The Staff Chaplain provides spiritual care and crisis intervention to patients, families, and staff, including responding to Code Blue and Trauma alerts. They also document services in the medical record and participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to facilitate holistic care.
Requirements summary
Candidates must hold a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent and have completed at least four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Board certification from a recognized chaplaincy association is preferred upon hire and required within two years.
professional certificatepostgraduate degreeAdvocacyEmpathyCommunication skillsTriageEpicAssertivenessProblem solvingMedical record documentationPatient supportCrisis interventionInterdisciplinary collaborationEthical practiceSpiritual carePastoral counselingRitual and sacramental care
Job description
CURRENT BRONSON EMPLOYEES - Please apply using the career worklet in Workday. This career site is for external applicants only. Love Where You Work! Team Bronson is compassionate, resilient and strong. We are driven by Positivity which inspires us to be our best and to go above and beyond for our patients, for one another, and for our community. If you’re ready for a rewarding new career, join Team Bronson and be part of the experience. Location BMH Bronson Methodist Hospital Title Staff Chaplain- Kalamazoo, 2nd Shift Full Time The Staff Chaplain provides spiritual care and crisis intervention to patients, families and staff of all ages throughout the hospital: Assesses spiritual needs and assists in using their faith in dealing with illness, trauma, and stress; visits newly admitted patients and patients with special requests in assigned area; visits critical care waiting areas each day; follows up with patients from previous visits when appropriate. Provides crisis intervention as necessary; responds to all Code Blue and Trauma Alerts; assists in helping families remain informed of patient’s condition. Documents patient and family services provided in the patient’s medical record. Participates in Interdisciplinary Team Meetings and works together with other healthcare staff to facilitate spiritual care for patients and their families. Employees providing direct patient care must demonstrate competencies specific to the population served. Master of Divinity degree or equivalent strongly preferred from a graduate school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Strongly prefer a minimum of four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), from a program accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. ACPE Board Certification is preferred upon hire but must be achieved within two years of hire. Board Certification is accepted from the Association of Professional Chaplains, the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, or the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. Must be in good standing and valid in the state of Michigan.
Must have demonstrated human relation skills including verbal and written communication, problem solving, advocacy, assertiveness and empathy skills.
Must be able to work in and cope with a changing environment and be able to identify opportunities for improvement.
Must be able to role model pastoral identity and skills with newer spiritual care team members.
Ability to practice within the guidelines of Pastoral Care Department Policies and Procedures necessary.
Must be proficient in using Word, Outlook to communicate and Epic to document in the electronic medical record.
Benefits
Professional development
Continuing education
Interpersonal skills to work with distressed and anxious patients, families, and employees.
Analytical ability to assess persons’ spiritual needs and sense of well-being and find appropriate solutions to problems.
An empathy for the problems experienced by patients, families and employees; commitment to help the distressed.
Communication skills necessary to counsel patients, families, and employees.
Ability to work together with other disciplines to facilitate the spiritual needs of patients and their families. Work which produces levels of mental/visual fatigue which are typical of jobs that perform a wide variety of duties with frequent and significant uncontrollable deadlines. Work may include the operation of and full attention to a personal computer or CRT up to 40 percent of the time. Involves considerable standing or walking, regular lifting of light-weight objects (i.e., 20 pounds or less) and assisting with heavier tasks such as assisting in lifting and moving patients. Minor straining or fatiguing positions must be assumed, and some fatiguing physical motions are required.
Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide a safe environment and communicate effectively with all age groups of patients served by the Pastoral Care Department.
Performs spiritual care responsibilities as assigned by manager.
Responds to requests for pastoral care in a timely manner.
Provides spiritual care and crisis intervention throughout the hospital.
Appropriately triages calls and arranges for additional assistance when necessary.
Participates in offering worship opportunities.
Participates in meeting ritual and sacramental needs.
Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings and rounds.
Serves on institutional committees as appointed.
Assists in the coordination of clergy and pastoral visitors from the religious community.
Assists family to use their faith system in coping with death; provides support to the family as appropriate when they view body; assists family in completing all necessary paperwork i.e. funeral home release, etc. Supports staff in dealing with their emotion in loss of a patient.
Educates patients and family regarding Power of Attorney for Health Care; assists with finding witnesses.
Completes departmental on-call records by end of shift.
Maintains a working relationship between the department of Spiritual Care and medical staff, nursing staff, and other departments.
Contributes as able to spiritual care and pastoral education through publication, teaching, and research.
We strongly encourage the participation in continuing education which is provided by the department.
Provides pastoral services in such a way as to accomplish the institutional, as well as the departmental objectives for continuous quality improvement. Functions in such a manner that reflects the mission and vision of Bronson Healthcare Group.
Functions within the Common Code of Ethics for Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, Pastoral Educators, and Students. Shift Second Shift Time Type Full time Scheduled Weekly Hours 40 Cost Center 1900 Spiritual Care (BMH) Agency Use Policy and Agency Submittal Disclaimer Bronson Healthcare Group and its affiliates (“Bronson”) strictly prohibit the acceptance of unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies ("Recruiters") in response to job postings or word of mouth. Unsolicited resumes sent to any employee of Bronson by Recruiters, without both a valid written agreement with Bronson and a direct written request from the Bronson Talent Acquisition Department for a specific job position, will be considered the property of Bronson. Furthermore, no fees will be owed or paid to Recruiters who submit resumes for unsolicited candidates, even if those candidates are hired. This policy applies regardless of whether the Recruiter has a pre-existing agreement with Bronson. Only candidates submitted through a specific written agreement with the Bronson Talent Acquisition Department for a named position are eligible for fee consideration. Please take a moment to watch a brief video highlighting employment with Bronson! Bronson Healthcare is a community-owned, not-for-profit health system that has been serving southwest Michigan since 1900. Today, with a workforce of 9,000 people and 1,500 medical staff members, it is the area’s largest employer and leading healthcare system. Bronson provides care in virtually every specialty and offers a full range of services from primary care to critical care at more than 100 locations. Bronson’s exceptionally high quality standards enable us to do what’s right for our patients and their families. We are empowered as individuals and as teams, to apply our skills and experience so that every patient receives safe, timely and effective treatment. What’s more, our state-of-the-art, technology and evidence-based processes give us the tools we need to deliver the right care, at the right time. By putting each patient and their family at the center of our work, we demonstrate the dignity and respect we have for each individual we serve. This unwavering commitment to serving others combined with our unique healing environment helps make the patient experience here an exceptional one. The excellence and Positivity of our employees and medical staff has contributed to Bronson Healthcare being ranked by Forbes as one of America’s Best-In-State Employers (2022-23), by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women (2023) and by the National Association for Business Resources as one of the 2023 Top 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.
