Chaplain Coord-Crestwood Medical Center-PRN-Varies

HH Health System • Huntsville, AL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Chaplain Coordinator is a member of the healthcare team who provides pastoral care to patients, their loved ones, and, as appropriate, hospital staff. Using professional training and certification, the Chaplain Coordinator supports people in understanding life events in relation to their spiritual and emotional well-being, and may offer prayer or reflection. The role ensures that the religious and spiritual needs of patients and loved ones are addressed in assigned areas of the hospital, promotes an interdisciplinary approach to pastoral care, follows hospital administrative procedures, and participates in continuous quality improvement. The position carries out the Pastoral Care Department’s goals in alignment with Huntsville Hospital’s mission, vision, and values. The role reports to the Senior Manager of Patient Experience; the overview also identifies the Senior Director of Quality and Senior Quality Director in describing its direction and reporting relationships. The Chaplain Coordinator rounds at the hospital for up to 16 hours per week, with availability from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and provides approximately four hours per week of on-call coverage as needed.

Requirements

• College or seminary education and at least one to two units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) meeting the educational requirements of the candidate’s faith group.
• Licensed and ordained minister by a recognized faith group.
• Blessing, approval, or commissioning from the candidate’s faith group or congregation.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Ability to establish rapport through effective listening.
• Ability to work as a team member and communicate relevant patient-care information to appropriate healthcare staff.
• Willingness to meet the spiritual needs of people of all religious faiths, ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate respectfully across cultures and with people of different faiths.
• Ability to manage the stressful nature of hospital work, maintain a calm demeanor, and distinguish opinions from facts in patient documentation.
• Ability to work independently and remain flexible when handling multiple priorities.

Nice To Haves

• Completed curriculum of theological classes and demonstrated competent pastoral-care skills.
• Experience as a hospital chaplain.
• Ability to communicate respectfully across cultures and with people of different faiths is identified as a valued asset.

Responsibilities

• Carry out the Pastoral Care Department’s goals in alignment with Huntsville Hospital’s vision, mission, and values.
• Round at the hospital according to a schedule established by leadership, up to 16 hours per week, and provide approximately four hours per week of on-call coverage as needed.
• Assist the Senior Patient Experience Manager with rounding schedules for units with low HCAHPS survey performance or low employee engagement results.
• Coordinate clergy and pastoral visitors from the religious community.
• Deliver or arrange appropriate chaplain care for patients, loved ones, and staff in assigned areas or for particular faith groups.
• Respond to chaplain requests, requests to contact a patient’s church or place of worship, trauma and crisis situations, end-of-life discussions, and staff counseling needs.
• Visit new admissions and provide spiritual support as needed.
• Visit patients, families, and staff regularly, prioritizing those in greatest need; conduct spiritual screenings and provide interventions based on spiritual-needs assessments.
• Provide confidential, nonjudgmental listening, counsel, guidance, direction, and support, including crisis and disaster intervention, bereavement counseling, and guidance in ethical decision-making.
• Address patients’ and loved ones’ spiritual needs in accordance with patients’ values and preferences; offer spiritual presence and listening during suffering and despair.
• Use inspirational resources important to patients, such as blessings, prayer, meditation, or readings of sacred texts, and help address spiritual pain and end-of-life fears and hopes.
• Provide spiritual support, counseling, grief and healing interventions, and education for hospital staff; be available to staff and their families for professional and personal needs.
• Support families and staff who lack alternative spiritual support, as well as those with other support who may benefit from a chaplain visit.
• Maintain records of clinical activity for communication with department members and provide monthly reports to hospital administration.
• Serve on hospital-assigned committees and act as the Staff Chaplain proxy as needed.
• Participate in regular professional development activities.
• Facilitate sacraments and rituals that support patients and families during health-related crises.
• Respond to requests for chaplain care in a timely manner.
• Assist hospital staff, including nurses, physicians, allied health personnel, and volunteers, with personal and spiritual problems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Demonstrate Crestwood’s mission, vision, and values through behavior, as described in the Employee Handbook and the Power of Excellence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time