Nurses work at the intersection of art and science and have the ability to completely change people’s lives. For the past 34 years, Marlene Feagan has been breaking down barriers and building resilience in the healthcare system, and we hope you feel as inspired by her story as we were. Driven by faith and her desire to care for others, Marlene has been instrumental in setting up faith community nursing groups which assist vulnerable people in a variety of ways. In this episode, we discuss what it means to be a faith community nurse, and the professional journey that Marlene took to get to the point she is currently at in her career. Marlene encourages all current and aspiring nurses to be open to the opportunities, and to always be cognizant of the bigger picture within which you are working. Marlene also shares her hopes for the future of nursing, and the importance of finding people who you can lean on and learn from. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why Marlene would choose teleportation as her superpower.
• Marlene’s professional background, and what drew her to nursing.
• The job Marlene first held as a nurse, and the family system which she loved most about it. 
• Experience that Marlene had with adolescents in a chemical dependency program.
• St. Elizabeth’s health ministries program which Marlene was instrumental in setting up. 
• What it means to be a faith community nurse.
• Growth that has occurred in the realm of faith community nursing over the years. 
• How faith community nurses help vulnerable people.
• The importance of building trust between nurses and patients.  
• Marlene’s thoughts on certification, and the process of acquiring it.
• Challenges that Marlene and her team have faced over the past year, and how they have overcome them.
• Incredible strength that Marlene has seen amongst her teams. 
• People in Marlene’s life who inspire her.
• Why nurses should always look at the bigger picture. 
• The value that lies in being faithful as a nurse. 
• Opportunities that exist in the nursing world, and Marlene’s hope for the future of the field. 
• Enjoy the journey, and more encouragement from Marlene for all aspiring nurses. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

LinkedIn

St. Elizabeth Healthcare

University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging

Mount St. Joseph University 

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Florence Nightingale Award 

ANCC Certified Nurse Award for Faith Community Nursing

American Nurses Association