Analysis of Walsh’s conception of Spirituality
... a medium to motivate their nursing self. Secondly, for the overworked and spiritually deadened nurse, this technique will help to lift the cloud from them. They may find that the nursing sector that they are working in is entirely not for them, it will help to find the nurses desire. Practice two: Cultivate Emotional Wisdom – heal your heart and learn to love. Many nurses have learnt to leave their feelings at home, whether it be because of the ward they work in or they believe that they do not have enough to go around. Another reason could be from the amount of death involved in this profession. It is a painful thing to go through and many people can only go through it so many times. Many people believe nursing to be a very personal and caring career, that is why this second practice can go hand in hand with nursing. Nurses must always love and open their hearts, otherwise they are not working to their full potential. Practice three: Live ethically – feel good by doing good. I believe that the majority of nurses are already fulfilling this technique. Who, in any field or profession, whether it be giving to charity or taking on an orphan, doesn’t feel good about themselves for doing what they believe is the right thing, for doing good. Practice four: Concentrate and Calm Your Mind. With so many things going on around them, working such long and unconventional hours, nurses are bound to have racing minds. With the help of this technique, nurses could be able to develop a peaceful mind, which will in turn lead to them working more efficiently and become less stressed. Practice five: Awaken Your Spiritual Vision: see clearly and recognise the sacred in all things. Having an awareness is an essential part of care giving. This technique is a path for nurses to take to “hone” this gift. Practice six: Cultivate Spiritual Intelligence – develop wisdom and understand life. Wisdom and an understanding of life tend to go hand in hand, both of which nurses must have a deep understanding of. To try and preserve life, one must understand it. Practice seven: Express Spirit in Action – embrace generosity and the joy of service. A generous heart can be the difference between a caregiver and a nurse. Without taking a patient in totally and embracing them as a person, a nurse cannot work to their full potential. The practices that Walsh presents will have great outcomes to the spiritual, emotional and physical well being to all nurses, evidence of which has been presented above. They can help a nurse to become all that they want to become, and stay that way for as long as they live. Through carrying out Walsh’s techniques, it is said that nurses will be able to give a better, more professional and personal form of patient care. In today’s society, nursing tends to be more of a job then a vocation. It can be stressful, traumatic, pressured, and almost unsatisfying, especially with the shift work that the majority of nurses must work. Walsh’s approach to spirituality could effectively help to reduce these burdens. They will aid in making work more efficient, less stressful, can help lower blood pressure, make work more satisfying, make a more professional demeanour, create more energy, more alert, stay focused, make work more personal, and will be able to open ones mind so they are able to concentrate on one thing at a time. All of this accomplished through doing simple exercises, it’s a wonder nurses haven’t been encouraged to do these sooner. Australia being such a multi-cultural nation has many duties to fulfil to satisfy the vast number of religious and cultural differences. For this issue to be met, nurses must ask themselves, what is the difference between Walsh’s approach to spirituality and what could be described as providing for the “religious needs of patients”? Do Walsh’s practices compromise the nurses’ professionalism in treating all patients? What I believe to be the answer is no, it doesn’t. A nurse seeking to find a balance between leading a hectic and pressured job and keeping healthy physically and emotionally will in no way affect the treatment of either a Christian or a Mu...