Avera Health·Milbank, South Dakota
Provide spiritual and emotional support to patients, families, and staff to help them cope with illness, trauma, and loss. Collaborate with the interdisciplinary healthcare team to integrate spiritual values into medical plans of care.
Accountable to minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of the patient/family/residents and staff. This role is responsible for collaborating with peers, fellow employees and leaders, using theological and clinical training to help patients, families, and staff members cope with illness, trauma, death, and loss more effectively. The Chaplain will assess the patient's spiritual practices/values and assist in accommodating and integrating these values into the patient's medical plan of care and will communicate the spiritual assessment results as needed to the patient's interdisciplinary health care team all while maintaining an atmosphere of Christian, patient centered care at Avera.
What you will do
Work with patients/families to understand implications of the suggested medical treatment plan in the framework of their spiritual beliefs, to work through difficult issues, and to support the interdisciplinary health care team.
Available to consult and debrief with Avera departments, groups, and individual staff members in the event of unexpected or unsettling events.
Communicate with the interdisciplinary health care team and obtain pertinent information regarding the patient’s condition, family dynamics, and the health care teams’ understanding of the need for spiritual care.
Plan, facilitate, coordinate, and deliver pastoral and spiritual care to patients, families and staff who are formally consulted, who may be referred as part of the interdisciplinary team, the patient’s/family’s request, or through general rounding throughout the Avera facilities.
Explore with the patient and family belief and meaning in illness and crisis situations, respecting the goals, desires, and choices of each person.
Gather and evaluate relevant data pertinent to the patient’s situation and/or bio- psycho-social-spiritual/religious health.
Assessment and reassessment are fundamental parts of the Chaplain’s duties, assisting other team members in the development of the patient’s plan of care.
Assist patients/families/staff in times of crisis, bereavement, and important end of life questions and decisions.
This will include addressing patients and families in distress.
Provide encouragement and support during illness, empowering patients to embrace their spiritual/religious strengths and inner resources for healing.
Proficient in planning, facilitating, coordinating and delivering leadership of spirituality groups, ecumenical devotional services, family conferences, public prayers at Avera meetings, including but not limited to dedications and remembrance services.
Serve as a liaison to Catholic Chaplains to assist in facilitating and coordinating Sacramental Roman Catholic Ministry needs and requests.
Serve as a liaison to community clergy; contacting them for specific family/patient needs or requests.
Be a public relations advocate and may invite community clergy to visit their parishioners as appropriate, within Avera policies and guidelines.
Document information in the electronic record that is relevant to the patient’s medical, psycho-social and spiritual/religious goals.
The documentation recognizes regulatory guidelines regarding confidentiality, while providing the interdisciplinary team with information about relevant spiritual needs and concerns that impact the patient’s care and disposition.
The individual must be able to work the hours specified. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds. These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.
Expectations and Standards
Avera is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran Status, or other categories protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-605-504-4444 or send an email to talent@avera.org.
Requires a high school diploma or GED, with a preference for a Bachelor's in Theology or Religious Studies and Board Certification. Candidates should have 1-3 years of pastoral experience and a valid driver's license.
Market context
PRN chaplain openings in South Dakota are often tied to healthcare settings that need flexible spiritual care coverage, so demand can rise when facilities need on-call support. These roles are competitive because employers often prefer candidates with theology training, board certification, and prior pastoral experience. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits on this page to save research time, and confirm your licensure, certification, and driver’s license before applying.
