AFCNA is actively engaged with FCNs from many countries internationally.
World Forum 2021
Our current Chairperson Anne van Loon provided a paper at the World Forum as part of the international gathering of FCN’s annual ‘Westberg Symposium’ at the Spiritual Care Association International Conference. Anne spoke on ‘Solutions to challenges facing Faith Community Nursing in Australia’. She noted 10 current challenges facing AFCNA:
- Religion and culture in multicultural Australia
- Health care pressures in Australia
- Geography and distance between FCNs
- Nursing regulation & church practice
- FCN role/ministry uptake
- Sustainability in the FCN role
- Digital gatekeeping by faith groups
- Financial pressures for small organisations
- Professionalism versus laity in health and pastoral care ministry
- Speed of digital change
Contact afcna@outlook.com for a link to the video for your private viewing.
Westberg Institute - Faith Community Nurse World Forum
The World Forum working group has met in January and March to discuss strategy for 2021. Rev Dr Helen Wordsworth the International FCN Consultant proposed the direction. Anne wrote a summary of this strategy in the April edition of Whole Health magazine for your information and input.
World Census of FCNs
Westberg is using the knowledge platform to take the first ever census of Faith Community Nurses around the world. Please be a part of it. You can complete the WI (link to census form but it would be most helpful if you would let AFCNA know too. Please send a quick email to afcna@outlook.com and tell us if you are a practising FCN and where you practice so AFCNA gains a better understanding of who is actively engaged in the FCN role.
Join the International Knowledge Platform
You can be a part of the Westberg Institute’s international knowledge platform (Instructions are in the Members’ area of the AFCNA website on ‘How to be a part of this FREE collaboration of FCNS)
Faith Community Nurses International (FCNi)
AFCNA Board member Vicky Legged who is responsible for AFCNA Digital Strategy has been working with Board of FCNi regarding website development, data management and all things technology related. It has been wonderful to support colleagues across the globe as we all grapple with similar issues. You can see more about FCNi here https://www.fcninternational.org/
AFCNA’s regional ‘Community of Practice’
“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]
This is an opportunity to meet with your Faith Community Nurse peers, interact, share ideas, communicate concerns, celebrate wins, encourage colleagues and pray for one another
By registering we know to expect you and we will send you the Zoom meeting details at the start of the week of the meeting. Click here to register
Co-teaching with Nurses Christian Fellowship International (NCFI)
Anne has taught two modules in the Foundations of faith Community Nursing course for NCFI which is being coordinated by Dr Alicia Banas in The Philippines. There are 23 students from 8 countries taking part (Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Fiji, Pakistan, Mongolia, New Zealand and Philippines). AFCNA has extended an invitation to these students to join regional Community of Practice. We also welcome the FCNs and Board from New Zealand, some of whom have already joined us.
[1] Etienne and Beverley Wenger, 2015, Introduction to communities of practice. https://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/ accessed 18 March 2021