Church Seeking More Nurse Missionaries

  • 15 July 2016

A Church-service missionary performs a physical exam as part of her role as a mission nurse.

Article Highlights

  • Nursing graduates preparing to serve missions—whether young or senior—are encouraged to include their training, experience, and desires on their missionary recommendation form.

“Being a nurse to the missionaries and a missionary was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I felt the Lord's love for everyone on those islands, and it changed me to serve them.” —Sister Diane Teichert, senior mission nurse

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants more missionaries to serve as mission nurses.

Leaders have always been concerned about the health of each missionary, and many have been involved in helping missionaries receive the best care possible. With a growing missionary force, a nurse in each of the Church’s 421 missions would be a blessing to all.
 
All of the full-time mission nurse specialists (currently numbering more than 100) work with the area medical adviser and the mission president and his wife to advise ill missionaries, facilitate medical appointments, coordinate payments, obtain medical supplies and medication, and teach basic health principles.

In some missions, local nurses are called to serve as Church-service missionaries and fulfill these responsibilities from home.

Nursing graduates preparing to serve missions—whether young or senior—are encouraged to include their training, experience, and desires on their missionary recommendation form.
 
As with any form of service in the cause of Christ, being a mission nurse can be richly rewarding. “I was surprised that I was being considered as a mission nurse specialist (MNS), since I hadn't worked as an RN for over 30 years,” said Sister Diane Teichert, a senior mission nurse. “Being a nurse to the missionaries and a missionary was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I felt the Lord's love for everyone on those islands, and it changed me to serve them.”

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