Assessing spirituality in primary care practice: is there time?

Over the past decade, increased attention has centered on the connection between spirituality and health. While there is general agreement that a balance of mind, body, and soul is necessary for the maintenance of health, many providers express discomfort in spiritual assessment and caregiving, citing lack of time, education, and spiritual self-awareness as key reasons. In response to these identified barriers to spiritual caregiving, faculty at the Boston College School of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Program designed a faculty-student practice whose focus is to integrate spiritual care into primary care practice. This article discusses the practice model and the process of preparing nurse practitioner (NP) students to assess patient spirituality within the context of a shifting care environment. It encourages all NPs to include spiritual assessment and care in daily practice.