Bioethics for Nurses: A Christian Moral Vision

Alisha N. Mack, DNP, RN, FNP-C, is assistant professor of nursing at Indiana Wesleyan University and a doctorally prepared family nurse practitioner. Having previously worked as a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, she now works in family practice as a nurse practitioner. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is certified as a health coach through the National Society of Health Coaches. She has also received awards in her research in lifestyle medicine.

Charles C. Camosy, PhD, is associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University. His other books include Losing Our Dignity: How Secularized Medicine Is Undermining Fundamental Human Equality, and his published articles have appeared, among other places, in the American Journal of Bioethics, the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, Health Progress (the official journal of the Catholic Health Association of the United States), The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Daily News, and America.

"Christian bioethics for nurses—what a strange idea! If we know anything about the discipline of bioethics, we know that its development has tended to discard the religious insights that often marked its early years, and we know that most of its central concerns have tended to focus on the work of physicians. This book, rich with case studies, provides something different, needed, and useful. It focuses specifically on the work of nurses, and it attends to ways Christian beliefs might shape their work. We can hope that it will be used in many schools of nursing."
— Gilbert Meilaender
author of Bioethics: A Primer for Christians

"I was deeply impacted as I read this book. Alisha and Charles confront medicine and bioethics head-on using profound case studies to shed light on how nurses can truly be the hands and feet of Jesus in their daily interactions and decision-making processes. This book is a must-read and will serve as a resource to reignite true nursing passion in the hearts of all Christian nurses."
— Angelia Mickle
dean of the school of nursing at Cedarville University

"Christianity—rightly understood—has been a tremendous inspiration and guiding star for so many in nursing. Bioethics for Nurses adeptly explains this past en route to laying out a Christian moral vision powerful enough to renew and sustain nursing far into the future."
— John F. Kilner
author of Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God

"Bioethics for Nurses is very well written, and I am left with the thought, where was this book when I was an undergrad? The history of Christianity and how it is intertwined with the nursing profession is well documented and is clearly the underpinning of the book. The case studies and personal anecdotes from frontline nurses add credibility and an opportunity for the reader to relate."
— Michele Acito
executive vice president and chief nursing officer at Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, New Jersey

"There are few vocations that imitate more directly the incarnate and transfiguring nature of Jesus Christ’s love for humanity than nursing. And yet, how often does the deep connection—both historically and conceptually—between this most trusted of professions and Christian morality go unremarked upon? Bioethics for Nurses does more to alleviate this egregious silence in its first chapter alone than any other treatment of the topic I am familiar with, all while remaining clear, engaging, and persuasive. As an educator who works for a faith-based health sciences institution, I greatly appreciated this treatment of nursing ethics. It will serve as a beacon of hope for the future of the field and will be useful for any professor or practitioner who is tasked with furthering the healing ministry of Jesus."
— Bo Bonner
director of the Center for Human Flourishing at Mercy College of Health Sciences

Religion & Liberty
"Bioethics for Nurses introduces future Christian nurses to a beautiful moral vision for their vocation. For non-Christians and secular clinicians, the book is important for understanding a more robust moral vision for healthcare delivery. . . . Deserve[s] inclusion in an undergraduate class in Christian ethics."