Becoming a Parish Nurse

Contact us:
651-232-5521

The Parish Nurse Network seeks registered nurses who are dedicated to the health and wellness of a church/faith community.

While each parish nurse position is uniquely crafted to meet the needs of a specific faith community, parish nurses must desire to work with members of a congregation in many ways:

Visit members in their homes, nursing homes or hospital rooms
Counsel members on health related issues
Assist in obtaining health services
Help members understand the relationship between body, mind and spirit
Teach classes on how to maintain good health
Provide health screening at health fairs and other events
Develop support groups with the church
Coordinate congregational volunteers

The network provides these benefits to parish nurses:

Access to resources within HealthEast and other relevant community programs and services.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) opportunities
New medical equipment is gifted to each church for their loan closet
Parish Nurse Resource Library. Offers up-to-date books, manuals and videos on parish nurse health ministry.
Continuing education opportunities through mini-retreats, staff meetings and HealthEast offerings.
Church specific brochures describing the parish nurse ministry
One-time stipend for parish nurse ministry-related expenses
Monthly staff meeting and support from the Parish Nurse Manager and other parish nurses.

A week in the life of a parish nurse

Examples of common activities parish nurses perform on a weekly basis:

Telephone contacts - 37
Church office visits - 20
Home visits to parishioners in need - 17
Support group development and assistance - 2
Referrals to congregational and community resources - 6
Volunteer coordination - 3
Advocate to those in need of health care resources - 9
Integrator of faith, showing how body, mind and spirit are closely related - 36
Educator for classes and counseling on health-related topics - 21

Statistics are an average of all churches within the HealthEast Parish Nurse Network.

Parish Nurse Manager

HealthEast's parish nurse manager provides orientation, consultation, resources and support to help parish nurses to develop in their role within the church.

An important step in the development of a parish nurse ministry is forming a health and wellness committee. The parish nurse manager educates churches and provides direction and support for the parish nurse ministry through this committee.

For more information

For more information about the HealthEast Parish Nurse Network, or becoming a parish nurse, contact the Parish Nurse Coordinator at 651-232-5521 or landerson@healtheast.org.