nurse checking man's blood pressure manually

Become an Faith Community Nurse

Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course

This course is recommended as the preparation for RNs seeking to practice as Faith Community Nurses (FCNs). It is based on the newly revised curriculum developed through the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing which is owned by the Spiritual Care Association of New York, NY. 

Course Details

The Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Curriculum, updated by Westberg Institute in 2024, is a comprehensive curriculum preparing licensed registered nurses for the specialized practice of professional nursing focused on intentional care of the spirit, promotion of whole-person health, and preventing or minimizing illness.


Faith Community Nurses are actively licensed RNs who focus on whole-person health and the intentional care of the spirit. FCNs are of all faiths and practice in many different settings.


Course Methods: Advanced degree faculty includes FCNs who share real-life situations. Interaction and sharing by students is encouraged. Our student evaluation ratings average in the 95- percentile for both content and instruction quality! FCNNTC's offering is a mix of virtual synchronous learning via Zoom and asynchronous learning modules. 


Contact hours: 37.5 contact hours for RNs. This course is jointly provided by FCNN and the Spiritual Care Association Nursing Division. The Spiritual Care Association Nursing Division is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. ANCC Provider Unit # P0623.


Course Content: The Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course has modules that cover the following aspects of a faith community nurse's practice, please note that not all topics are shown here. Beginning your ministry; Prayer; Spiritual Care; Health Promotion; Legal and Ethical Issues; Documentation; Grief and Loss; Substance Use and Abuse; Behavioral Health; Assessment; Transitional Care; Trauma; etc.

Next Offering

Fall, 2026 Dates

(Must attend all 6 days)

  • Sundays-10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15
  • 1:30-6:00 (Central)
  • Friday 10/23 and Monday 11/9
  • 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Central)


Meet Our Foundations Faculty

Sondra Weinzierl


Lead Faculty










Sondra received her Bachelors in Nursing degree from Gustavus Adolphus College and her Masters of Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in Adult Education. She’s provided workshops, team facilitation, strategic planning and health promotion consultation to a wide variety of organizations in government, health care, education and industry. She served as an FCN in faith communities in Boston, MA and in Minnesota. She currently serves as Director of Education for the Faith Community Nurse Network designing and delivering education programs for health professionals.
Library Resources

What people are saying...

“Excellent course based on best evidence” “Expert faculty” “Real stories from faculty so helpful.” “Very relevant to FCN practice” “This course was life-changing for me!”