For 30 years, Melinda Hiemenz has worked as a nurse and educator caring for people with all kinds of physical ailments, from sore throats to heart attacks.

But in her new role as a parish nurse for White's Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake, it's not just people's physical symptoms she's concerned with, it's the whole person: body, mind and soul.

In today's fast-paced society, most nurses are crunched for time, Hiemenz said.

"They have time for the physical, a little time for the mental, but rarely time for the spiritual," she said. "This puts spiritual right in the middle of caring for the person."

Hiemenz is one of three faculty members of the University of Texas of Arlington School of Nursing who were recently commissioned to practice as parish nurses within their faith communities. Nancy Burns, who retired from UT-Arlington this summer, is building a health ministry at St. Matthew Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burleson. Helen LeClair is working with St. Mark United Methodist Church in Cleburne. They each received a commission after taking a preparation course sponsored by the Dallas/Fort Worth Faith & Health Collaborative.

Parish nursing is not so much about changing bandages or starting IVs as it is about helping people live healthier lives within the context of their faith, Burns said.

"Everything we do is tied into faith," she said. "When someone comes to see us, the first thing we do is pray together."

Parish nurses wear many hats as health counselors, educators, advocates and liaisons with the community, said Rhonda Keen, a professor in the College of Nursing at Texas Christian University, which is considering a program to train nurses to serve in their faith communities.

"This form of nursing could be one thing in one parish and something completely different in another," Keen said.

What's important is meeting the specific needs of the congregation, whether it's through mobile mammograms or retirement planning.

Sande Lyon of Southlake discovered what a difference a parish nurse can make when she needed help finding the best facility for her aging mother. Hiemenz was there every step of the way.

"She sat alongside me, and while I had a lot questions, she had a lot of encouragement," Lyon said. "She was not making any medical decisions; she just was discussing my mom's care."

Because of Hiemenz's nursing background, she was able to help Lyon understand medical jargon and sort through her mother's medications. She also provided one-on-one rapport that's not easy to find in a busy doctor's office or over the phone, Lyon said.

"Once you develop that rapport, you feel a little freer to mention something you might not mention to a stranger," she said.

Parish nursing has its roots in the Midwest where a Lutheran minister introduced it 20 years ago. Since 1998, the American Nurses Association has recognized parish nursing as a specialty.

There are more than 10,000 parish nurses throughout the United States and about 300 in Canada, said Debra Patterson, executive director of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center in St. Louis. The field has spread to Texas in recent years.

Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital started its faith community nursing program in 2002. Since then, it has grown to provide mentoring to nurses in about 28 churches of all denominations in Tarrant County, said Paulette Golden, the hospital's coordinator of faith community nursing.

The hospital is committed to educating people about living healthier lives by getting preventive screenings and participating in other efforts. Parish nursing is one of the best ways to accomplish that.

"As a whole, we cannot look at healthcare delivery the way we have in the past," Golden said. "We're going have to look at more innovative ways of doing it."

Faith community nursing fits the bill.

"We know that in the 19th century, people died of diseases such as malaria," she said. "But in the 20th and 21st century, we die because of our lifestyle choices -- auto accidents, cardiovascular disease, tobacco use."

One of the biggest goals of parish nurses is to help people make lifestyle changes, Burns said.

"We look at what we eat, how much we exercise and how that affects our ability to serve our Lord," she said.

Cholesterol checks, skin cancer screenings and mammograms are often the kind of services provided through parish nurses, but parish nursing is not just about health fairs. Nurses also offer guidance on issues such as caring for a baby, Hiemenz said.

It's a way to make a difference, LeClair said.