Spiritual Dimensions of Advanced Practice Nursing

This book recognises the challenges associated with the concept of spirituality. An awareness of this concept is integral to the provision of person-centred holistic care. However, APNs ability to provide spiritual care is often impeded by time pressures and the prioritisation of clinical tasks. Confusion about the meaning of spiritually and its relationship to religion compound the challenges involved in providing spiritual care leaving APNs feeling ill-equipped to address this area of care. Indeed many APNs view spirituality as synonymous with religion. This book provides clarity with the assumption that spirituality is innate to all of our patients and is related to what gives them hope, meaning and purpose. Fundamentally it is about being human. APNs ability to practice with kindness, compassion and empathy will naturally resonate with spiritually competent practice.

It begins with an outline of the definitions of spirituality in addition to the concept of spiritually competent practice. An emphasis on the importance of personal development follows.

Case studies from countries across the globe illustrate the benefit of integrating spirituality and provide evidence of the importance and relevance of integrating spirituality into practice. These include discussion and presentations of the related concepts of availability and vulnerability which will give APNs more confidence and competence to integrate spirituality into practice.

Dr Melanie Rogers is a University Teaching Fellow for Advanced Practice at the University of Huddersfield in the UK. She is also an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care as well as the Chair of the International Council of Nurses, Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network. She is a Queens Nurse having been awarded this title for her work in practice and education. She has worked as a nurse for over 25 years having trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She has worked in many settings including acute medicine, endocrinology, gynaecology, oncology and emergency care in the UK and Canada before training to be a Nurse Practitioner in 1998.

After pioneering the Nurse Practitioner role in the Yorkshire region she went on to develop the Advanced Practice routes at the University of Huddersfield. She set up and developed a local Nurse Practitioner forum, became active nationally in the Association of Advanced Practice Educators before serving on several Sub Groups with the ICN Nurse Practitioner Network. She was elected as Chair of this network in 2017.

Dr Rogers is passionate about advanced practice as a way of providing the care needed at the point of need for patients. Her work and research has focused on how to provide truly holistic care to patients and her doctoral studies on spirituality have led to a framework for Nurse Practitioners to help patients find hope, meaning and purpose during times of illness and challenge.