Scope & Standards Revision 4th Edition Work Group

UPDATE: October 29, 2024

On October 29th HMA received notification from Carol Bickford, PhD, Senior Policy Advisor at the American Nurses Association(ANA), and our publication contact, that the ANA Board of Directors approved the submitted draft of the Faith Community Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th Edition, and that the document will move towards prompt publication. The release date has not yet been made available.

Congratulations to the HMA on reaching this happy milestone. We pray that God continues to bless our efforts with Barakah and for the continued expansion of Faith Community Nursing across the U.S. and globally.

Thank you again to the Work group members for their dedication, in service to the continued development of the Specialty Practice of Faith Community Nursing in the form of over 1,035 combined hours of pro-bono work, since May of 2022 towards a quality product

‘Look for briefings on select sections of content revision at upcoming HMA Regional meetings.

Nancy Romanchek MPH, BSN, RN-C, CHPN
Faith Community Nurse
Lead Editor, Faith Community Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th Edition
Director of Education and Practice, HMA

UPDATE: August 19, 2024

The draft of the Faith Community Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 4 th Edition,
was scheduled to move forward for scheduling by the American Nurses Association
(ANA) Board of Directors(BOD) the first week in July.

Due to summer vacations and travel schedules, I have not yet re-connected with our MA
contact, Carol Bickford/ Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Nursing Practice & Work
Environment of the ANA Carol in the month of August.

I can tell you that the several month publication processes will officially begin upon the
ANA BOD approval decision.

Carol has not yet confirmed their decision but will let me know as soon as it is released.
She has stated, however, that the “announcement should be available to be shared at
the upcoming HMA conference.

Nancy Romanchek, MPH, BSN, RN-C, CHPN
Faith Community Nurse
Lead Editor, FCN SSP Work Group,
Director of Education and Practice,
Health Ministries Association
Mobile: (847)239-4077
Email: nromanchek@gmail.com

UPDATE: September 22, 2023

The Work Group continues to push forward with the goal of completing the reviews for revision and moving on to the next step of the process before the busy holiday season. Addressing current trends for Faith Community Nursing means adding new sections to the Scope and Standards of Practice to maintain relevance and at times expanding outside our comfort zones, even while maintaining focus and content that is succinct.

The Work Group is blessed with expert Faith Community Nurses from across the country who have opinions and ideas that spark during meetings and are reflected in the quality of the product.
We’re looking forward to posting for commentary when the time comes, and completing the 4 th Edition in early 2023, but this experience will remain with us.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Romanchek, MPH, BSN, RN-BC, CHPN
American-Muslim Faith Community Nurse
Lead Editor, FCN SSP Work Group

UPDATES: June 23, 2023

It was sunny and 70 degrees in Egypt. A warm breeze swept the dry sand, as the day melted into evening with the glow of a tangerine and vermillion sunset outside our window. In March of 2022, I zoomed our initial Work Group meeting from Cairo, an eight hours’ time difference away from Chicago. The Faith Community Nurses (FCN) in the Preliminary Work Group already spanned the continental US from Boise, Idaho to Pittsburgh, PA. Adding Eastern European Time (EET) to the mix increased the complexity of scheduling convenient work times.

It’s hard to believe that 15 months have passed since we began revising the Faith Community Nurse (FCN) Scope and standards of Practice (SSP) to align with the ANA revisions, and there is much work ahead of us still. Then, as now, we are mindful of the richness of the process because of the intentional inclusion of experts in FCN from far flung geographical locations, religions and ethnicities.

As a reflection of the cataclysmic changes generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is much content to revise and to expand upon this time around, as the sands of community health shift beneath our sandaled feet.

The dedication and professionalism that the Work Group members bring to the table is remarkable. We meet for an hour and a half every first and third Wednesday of the month, in addition to smaller subgroup meetings in between, to prepare recommendations for revision, section by section. To date, the Work Group members have accumulated over 388.5 “woman hours” towards the success of this project. If each FCN made $45.00/hour, that would translate to $18,405.00 prospective dollars; a commendable contribution to the advancement of the profession and to the specialty practice of FCN.

As we push forward on our timeline, I am mindful of the two halves of faith in Islam: sabr(patience) and shukr(gratitude). The Arabic word sabr translates into English as patience, but with deeper nuance. Sabr implies being unwavering and adhering to our faith despite hardship. The FCNs on the Work Group consistently exhibit these qualities in addition to professionalism, resilience, authentic curiosity and the ability to discuss ideas respectfully and to listen to the opinions of others with an open mind.

I look forward to every zoom with these remarkable women I can now claim as friends. I learn something new at every meeting, and walk away after each meeting inspired and energized. I have a renewed sense of confidence in the increasingly diverse cohort of US nurses, all members of the most trusted profession again this year, according to the Pew Research group. In the spirit of our FCN friend, Joyce Rupp, “My cup is full!”

A belated Happy Nurses Day to everyone, and with shukr for my beautiful colleagues on the FCN SSP Work Group, I can say from my heart, that it’s a pleasure working with you’all! ‘Keep up the good work! 😀

  • Amy Armanious
  • Helen Bhagwandin
  • Deb Fell-Carlson
  • Pam Hurley
  • Cari J Moodie
  • Deborah Ringen
  • Julie Ruchniewicz
  • Sheryl Shantz
  • Denise Viker

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Romanchek, MPH, BSN, RN, CHPN
Lead Editor, FCN SSP Work Group
American-Muslim Faith Community Nurse