TriHealth Parish Nurse Ministry

Grace Miller, Summer 2012

I’m so grateful for my experience working with the TriHealth Parish Nursing program this summer. It was both humbling and challenging to work alongside the parish nurses. I went into the summer without specific expectations, but knowing I was going to learn a lot about working with the poor. I have a passion for working with underserved populations especially those who are uninsured or underinsured, so I was excited to be working with the nurses who go out into the community. I was worried at first that I would get bored of listening to clients all day and not doing much clinical work; however, I really enjoyed learning about their lives especially their struggles with their health care. Working in the parishes, I loved being surrounded by people who dedicated their careers to serving the poor and integrated their faith into all aspects of their lives.

Several times this summer while visiting clients, I thought to myself I feel like this is a scene from a movie. The drama that unfolded seemed like situations I only saw in a movie or read about but always stayed removed from them. Working with the parish nurses, these issues became real life. I worked in the neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine, West End and North Fairmount. In OTR and West End, I saw mostly elderly, poor clients. In North Fairmount, I worked mainly with refugees from Burundi, Congo, and Tanzania. Every day brought its own surprises. I witnessed the cultures clash one morning when I went to the funeral of a young girl who was a Burundian refugee. Another morning, I visited a man who was suicidal and wasn’t getting the mental health care he needed. I also worked with many elderly clients who were no longer able to take care of themselves but still struggling to maintain their independence. I helped refugee women learn English, so that they might be able to get a job and support their families. I had such a variety of humbling experiences, but I’m mostly grateful to witness how the nurses take care of their clients in these situations. The nurses care for their clients holistically, not just focusing on their health care needs; and they treat their clients as if they were their own family members.

The clients that I encountered this summer taught me so much about the challenges the poor and underserved face. I know that I will always remember these stories, and they will help me serve my patients better in the future. I hope that I might be able to imagine what my patient’s life might be like outside the hospital and how I might be able to give them the best care. The nurses were role models to me and challenged me to be dedicated to treating the whole patient, not just the disease.