Spiritual Care Nursing is an emerging specialized nursing practice that builds upon nursing’s longstanding commitment to whole-person, patient-centered care. The Certified Spiritual Care Nurse possesses advanced preparation to assess the spiritual dimension of health, apply nursing clinical judgment, develop individualized Spiritual Nursing Plans of Care, implement evidence-based spiritual nursing interventions, document and evaluate outcomes, and collaborate with professional chaplains and other members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team. The Spiritual Care Association CSCN credential provides professional recognition of nurses who demonstrate the education, competency, professional qualifications, and ethical commitment expected for advanced practice in spiritual nursing care.

Certification builds upon completion of the approved Spiritual Care Nursing educational pathway and requires applicants to meet established eligibility requirements. The CSCN is a professional certification offered through the Spiritual Care Association and is distinct from nursing board certification or state licensure.

Certified Spiritual Care Nurses may practice in hospitals, long-term care, outpatient and community settings, hospice and palliative care, behavioral health, and other healthcare environments where advanced spiritual nursing care contributes to whole-person health and healing.

Important to remember:
Spiritual care nursing and faith community nursing operate in distinct settings, have distinct foci and different competencies but share a commitment to whole person care.

Professional chaplains are the spiritual care leads on the health care team. Spiritual care nurses complement chaplains by providing spiritual assessment and interventions within their scope of practice.