Religion and Healthcare: Religious Values in a Healthcare Career

Religion and healthcare have often overlapped throughout history. In fact, during the Middle Ages, monasteries were known for operating hospital institutions.¹ Christ’s message of love that is healing for the body and the soul demonstrates God’s presence and compassion, which rightly aligns with the healthcare field.

Your Christian faith directs all aspects of your life, including your professional vocation, so it only makes sense that your Christian values would influence your career in healthcare administration.

As healthcare administrators and other professionals integrate their faith-based worldview into their work, they can do so in a way that does not infringe upon the freedoms and beliefs of other people. It is important for all healthcare professionals to be mindful of the fact that they will interact with a diverse population, where there are significant religious and cultural differences. We must also be aware of the freedom of religion clause in the U.S. Constitution that is intended to protect everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike.²

Medicine and religion can sometimes have an intertwined relationship. Although nurses work directly with patients far more often than healthcare administrators, administrators may sometimes interact with patients directly. Administrators may also directly work with nurses to ensure they have the resources and appropriate additional training needed to do their jobs well. For example, administrators may sometimes encounter a situation in which a patient’s religious beliefs can greatly impact the healthcare they receive, including some nurses who must also work through their religious convictions.

Professional medical ethics state that healthcare providers are not allowed to provide treatment that has not been consented to, which means fully respecting the religious beliefs and choices of a patient.³ This can create conflicting feelings for healthcare professionals, as someone’s religious beliefs may dictate that a person’s life should be saved beyond what is sustainable, or someone may choose not to seek additional treatment, consciously choosing death. No matter how hard it is to watch someone reject life-saving medical treatments, it is important to abide by the patient’s wishes and support the autonomy of the individual.

Christian ethics stem from the biblical understanding of God’s character and nature. Christians strive to emulate a godly character, which calls for them to embrace biblical principles such as:⁴

• Love God
• Love your neighbors as you love yourself
• Nurture a virtuous nature in thought and deed
• Obey the Commandments

While combining ethical principles of religion and healthcare may feel like a challenge, they do share similarities. For instance, some found in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics include:⁵

• Respect for human dignity
• Accountability and responsibility
• Preservation of integrity
• Integration of social justice

Many healthcare professionals embrace religious values. It’s essential to bring your values to the workplace in a way that respects others’ cultural beliefs in healthcare, as well. The following strategies can guide you.

Leadership and Communication Skills

Healthcare administrators fill important leadership roles. The people you lead will look to you to model ethical standards. Wisely applying the values of your Christian faith, such as your acceptance of others, your patience when handling ethical dilemmas, even to the point of properly forgiving another, can influence your interactions with your team. Effective leaders are those who can work toward healthy and effective conflict resolution, practicing humble servanthood as they make difficult decisions guided by the wisdom of God’s Word.

Onsite Patient Resources

Faith is often a significant component in the lives of many patients, but not all of them have access to faith-based resources while they are hospitalized. You could consider acquiring or developing these resources with the aid of community clergy. You could advocate faith-based services or even counseling groups that can assist patients and families through difficult times, especially as some patients approach the end of life. Consulting a staff social worker, if one is available, can also be beneficial.

Patient Advocacy

Thinking beyond spiritual resources, consider ways of making a positive difference in the day-to-day lives of patients and their families. Oftentimes, healthcare organizations have a team of patient advocates, sometimes called patient navigators or care coordinators.

If you work for a healthcare organization that does not have patient advocates, you can work to establish them. Through a patient advocacy program, patients and their families can sort through confusing medical terminology, understand their healthcare decisions better and make use of patient support tools.

Ethical Policy Changes

Healthcare administrators work in many different public and private organizations. In addition to working in hospitals, healthcare administrators may work in:⁶

• Outpatient clinics
• Medical departments
• Insurance agencies
• Private practices
• Nursing homes
• Government agencies

In all these settings, including private hospitals, one of the key responsibilities of healthcare administrators is to effect change in policies. You will have the opportunity to shape policy according to your compassionate values, by advocating efforts for future trends and changes to ensure optimum healthcare for all.

As you manage the operations of your organization, you can also look for ways to improve the delivery of care, allowing all patients to receive what they need, while still maintaining their dignity and respect.

As a private Christian university, Grand Canyon University offers courses, such as Ethical and Spiritual Decision Making in Healthcare, that brings together ethical principles and spiritual care with a Christian foundation. If you are interested in making a difference as a healthcare administrator, consider enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration degree program.