This role involves providing comprehensive palliative care support, including identifying appropriate patients, explaining complex diagnoses and prognoses to patients and families, and collaborating with the care team on existential implications of care goals. The chaplain must also engage with the interdisciplinary team, educate them on the chaplain's role, and lead quality improvement initiatives related to palliative care.
Requirements summary
Candidates must possess a Master's degree in Divinity, Theology, or a related field from an accredited university. A minimum of two years of pastoral care experience in a healthcare setting such as a Hospital, Clinic, Home Health/Palliative Care, or Hospice is also required.
postgraduate degreeDocumentationCounselingCrisis InterventionInterdisciplinary Team CollaborationQuality ImprovementPalliative CareGrief CounselingCultural SensitivityPatient HistoriesDebriefingEnd-of-Life SupportSpiritual Care AssessmentDiagnosis ExplanationPrognosis ExplanationSpiritual ScreeningsSelf-Care Development
Job description
Job Summary
In addition to the responsibilities listed below, this role is also responsible for identifying patients for whom palliative care is appropriate; providing debriefs and explanations of diagnoses and prognoses to patients, their families and loved ones, and staff; collaborating with a patient care team to plan for and discuss existential implications of goals of care; regularly engaging with the interdisciplinary team and seeking opportunities to educate them on the role of a chaplain within the team; identifying areas of improvement for palliative care-focused quality improvement projects and implementing changes; leading collaborations with the interdisciplinary care team to integrate spiritual screenings, patient histories, and assessments into scope of practice; and researching and developing self-care activities for the interdisciplinary team.
Essential Responsibilities
Promotes learning in others by proactively providing and/or developing information, resources, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members; builds relationships with cross-functional/external stakeholders and customers. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; proactively provides actionable feedback to others and to managers. Pursues self-development; creates and executes plans to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; leads by influencing others through technical explanations and examples and provides options and recommendations. Adopts new responsibilities; adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; champions change and helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Facilitates team collaboration to support a business outcome. Completes work assignments autonomously and supports business-specific projects by applying expertise in subject area and business knowledge to generate creative solutions; encourages team members to adapt to and follow all procedures and policies. Collaborates cross-functionally and/or externally to achieve effective business decisions; provides recommendations and solves complex problems; escalates high-priority issues or risks, as appropriate; monitors progress and results. Supports the development of work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; identifies resources to accomplish priorities and deadlines. Identifies, speaks up, and capitalizes on improvement opportunities across teams; uses influence to guide others and engages stakeholders to achieve appropriate solutions.
Contributes to collaborative efforts in spiritual care by: recognizing the need for an interdisciplinary team, consult services, and departments and collaborating across the continuum of care; and collaborating with relevant external spiritual care programs (e.g., Interfaith Councils, Music Ministry, CPE Centers), diverse spiritual leaders, and community partners to provide resources and/or care to patients, their families and loved ones, and staff.
Provides patient, loved ones, and staff counseling services by: applying diverse spiritual care assessment models to evaluate spiritual needs, issues, and concerns and recommend appropriate spiritual counseling services and/or care interventions; leveraging crisis intervention methods and techniques to help patients, loved ones, and staff experiencing a crisis event or emotional, spiritual, and/or existential distress; helping to triage existential and spiritual counseling and creating appropriate care plans while demonstrating sensitivity, respect, and compassion; providing during and after end-of-life support and counseling to patients, loved ones, and staff, including grief counseling and support group services; and documenting spiritual assessments and interventions in the patient care record and following established charting methodologies in accordance with policies and procedures.
Provides spiritual care by: role modeling cultural sensitivity (e.g., acknowledging diverse belief systems, race, gender, sexual orientation) when interacting with patients, their families and loved ones, and team members; identifying and/or tending to spiritual or religious needs including providing supportive counseling, services, and/or events throughout the year (e.g., Ash Wednesday, Ramadan) for individuals of diverse faiths, backgrounds, religious needs, cultural rituals, and practices; providing spiritual resources to patients, loved ones, and staff (e.g., phone support, home visitations, self-care strategies, literature, memorial services, spiritual practices, and alternative care); and evaluating the quality and satisfaction of spiritual care services, including patient survey responses to ensure patients, loved ones, and staff receive the appropriate spiritual support, comfort, nurturing of well-being, resources, and guidance needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Masters degree in Divinity, Theology or related field from an accredited university AND minimum two (2) years of pastoral care experience in a Hospital, Clinic, Ambulatory, Home Health/Palliative Care, or Hospice setting.
