In my work as a hospice instructor, I received many questions from students who were pastors of the local churches. They said they yearned for feedback from nurses who witnessed the visitations of many Ministers. They wanted to know how Ministers were viewed as a member of the health care team. They wondered what visiting methods the nurses saw as being most helpful to patients. They wanted to know how they might best relate to the nurses to gain their confidence. Many also asked for tips about their personal concerns regarding their reactions to the hospital and trauma setting.

At the same time, several of the hospitals I was working with asked me to prepare in-service material that would benefit pastors of local churches. To gather this material, I interviewed nurses in clinical areas for their insights. I felt the information they offered was remarkable and invaluable. I added my recommendations to the second half of this presentation and that is how this manuscript came about.

The patient's Minister is based outside the medical complex. This makes difficult the Minister's inclusion into the team causing barriers to exist between the medical team and the personal Minister. There is lack of common turf, common language, and common interaction with the patient. As a result, the Minister often feels alienated. These same barriers make it frustrating for nurses to find, identify, and interact with the Minister about issues common to both Minister and nurse.

Nurse supervisors were interviewed for their perspectives on the Minister as part of the health care team and to gain insights into what would help build bridges between the Minister and the other members of the health care team. These nurses came from specialty areas, as well as from medical-surgical units, and were usually responsive to the Minister's concerns.

The following questions were asked:

• What is the Minister's role as a member of the health care team?
• What is the meaning of the Minister's role to you as a nurse?
• What successful methods do you see Ministers use to carry out spiritual responsibility?
• How do you relate to Ministers?
• How would you like the Ministers to relate to you?
• What would you like Ministers to do to relate more effectively to your patients?
• What can Ministers do when they feel repulsed by what they are experiencing?

This book describes the experience of a pediatric advanced practice nurse who participated in a short-term medical mission trip to Romania. Working with a translator, mentoring in the mission setting, and aspects of clinical practice are addressed. The book contains an interesting comparison of the health care systems of the United States and Romania and information about global health issues. The author also describes a state orphanage in Romania and the health conditions of its' residents.

Spiritual aspects of the trip are discussed. Guidelines on providing health care in a spiritual setting are presented. Religious places that were visited during the trip are represented in the book pictorially. An anecdote about a late night visit to an Eastern Orthodox monastery will amuse readers.

The book provides guidelines for conducting a cultural assessment and includes information on the history of Romania and its customs. Ideas on how to find short-term mission trips, a packing list, and a list of key phrases to know when going on a medical mission trip would help readers who are interested in mission trips. Insights into the author's thoughts before, during, and after the trip help to personalize the book.

THE REBEL NURSE is separated into sections that examines many experiences in areas of nursing specialties and explores nursing burnout and ways to remedy it.

This book is intended for faith communities, nurses, nursing instructors, faith community leaders, physicians in family practice, and anyone interested in the field of parish nursing. There is useful information for everyone.

Barbara's role evolved from her ongoing recognition of changing health care needs. At the same time as the Reverend Granger Westberg began a similar movement in the United States, and before his work was known in Canada, Barbara envisioned how a nurse could promote health and healing in the congregation and the community. As a respected member of a committed, caring ministry team, she developed a practice that included education, advocacy, empowerment, emotional and spiritual support, and connection with community services.

Emerging out of her 15 years of experience, this book promotes excellent, practical, "how to" aspects of parish nursing. It is a uniquely Canadian, uniquely nursing, experiential perspective on parish nursing, and a must for anyone interested in this field.

Written for the public by a critical care nurse, this book intends to educate and empower people to make critical care decisions that they can live with. Making decisions based upon Love, not Fear, will provide peace of mind.

This book discusses the things people need to know in case they or someone they love ever becomes critically ill. It describes types of resuscitation; levels of code status; how to decide what kind of life supports you would want begun, and, more importantly, when to stop; how to effectively communicate your desires to your loved ones and to create documents that work; how to effectively communicate with your health care provider and how to track your loved one's healing progress; and, if it happens, how to deal with end of life decisions. This book also discusses how to cope with a loved one being in the hospital; how to help heal yourself and your loved one. Plus, in very easy to understand words, it also discusses a variety of equiment commonly used in the critical care unit and some common disease processes.

Understanding the environment and process in the critical care until will help to decrease fear of the unknown and help people have knowledgeable discussions with their health care providers.

This book rediscovers this Priory Restorative Care model and places it in the public domain where others might be inspired to follow the originator's path. The Forgotten Revolution documents the care practices and the management infrastructure that restored dignity and wholeness to the older people who made the Priory Hospital their home. It is needed as much in the new millennium as it was 30 years ago.

Journey back to the late 1960's and enter the mind and spirit of a visionary woman, Vera McIver. A nurse in her early 50's, new to management and new to caring for the elderly, she dared to think outside the box of traditional care and revolutionize institutional life for frail and ill older persons forever. In 1967 she rebelled against the prevailing system called custodial care - a system that triggered a cascade of effects that led to a loss of pride and dignity and the death of the human spirit. She created an approach called Restorative Care, which she defined as a programme to restore dignity of life to older institutionalized persons within the limits of their capabilities. The Priory Method contained most elements now recognized in 2003 as essential to a progressive residential environment for older persons.

What has happened to this model of care in to-day's practices? Unfortunately the model still remains unknown to many working in long term care. In other instances, the model has appropriately changed and evolved over time as the ideas have permeated the culture of long-term care but few people know the origin or the extent of the ideas. By putting this information into the public domain we hope that readers will be informed and reminded about the salient features of the model. We also hope they will examine their own situations with older persons and use McIver's ideas to humanize them where needed.

As we go to press the health care system is once again in crisis and advances made in the past are at risk of being lost. The shift to a preoccupation with health care costs is challenging some of the innovative ideas found expressed in this book and which have been successful. Yet again there is a need for creative and informed leadership if the rights of residents for humane and quality care are to be preserved. This book illustrates how one person might seize opportunities for change provided one has the courage and vision to do so.