Parish Nurse Job Description
When a person takes an interest in nursing as a career, he or she doesn’t just have to remain a general nurse in a hospital or nursing home. He or she has the option to specialize in different areas of nursing or become a specific type of nurse. This may lead an individual to wonder what is a parish nurse, what is the job description, and what is the average nursing salary as well as how to become one.
What Is a Parish Nurse?
First and foremost, a person whats to know what is a parish nurse. This particular nurse is one who works in a religious community or a parish. He or she may take on a role in a mosque, temple, church, or synagogue. Much like a holistic nurse, a parish nurse is responsible for integrating health and faith to help people within the religious community stay healthy.
This kind of nurse has the responsibility of increasing health awareness. They assist members of the church to discover the connection between lifestyle, attitude, and faith as well as well-being. A nurse in a parish understands healthcare but uses his or her knowledge of religion and health care to promote healing and overall better health.
What Does a Parish Nurse Do?
If a person is questioning what does a parish nurse do, he or she should understand that the role may change based on the religious community he or she is a part of. However, the parish nurse’s job description may include creating newsletters to help members of the religious group understand how to stay healthy. He or she may act as a community health leader and make bulletins about how to improve a person’s health.
The parish nurse job description may also include visiting members of the religious community in their homes after they’re discharged from the hospital or suffer from an illness or injury. Then, he or she will read over discharge papers and help the person better understand the situation and educate the person on how he or she can optimize his or her recovery.
A person who is a parish nurse may perform health screening on members of the church or religious group. He or she may also recommend certain community resources to members of the community to optimize their health.
How Does a Person Become a Parish Nurse?
f the job description appears to be appealing, a person may wonder what are the steps on how to become a parish nurse. The first step of how to become a parish nurse consists of getting a registered nursing license. To do so, a person must either obtain an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Then, he or she qualifies to take the Nation Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses known as the NCLEX.
There isn’t a particular certification a person requires to specialize in parish nursing. However, a person may want to consider getting a certification in faith community nursing, which is available through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
After a person completes this training, he or she is ready to take on a role in a parish. Parish nurse is often a good career for older nurses who are near retirement, or for second-career nurses.
What Is the Average Salary?
If a person has an interest in the faith and nursing and is willing to undergo the necessary training, he or she may wonder how much is the average parish nursing salary. This role is sometimes a voluntary role to help out the community. However, more and more these nurses are starting to earn a salary for their efforts. Generally, the parish nurse’s salary is paid through the congregation, multiple congregations, hospitals, another organization, or through grants.
Generally, a person who is looking to become a parish nurse should keep in mind that the role benefits them because he or she is helping, not because of the salary. Many parish nurses are volunteers.
However, if one is fortunate enough to be offered a salary, they may earn between $10,000 to $45,000 annually with the average salary being $15,000. If the salaries reported worry you, especially since only 35 percent of these nurses receive income, the hours are limited. A person may only work three hours per week. A person who opts to become a parish nurse may use his or her RN to practice in a hospital or another facility and take on the role in his or her free time if the salaries don’t sound appealing to a person.
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