What do healthcare providers think about the role of faith in their work? Students in the Interreligious Understanding for Healthcare class at University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, examined this issue as part of the Interfaith America Religion and Health Curriculum grant.

The majority of these undergraduate students are planning on health professions, including nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy and mental health. The course assignments required the students to reflect on their own worldview and spirituality in light of the traditions we studied, as well as responding to various case studies.

One of the central assignments was to interview a practicing healthcare professional about their experiences both in working with patients and colleagues of different faith traditions and in integrating their faith with their work. As a class we developed a core set of interview questions but also allowed for flexibility based on the particular provider’s field and worldview. The interviewees included nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, and a surgeon. The providers predominantly came from Christian contexts but included those who identified as spiritual but not religious, evangelicals, Catholics, and mainline Protestants.  

Several common themes emerged across providers, regardless of their religious commitment:

1. Health professionals recognize the need to treat the whole patient. 

The providers in our interview pool stressed the importance of seeing patients as complete persons, who had spiritual as well as physical needs. They acknowledged that the current healthcare environment sometimes raises challenges to this perspective. One surgeon said, “I think that medicine in general has become very scientific and secular.” Yet many patients, especially when facing surgery or other serious treatments seek spiritual support. For the best outcomes, providers need to look beyond the physical ailments.  

2. Practitioners take cues from patient when faith issues arise. 

While most of the providers in our group identify as either religious or spiritual, they do not initiate conversations about religion with patients. If the patient raises a concern, such as wanting to pray, several of them expressed their willingness to accommodate the patient, either themselves or by referring to a chaplain. Some practitioners noted that making a spiritual connection or praying with a patient can deepen both their own spirituality and their bond with a patient. While they are careful not to use their position to proselytize, if a patient opens the door, they are not afraid to reveal their faith to the patient. Strengthening the trust relationship between patients and providers can improve healing.  

3. Respect for patients’ spiritual beliefs and practices is central. 

All of the practitioners interviewed articulated a deep commitment to respecting the patient’s spiritual beliefs and practices. While they did not always feel qualified to address issues themselves, they expressed a willingness to connect the patients with resources such as the chaplaincy staff. Even if the patient’s beliefs lead them to decisions with which the providers did not agree, such as a Do Not Resusitate order or refusal of treatment, the providers were willing to advocate for the patient’s rights or hand off the patient to a provider without similar ethical reservations.  

4. Many practitioners relied on their own faith for motivation and self-care.  

The providers in our interview group had a strong sense of vocation that was often expressed through their faith. One commented that they felt that their hands were doing the work of God. Many believed that their faith helped them to combat burnout. One ER nurse commented that they saw themselves as a vessel of God, but that it was up to God to take on the burden of the life in their hands, allowing them to pursue their calling without being weighed down by unhealthy attachment. Several commented that their faith helps to see patients as whole people, even though the skills and procedures they employ do not directly involve faith. Faith functions in the background to sustain them through the less fulfilling aspects of practice, including charting and dealing with insurance.  

5. Few had received specific education in religion, especially in advanced courses. 

The various practitioners had received their undergraduate and medical training in different university contexts, ranging from religiously affiliated small schools to large state institutions. Only a handful of them remembered specific training in religion within the healthcare context. However, they all thought that education about religious differences would be useful to better understand their patients’ needs and perspectives.  

The interviews with health providers underscored the importance of faith and spirituality in the healthcare context. Knowledge of different religious traditions can help providers address patient concerns and tailor care to their needs. Awareness of the importance of spirituality to healing can help providers to better engage the whole person in stressful contexts. Finally, faith and spiritual practices are often key resources to address issues of burnout. They provide ways for people both to deal with stressful situations in direct patient care and to remind them of their sense of purpose in the face of external stressors such as understaffing and excessive paperwork. Conducting the interviews reinforced the students’ conclusions that courses about religious understanding are important for those entering healthcare professions.