Called to Care - 3rd Edition by Judith Allen Shelly & Arlene B Miller & Kimberly H Fenstermacher (Paperback)

About the Book

As nursing and healthcare continue to change, we need nurses who are committed both to a solid understanding of their profession and to caring well for patients and their families. Offering a historically and theologically grounded vision of the nurse's call, this thoroughly revised third edition of a classic text includes practical features for educators, students, and practitioners.

Book Synopsis

As nursing and healthcare continue to change, we need nurses who are committed both to a solid understanding of their profession and to caring well for patients and their families. Offering a historically and theologically grounded vision of the nurse's call, this thoroughly revised third edition of a classic text includes practical features for educators, students, and practitioners.

Review Quotes

"Courageous nurses will find this new edition an essential companion that lights the way in practice and academic settings influenced by modern and postmodern worldviews."

"In the increasingly complex and challenging world of health care, a nurse's faith can be a necessary point of reference to avoid being just swept along in the tide of change. This book can assist quicker development of a sufficiently mature and thought-through Christian faith to enable a nurse to cope explicitly with the challenges of life, suffering, death, and an unending succession of new ethical issues, and to support others in doing so. The original biblically well-referenced discussion of nursing and concepts relevant to it, illustrated by nursing stories, gives a coherent Christian perspective on nursing. The discussion questions and points for further thinking and reflection highlight its relevance and application in practice. Many could usefully be raised in a group of nurses or students with a variety of faiths or none. The purpose, objectives, and key words for each chapter also help to focus thought and learning. This book is a welcome resource."

"In this long-awaited third edition, authors Shelly, Miller, and Fenstermacher revive the beloved classic that presents a Christian worldview for nursing. This book has been a staple of faith-based nursing programs for decades. Readers will find chapters and content consistent with prior editions along with some new applications and stories. The vision set forth by this text remains true to the timeless Christian message that as nurses we embrace a worthy calling to bring compassion, comfort, and shalom to the persons we serve."

"Nursing is a science and an art. Our art of caring is built on a foundation of biblical truths. Human beings, created in the image of God, are his most prized creation, and nurses have the honor of providing holistic care to the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of each distinctive person. In the third edition of Called to Care, Shelly, Miller, and Fenstermacher present the practice of nursing as the holistic care of the unique individual created in the image of God as the person seeks peace and hope. It is must-read for all Christian nurses!"

"The authors of the third edition of Called to Care clearly describe the theological foundation of nursing from a Christian worldview. As in previous editions, the text fills a critical need for nurses seeking to develop and explain their nursing philosophy and integrate their Christian faith in nursing practice. The biblical foundation of nursing is threaded throughout the text, assisting readers in reflecting on God as the source of their worldview and calling to nursing, supporting their motivation to be nurses. The authors encourage nurses to carefully consider biblical and theological truth when evaluating nursing theories they incorporate into their practice. Implications for caring for the whole person regardless of culture are emphasized in the text. The authors define culture, describe the person as a cultural being, and support the Christian nurse's role in providing Christ-centered care for diverse populations from a biblical perspective, emphasizing that people from all cultures should be respected and treated with kindness. The case studies and discussion questions following each chapter are good teaching tools, making this an excellent textbook for schools of nursing to include as a resource for their curriculum."

"This is the book for which Christian schools of nursing have been waiting. This third edition of Called to Care has been thoroughly updated to address changes in nursing and provides a sound theology of Christian worldview. The updated format-including examples, questions, objectives, and case studies-provides structure for ease in classroom applications. Because the writing is clear and the content is accessible, this book also has general interest to Christian nurses beyond a classroom setting. I found it a pleasure to read. I plan to give it to my faculty members and to use it in our senior nursing synthesis courses for both our prelicensure and RN students."

"This new edition of Called to Care carefully examines nursing's historical roots, theoretical tenets, and contemporary context through a Scripture-based lens, while engaging readers with vignettes, case studies, and discussion points. This thoughtful and timely invitation for reflection on nursing as Christian caring is so relevant for Christian nurses, nursing students, and nurse educators."

"To my mind, the first edition of Called to Care has become a classic for Christian nurses. . . . The book offers a valid challenge to those who propose to interpret notions like 'good nursing care' from the perspective of different worldviews. Shelly and Miller show a broad and deep knowledge of the literature and make a well-argued case for the strengths and weaknesses in many trends in nursing theory and practice. For those who want to interact with what the Christian tradition of nursing looks like today, Called to Care is as good a starting point as any."

"While the core Christian message has not changed since the first edition, the world within and beyond health care certainly has-and with it, the concrete implications of a Christian worldview. Even those familiar with the original edition will want to read the latest work of these champions of caring with heart and mind."

About the Author

Kimberly H. Fenstermacher (PhD, CRNP) is chief nursing administrator, assistant dean of nursing, and associate professor of nursing at Messiah University.

Judith Allen Shelly (BSN, DMin) previously served as publications director for Nurses Christian Fellowship, director of NCF Press, and editor of the Journal of Christian Nursing. She is also the author of Spiritual Care: A Guide for Caregivers and the coauthor of Values in Conflict.

Arlene B. Miller (RN, PhD) is retired from the Department of Nursing at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Her books include Values in Conflict.