Introducing Interreligious Literacy for Undergraduates in Health Care fields

The importance of interreligious literacy for healthcare professionals is increasingly recognized among educators and healthcare providers alike. Respect demonstrated by health care providers for the spiritual and religious commitments or preferences of patients has been linked to improved health outcomes, and surveys indicate that patients welcome discussion of such matters with medical personnel. Unfortunately, many health care providers are uncomfortable discussing concerns related to religion or spirituality. In addition, persons in the field of healthcare, in particular nurses, often experience moral distress as a result of tensions between their professional roles and their personal values, or due to pressures of the job, or for other reasons.    I have developed a course for first-year undergraduate students interested in studying Nursing that seeks to address the students' future roles as health care providers. The course began as an introduction to feminist concerns and scholarship in the field of religion, and continues to focus on those elements, especially in the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). In addressing potential healthcare questions, the course also introduces students to some of the needs of adherents of a variety of religions, spiritual traditions, or lifestance choices, so that the students have an early introduction to issues they may face in their future work.   The university's residence life program offers students interested in pursuing a Nursing or related career the opportunity to live and learn together, and the course has been affiliated with that program, offering opportunities for students to package meals for members of the community living with HIV, ALS, or cancer; to view films related to global health or the role of nursing staff in providing care for the most marginalized; to discuss their own emotional health; etc. The course focuses on religious identity, but also on the intersection of religion and spirituality with other aspects of identity, most notably gender but also ethnicity, country of origin, etc. The hope is that reflecting on these concerns early in the students' education will provide them with a foundation on which to build not only their knowledge of the Nursing profession, but also their ability to offer person-centered care in their future roles as healthcare providers.   No healthcare provider—or scholar of religious traditions—can be expected to have mastered all the possible beliefs and observances, or variations on religious traditions, that could present themselves in a healthcare setting. For this reason, I seek to introduce students to a stance of religious humility. My hope is that these future healthcare providers will be open to asking questions and learning from their patients. In an attempt to give them a chance to engage in potentially uncomfortable conversations in a safe setting (and long before they need these skills in their professions), I have developed some role play scenarios that introduce them to conflicts or uncertainties that they may sometimes encounter. The purpose is not to encourage the students to have expertise in all possible religious or spiritual traditions, but to provide them with greater awareness of the stances that their future patients (or colleagues or coworkers) may take, and the tools to ask respectful questions in order to learn more and serve others more effectively.   In addition to the role play opportunity, I invite speakers who can address their own healthcare experiences and spiritual needs. Finally, I have students work with case studies that introduce them to the health care decisions and other needs that people of various faith traditions may present.   As someone who has no experience in a healthcare field, I hope to continue to build my own knowledge and offer this enhanced reflection to future students.