Providing spiritual care

Nurse educators are concerned about helping their students assess and meet their patients' spiritual needs. But how effective are we in doing this? This author wondered if professional nurses perceived themselves as being expected to provide spiritual care, believed it was part of the professional nurse role, and felt inadequately prepared educationally to provide spiritual care. The results of this study demonstrated a need for spiritual care content in basic nursing programs. The author differentiates between psychosocial/emotional needs and spiritual needs and presents strategies for teaching students and practicing nurses how to provide spiritual care.