Faith Community Nursing (AIM)

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Description: Faith Community Nursing (FCN) is a specialty nursing practice recognized by the American Nurses Association since 1998. Faith Community Nurses are licensed registered nurses who practice holistic health for self-individuals and the community using nursing knowledge combined with spiritual care. They function in paid and unpaid positions as members of the pastoral team in a variety of religious faiths and cultures. The focus of their work is on the intentional care of the spirit, assisting members of the faith community and other faith-based organizations to maintain and/or regain wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. FCN provides noninvasive activities that promote health healing as wholeness. FCN combines professional nursing knowledge with spiritual care to help others better navigate the healthcare system, identify and access resources and services and live healthier lifestyles.

Focusing on spirituality in healthcare means caring for the whole person, not just the disease. Studies find that for many patients, spiritually is important and influence key outcomes in illness, such as quality of life and medical care decisions and is a vital part of whole person- centered care. The course will equip the registered nurse to safely operate a health ministry in their congregational setting. It addresses unique faith-based topics that include Spiritual Care, Legal, and Ethical issues, Health Promotion, Violence, Grief, Documentation and Care Coordination.

Dates and Location: 

Wednesday 6:00-8:00 pm, March 12, 2025-May 14, 2025, at IU Kokomo, 2300 S Washington St, Kokomo, IN 46904.

Registration Deadline: March 1, 2025

Instructors: 

Susan Plough, MSN, RN, PHCNS-BC, CCM has a diverse background in both Nursing and in Case Management. She has served as Executive Director of Medical Management with Physician Hospital Organizations as well as Director of Hospital Case Management for both large multi- hospital healthcare systems and smaller Case Management departments in the Midwest. She is a Board-Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in Community Health as well as a Certified Case Manager. Her goal after becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist was to serve her faith community by becoming a faith community nurse. In her nursing positions, she utilized the assistance of FCN to transition her patients back to their home, recognizing the importance of wholistic approach to healthcare.  She has been a Faith Community Nurse since 2018.   Currently she is on the Faculty of Indiana University School of Nursing and is the Primary Faith Community Nurse for her local faith community. Susan is the mother of 5 grown children and 2 fur babies.  Email:  sepolough@iu.edu

Naomi Jones resides in Anderson, IN. Her current area of practice is as an Assistant Professor at Indiana University Kokomo. She also works as needed at Riverview Hospital in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Noblesville. She has been a nurse for a little over 24 years. Her main area of nursing experience has been on a medical-surgical unit and with cardiac and pulmonary patients. She received her BSN in December of 2000 from Ball State University. In 2004, through the University of Indianapolis, she became a Parish Nurse. Parish Nursing provided her the opportunity to serve within her faith-based community and offer a holistic approach to health. She has had the opportunity to do blood pressure screenings, give education on health promotion and disease preventions, as well as develop a Walk to Jerusalem program that incorporates spiritual growth, healthy eating, and exercise. She completed her master’s degree in nursing education in February 2014 where she is grateful to have the opportunity to teach and promote her passion for nursing. She has been in nursing education for 14 years where she has had the opportunity to participate on committees, develop and participate in the incorporation of service-learning projects, and develop various teaching strategies for the classroom and clinical setting. She has a passion for lifelong learning and continues to participate in professional development activities. With the completion of her masters, she has a new goal to attain her Certified Nurse Educators certification. Finally, she is the mother to two beautiful girls, and has a wonderful husband of twenty-four years. He is very supportive of her dreams and has helped to see them become a reality. Email: naojones@iu.edu