Staff Chaplain

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Job Type:

Regular

Scheduled Hours:

40

Job Summary:

This Staff Chaplain role provides expert spiritual care to Palliative Care patients and their families including spiritual assessment, interventions, monitoring of outcomes, and development of care plans for continuity of care. Serves as a fully integrated member of the Palliative Care inpatient team, conducting initial visits, follow-up visits, and goals of care/family meetings. Advocates for the spiritual dimension of wholistic care by attending daily rounds and weekly IDT meetings. Collaborates with hospital staff chaplains, community clergy, community resources, and hospice team members to ensure quality spiritual care across the continuum of care. The staff chaplain, through professional training, pastoral presence, organizational leadership, spiritual assessment, interventions, and outcomes, facilitates meaning-making in ways that are important to patients, families, and associates as they relate to their spiritual and emotional well-being. Demonstrates respect, dignity, kindness, and empathy in each encounter with all patients, families, visitors, and associates regardless of spiritual or cultural background.

Job Description:

This Staff Chaplain role provides expert spiritual care to Palliative Care patients and their families including spiritual assessment, interventions, monitoring of outcomes, and development of care plans for continuity of care. Serves as a fully integrated member of the Palliative Care inpatient team, conducting initial visits, follow-up visits, and goals of care/family meetings. Advocates for the spiritual dimension of wholistic care by attending daily rounds and weekly IDT meetings. Collaborates with hospital staff chaplains, community clergy, community resources, and hospice team members to ensure quality spiritual care across the continuum of care. The staff chaplain, through professional training, pastoral presence, organizational leadership, spiritual assessment, interventions, and outcomes, facilitates meaning-making in ways that are important to patients, families, and associates as they relate to their spiritual and emotional well-being. Demonstrates respect, dignity, kindness, and empathy in each encounter with all patients, families, visitors, and associates regardless of spiritual or cultural background.

Patient & Family Spiritual Care Visits and Assessments

Provides excellence in spiritual care that contributes to the well-being of care-recipients and their families, offering appropriate emotional and spiritual support through active listening, spiritual assessments, follow-ups, presence, prayer, and grief support, and informs care-recipients of spiritual supports available. Conduct a thorough spiritual care assessment for Palliative Care patients as the Spiritual Care specialist, assessing for sources of strength/coping, religious needs/concerns, spiritual/existential crisis, anticipatory grief, etc. Spiritual assessment includes appropriate interventions, outcomes, ongoing care plan, as well as collaboration with hospital unit chaplains for continuity of care. Encourage Palliative Care interdisciplinary team members in their role as Spiritual Care generalists, including responsibility for initial screening for distress and assisting to triage based on spiritual acuity.

Clinical Documentation

Documents all pastoral care visits, interventions, outcomes, and a care plan in the electronic medical record in a professional and timely way. Participates in Palliative Care goals of care meetings with patient’s/families as a fully integrated team member.  Conducts initial and follow-up visits based on the team’s spiritual screenings/triage, chart review and IDT referrals.

Associate Care

Provides excellence in spiritual care that contributes to the well-being of our associates, including 1:1 visits, group interventions, and team meetings as requested and/or appropriate. Collaborates with the pastoral and spiritual care team and other departments in leading various associate care interventions and providing education, when appropriate.

Supports Mission Services’ Strategic Initiatives

Performs other duties as assigned in support of our mission, strategic plan, and initiatives. May include formation, education, and supervision work, including supporting the work of our spiritual care volunteers, Eucharistic ministers, and CPE student interns.

Education, Credentials, Licenses:

• Bachelors degree
• One unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or equivalent
• Agreement to adhering to the Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals.

Specialized Knowledge: 

• Thorough understanding of the goals and objectives of St. Elizabeth’s Healthcare.
• Prior experience in palliative care chaplaincy.
• Knowledge and respect of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of various worldview traditions.
• Strong interpersonal communication and listening skills and ability to handle difficult patient, family, and associate encounters. 
• Ability to lead and coordinate prayer and group experiences.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Basic computer/technology skills and ability to communicate using one’s own smartphone.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and a personal vehicle in good working order.

Kind and Length of Experience: 

• One year of pastoral ministry or chaplaincy experience. 
• Ability and desire to work with people from diverse backgrounds, including staff, volunteers, and clergy.
• Experience in working as a collaborative part of a team.

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Right Career. Right Here. If you're looking for the right careers in healthcare, the right place to be is at St. Elizabeth. Join us, and you'll take pride in the level of care we offer our community.

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