Mercy Care holds a Parish Nurse Retreat at the Guggenheim Center on Lower Saranac Lake in June 2018. (Photo provided)

LAKE PLACID — Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, a mission sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, will offer a course for volunteer parish nurses in November.

The course is offered to registered nurses of all faiths. Mercy Care provides the training at no cost to participants, but pre-registration is required.

All sessions are required to complete the course: Friday, Nov. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, Nov. 2, 9 and 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 22 from 1 to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you are a registered nurse with a desire to help people live a healthy, faith-filled life, you may wish to serve your own faith community or others in the community as a volunteer parish nurse.

The parish nurse offers assistance in obtaining community services; helps with understanding diagnoses, medications and diagnostic tests; provides blood pressure screening, health education programs and much more. The parish nurse does not do hands-on nursing or duplicate what is available through the public health nurse, but does bring his or her nursing experience and faith to the service of others.

In an evaluation survey, Mercy Care parish nurses were asked, “What do you like most about being a parish nurse?” One nurse replied, “I like the fact that I am able to help the aging population through a very credible organization which gives me the support and encouragement that I need as a volunteer. I also like the available continuing education that is offered by Mercy Care and the camaraderie, new ideas and support of other parish nurses.”

Sr. Catherine Cummings, RSM, Ed.D., R.N., is qualified as a parish nurse educator and will lead the training course. The course, entitled “Foundations of Faith Community Nursing,” requires 38 contact hours.

To register for the course or request more information, please contact Cummings at 518-523-5582 or ccummings@adkmercy.org.

Mercy Care has trained more than 50 parish nurses throughout the North County, eight of whom are serving in the Tri-Lakes area. Mercy Care for the Adirondacks facilitates networking with other nurses in the program and provides the support and equipment to its faith community nurse volunteers. The program offers the nurse an opportunity to choose the number of hours she/he is able to give to providing care that is holistic and wellness focused in the community.

Faith community nursing or parish nursing, as it is often called, is one of the fastest growing specialties in nursing. It has spread rapidly throughout the country. Care is given in accordance with each individual’s values and spiritual beliefs.

Mercy Care’s mission is to enhance in every dimension the fullness of life of elders living in their community. It carries out its work through a Friendship Volunteer Program, a Parish Nurse Program, a Caregiver Friend Program, and an Education and Advocacy Program.

Mercy Care for the Adirondacks is based at 185 Old Military Road, Lake Placid, NY 12946. For more information, visit http://www.adkmercy.org.