2008). Public Health Nursing (7th Ed). Mosby Elsevier
Urbana (2006). MSearch. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from 

     http://www.urbana.org/ns.ms.agency.com.
World Vision (2008). World Vision History and Mission. Retrieved January 24, 2008, from 

     http://www.worldvision.org/about_us.nsf/child/history