Hospice Chaplain

The Hospice Chaplain is responsible for traveling to a patient/client's place of residence to provide social work services. The Chaplain is a member of the Hospice Inter-Disciplinary Group (IDG) responsible for providing spiritual care services to assigned patient/clients and procuring spiritual care when appropriate for patient/clients, families and caregivers. The Chaplain/Bereavement Coordinator provides support and education to staff and team and coordinates and supervises the delivery of comprehensive bereavement care services to Hospice and community bereaved. The Chaplain networks and collaborates with community groups/agencies providing bereavement services to maximize utilization of resources.

Duties and Responsibilities

Chaplain: Actively participate in spiritual component of hospice and palliative care. Provide consultation to Hospice IDG regarding spiritual care assessment and plan of care and bereavement tools. Develop and maintain relationship with professional clergy or other appropriately qualified spiritual care providers to allow access to spiritual resources. Educate professional clergy about hospice and palliative care and learn about various faith belief systems regarding hospice and palliative care. Provide direct spiritual care and support to Hospice patient/clients, families and caregivers in accordance with individual needs and preferences, including bereavement services. Follow up with families/caregivers during bereavement. Facilitate communication with faith community when unable to access spiritual provider identified by patient/client or family. Participate in meeting with Hospice Manager and psychosocial team to assist with program evaluation and improvement. Serve as a resource to staff for spiritual care; provide spiritual support to staff; provide support for staff addressing their own personal and professional grief and loss issues. Provide education opportunities to staff to enhance their sensitivity to the spiritual concerns of patient/clients, families and caregivers experiencing terminal illness and loss. Participate in volunteer training and provide support to volunteers when appropriate. Collaborate with patient/client, family, caregiver and Hospice team to ensure the delivery of safe and efficient quality hospice services. Report patient/client status to Hospice Manager. Document all patient/client, family and caregiver contacts in the medical record. Demonstrate concern and support of the mission and philosophy of hospice in daily work performance and in interactions with staff members. Assist with community awareness and marketing activities for Hospice.

Qualifications

Graduate of theological education or its equivalency with a minimum of two years experience in related field. Certified Professional Chaplain and Master of Divinity and denominational endorsement with current license in field. Completion of at least 2 units of clinical pastoral education or experience as a hospital chaplain/hospice chaplain or experience in clergy leadership. EXPERIENCE Basic level knowledge of EMR (electronical medical records) and email functions. Endorsement or connection to recognized religious community. Comfort in interfaith setting; ability to provide spiritual care across wide spectrum of individual, family and staff needs. Experience in providing grief counseling or group facilitation. Knowledge of bereavement theories. Training specific to the provision of pastoral/spiritual care. Training and experience with death/dying, end of life and medical issues.

Benefits

Dental insurance Vision insurance Life insurance Employee assistance program Flex spending account 401k 401k matching