AFCNA invites you to be part of God's work in the world!
As a valued partner you will support AFCNA to engage, nurture, equip and network Christian people to provide compassionate and hopeful Faith Community Care and Faith Community Nursing.
Networking and Community of Practice
AFCNA provides many and various way for Australian Faith Community Nurses to network with FCNs around the globe.
AFCNA provides various ways for Australian Faith Community Nurses to network with others in this specialist nursing group locally, regionally and internationally. AFCNA liaises with comparable professional bodies locally, nationally and internationally. It is a member of the Council of National Nursing and Midwifery Organisations (CoNNMO) in Australia, and the World Forum of Faith Community Nurses sponsored by the USA based Spiritual Care Association.
Locally, you are welcome to join AFCNA’s ‘Community of Practice’ meetings.
A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. [1] These regular meetings are open to AFCNA members and subscribers. They are held via Zoom and provide an opportunity to meet with others interested in Faith Community Care and Faith Community Nursing. As peers we interact, share ideas, communicate concerns, celebrate wins, encourage colleagues and pray for one another. We usually commence our discussion on a relevant topic and this sets the scene for our discussion, but any contemporary practice issues may be tabled at these meetings.
Why are communities of practice important?
Communities of practice provide five critical functions[2]
They:
- Educate by collecting and sharing information on practice questions and issues
- Support by organising interactions and collaboration between members
- Cultivate by assisting groups to start and sustain their learning
- Encourage by sharing members’ work (and in our case praying for one another)
- Integrate by encouraging members to put their knowledge into action for real change in their own FCN/health and pastoral care ministry.
Please register via Events page here so we know you are coming and we will send you the details and Zoom link in the confirmation email. Each meeting has it’s own registration. Or email afcna@outlook.com
Join the International knowledge sharing platform for FCNs
The Westberg Institute platform provides FCNs with online communications, access to shared information and resources, and fellowship with one another.
Currently, there are more than 1,600 nurses using the site to discuss health topics ranging from diabetes to heart disease and everything in between. Over 70 groups focusing on denomination, location, or general interest topics have been formed since its launch. Click here for more information.
Other ways of networking
There may be other FCNs in your region who are on our database of contacts. To maintain personal privacy, access to the database is monitored. Information about FCNs who are willing to be contacted can be obtained by contacting AFCNA and we will forward your details to these FCNs. Contact us via the contact form or email afcna@outlook.com
Join in a Web-workshop
Web-workshops enable members and subscribers to learn practical skills with a small group of peers. Numbers ihn workshops are limted to enable activity based learning in an online environment, so be sure to register early as these lists fill quickly. For the latest dates and topics view our Events page
- E & B. Wagner, 2015, Introduction to Communities of Practice https://www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
- Wenger, McDermott and Snyder. Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002. Accessed 26 February 2021, http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2855.html