#to me who grew up CS it's the baseline/default

[gettothestabbing]

What does a Christian Science Nurse do and how do you get qualified as one? Asking as someone with a lifelong interest in religion.

Hi, thanks for asking! A Christian Science Nurse takes care of patients who are receiving Christian Science treatment. It is specific to the Christian Science denomination.

The major requirements are that you: be a member in good standing of both a branch and the Mother Church of Christ Scientist; take Primary class instruction; receive training from an accredited Christian Science nursing facility across four levels (not including an assistantship which is not required at all facilities but was how I started); participate in regular Bible study and be a spiritual help and comfort to your patients; and embody the qualities in the 'Aids in sickness' passage:

Prayers, in which God is not asked to heal but is besought to take the patient to Himself, do not benefit the sick. An ill-tempered, complaining, or deceitful person should not be a nurse. The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, — receptive to Truth and Love. (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 395:15) [Truth and Love are one of the seven synonym-names we use for God.]

I began working in this field in 2018 as an assistant. I am now a Level 4 apprentice. I work full-time on the floor and so my final level is going slowly, but I should be done by the end of next year! The highest level of education is to be Journal-listed. This means you advertise your name in the back of the Christian Science Journal, a monthly church periodical that also has names of churches, practitioners, and nursing facilities after about 40-50 pages of spiritual articles. Only as a JL could I, for example, be head of the floor or eventually a Director of Christian Science Nursing. I did a stint of care in private homes in 2020-2021, and let me tell you, if you're not a JL, you are not given almost any respect. I would not work in a private home again unless I was a JL.

Usually patients have been Christian Scientists for a number of years and rely wholly on this treatment. Although I believe that being a church member is not a strict requirement to be a patient, the vast majority of people receiving this treatment are in the church already. Patients are also free to stop care at any time and be transferred to a regular nursing home or a hospital. I have seen patients leave to treat an urgent issue medically and return within a week to continue with us.

(There is no stigma related to doing this in the vast majority of branch churches. My own father had such an experience after a stroke several years ago. The love and support our family had from fellow church-members did not waver or change at all when he decided to pursue medical treatment.)

Someone undergoing a Christian Science treatment will not simultaneously be taking medication for the condition being treated. So I do not administer medication, nor do I have a medical degree. A patient has also never asked me for such medication or tried to get me to sneak any in. We do, however, use mobility aids, bandages, and some lotions to soothe irritated skin. In the Christian Science nursing facility I work at, and in almost all the accredited ones we have, hospital-style beds are used for ease of care and to allow patients to shift positions more comfortably. We've also used mattresses that circulate air inside, and some very creative pillow arrangements, to increase a patient's comfort.

Patients choose a Christian Science practitioner pray for and with them. Practitioners have taken an adult religious class called Primary class instruction (taught by a practitioner with decades of experience and approved by the Mother Church). Almost all CS adults take this class, and it is also one of the first requirements for becoming a Level 1 Christian Science Nurse. But most adults have careers in non-religious fields; a practitioner solely works to pray with and treat other Christian Scientists. We have no clergy in our church, but Christian Science practitioners/nurses/teachers are accorded a similar level of respect within the church.

A Christian Science Nurse is the person providing physical care, while the practitioner usually gives spiritual care remotely over the phone. We work together with patients and their practitioners, making sure that the patient is not misleading the practitioner as to their actual state of health and that we as Christian Science Nurses can give the patient spiritual support consistent with the themes the practitioner is presenting to them.

In practical terms, I am a non-medical nurse. I clean and bandage wounds and swollen limbs. I give showers and sponge baths, sometimes while the person remains in bed. I wheel people places in wheelchairs or walk them there with a walker or cane. I change their clothes, help style their hair, and change out briefs and pads as necessary. I use lifters and slings to transport patients from bed to wheelchair to recliner and back again. I read, sing to, and play hymns for my patients and other patients at the nursing facility. We have lots of conversations, and I help them call their loved ones. I also feed and make snacks for them every day.

These are all tasks quite similar to those performed by most employees of most nursing homes. The spiritual dimension of care is what sets us apart from other workers and from other facilities. Some CS people prefer to have injuries bandaged and tended to by a Christian Science Nurse after an initial hospital visit. The preference is a result of our spiritual care: we witness to the patient before, during, and after physically caring for them.

While many patients are senior citizens, this is not a requirement. Children, teenagers, and younger adults have received short and long term treatment in our facilities. Hence why we call them nursing facilities, not nursing homes.

It's so nice to be asked about this, so thank you! I hope I provided sufficient context. There may be similar roles in other churches, but I haven't heard of any and couldn't speak to them. I originally planned to be a lawyer, but God called me to this work instead, and I'm very happy and fulfilled to do it :)

#I have been repeatedly warned NOT to abbreviate it to CSN especially outside of work #apparently medical nurses deeply resent us using the term 'nurse' in our job title at all #so to avoid confusion with RNs we cannot use CSN #I'm also happy to explain some basic stuff about CS if it doesn't quite make sense yet #to me who grew up CS it's the baseline/default #I'm often surprised by what people assume or think they know about us and I'm often ignorant about other churches #I've been working on it and I'd love to hear about your experiences in your church too! #pers com #personal #asks #Christian Science #inbox