Viewing Suffering from a Positive Perspective: Application to Nursing Practice - Essay Example

The author is asserting that, from the time we enter this world, none of us has the guarantee of leading a life free from suffering. Suffering and pain do not discriminate between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the common man, young and old, or male and female. However, Kushner also gives hope to his readers by stating that at least we can have faith in a higher power that provides us with the strength and courage we require to bear the numerous challenges and obstacles that life is constantly throwing at us.

In my career as a nurse, I constantly encounter patients suffering from various incurable diseases or devastating injuries, which make many of them, lose the motivation to continue pushing on with their lives. Many of them slide into depression, and just as many develop suicidal tendencies. Empowerment and support provision are two essential nursing concepts that enable nurses to provide patients with the desire to persevere through their challenges and to acquire the urge to live a normal life once again. A nurse is the most accessible healthcare professional that patients can access in a healthcare setting that can cater to terminally ill patients. Therefore, the nurse has to be someone that terminally ill patients can obtain inspiration from when they have lost hope of recovering.

Many patients belong to a mainstream religion, which could be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or other little-known religions. Thus, when afflicted with incurable diseases or those that are difficult to cure, they tend to turn to their religious beliefs in search of faith healing. A nurse can do a lot to relieve them from their suffering by reinforcing their religious beliefs and assuring them that suffering does not choose its victims but rather, it is God’s will and purpose. As Kushner asserts, the various ways through which God works are beyond human understanding, but through faith, we believe that all of it is for the ultimate benefit of the human race (Kushner, 1981).

Simply put, a nurse should strive to make patients view suffering from a completely different perspective. Although it is a negative experience, she could help patients to focus more on the final result rather than on the process of suffering. The nurse can achieve this by making them believe that they will emerge from all that suffering as stronger individuals. This will influence them to view their suffering from a positive outlook instead of a negative one, consequently, enabling them to acquire the strength to tackle their illness. The ultimate result will be positive patient outcomes as well as quicker and higher rates of recovery since the emotional and psychological status of a patient is essential for medical intervention to achieve e maximum intended effect. Read More