Nurses Christian Fellowship International Conference - Day 2 & 3

We have had another two exciting days out here in Chile; being inspired, challenged and enjoying multinational fellowship! Each morning we have enjoyed Bible studies. So far theses have been on Mark 2v1-12 and Mark 5v40-43, looking specifically at their implications for nurses.

God is so good at revealing in familiar passages new things that will change our practice. For example, in Mark 5v40 we looked at the way that Jesus cared for and involved families in His healing, and were challenged about whether we treat the families of our patients in the same way.

We then met together for professional plenaries, on Tuesday exploring the role of the nurse in partnering with God and on Wednesday exploring the role of nurses partnering with patients and their families. The two points that stood out were the importance of being yoked with Christ and therefore walking in step with Him, not rushing ahead or lagging behind but watching where He wants us to go and partnering with Him.

The second point was a reminder that we need to see our patients as children of God, remembering in our workplaces the verse “everything that you do for one of my little ones; you do it for me” (paraphrased).

This afternoon we went to visit a public hospital in Santiago, which was a fantastic opportunity to get a glimpse at how another country provides care. All the Staff at the hospital, including the patients and families were keen to welcome us and say hello. We were very impressed at the fingerprint recognition equipment used to log in and off shift, and received a talk from the Director of Medicine and saw videos about the evacuation of their hospital during the 2010 earthquake. It was interesting to note that the pressures we experience in the NHS, such as lack of beds, waiting times, particular winter illnesses and infection rates are just as much a problem in the Chile as they are in the UK. Other international delegates in our visiting party could also sympathise. It’s a worldwide challenge!

Right now we’re off to the Nursing Christian Fellowship International Forum – the slightly more boring but equally important part of the week!!!!

Rosanne Ball (CNM Member)