Chaplain/Priest - Spiritual Care Services

Stanford Health Care • Palo Alto, CA

1d • $38 - $49 • Onsite

About The Position

Spiritual Care Service provides spiritual and emotional support to patients, families, friends, and staff. The role involves listening, open-hearted conversation, providing a calm presence, prayers and blessings, and connecting individuals to their religious, spiritual, or philosophical traditions. Chaplains are assigned to inpatient care units, Cancer Centers, and Palliative Care teams, providing a consistent spiritual care presence and building relationships with staff. There is always at least one chaplain or fellow/resident/intern available at Stanford Hospital. This role emphasizes the iCare methodology, requiring strong listening skills, compassion, and resourcefulness for patients and families. The Chaplain collaborates with other Chaplains, families, patients, and hospital staff, and requires scheduling flexibility due to rotating needs.

Requirements

• Master's Degree in theology, divinity, or religious studies required.
• Graduation from a seminary or school of theology that approved by a professional chaplain certifying organization required.
• One (1) years of directly related work experience in a health care setting, including completion of Four (4) Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) required.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of medical practice, ethical issues in health care, hospital procedures, developmental needs across all age groups (Infant to Geriatric), and adheres to SHC and Common Codes of Ethics, privacy/confidentiality (PHI), and safety/infection control standards.
• Meets all Level 1 and 2 Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) outcomes, board certification competencies, and demonstrates ongoing intellectual curiosity and commitment to continuous improvement through education and learning opportunities.
• Exhibits theological, philosophical, and spiritual reflection skills, and integrates pastoral/spiritual perspectives across a variety of settings including interdisciplinary case conferences, staff education, and group processes.
• Provides individualized and group pastoral care with cultural and religious sensitivity, supporting persons through crisis, end-of-life situations, decision-making, and coping with loss—always with compassion, professionalism, and alignment with SHC values.
• Demonstrates exceptional communication, teaching, and counseling skills, with the ability to adjust communication to suit diverse audiences and understanding levels, and to speak and write effectively.
• Offers consultation to colleagues, mentorship to students, and actively contributes to the development and effectiveness of inter-faith/inter-belief spiritual care programs.
• Provides strong leadership in spiritual care, demonstrating creativity and excellence in designing and delivering spiritual/religious services, motivating others, energizing team members, and influencing interprofessional teams.
• Works collaboratively and diplomatically with hospital staff, interdisciplinary teams, and community religious leaders to foster a cohesive and effective Spiritual Care department.
• Performs effectively in high-pressure and crisis situations, showing resourcefulness, appropriate assertiveness, calmness under stress, and sound judgment while meeting departmental productivity goals.
• Exemplifies strong organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving abilities; maintains professionalism, accountability, and dependability in ministering to patients with a range of physical and mental health needs.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual ability with English and Spanish.
• Ordination or commissioning by one's faith group to serve as a religious leader and endorsement or official recognition by that faith group to function as a Chaplain preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides direct spiritual care to patients, families, and staff.
• Adheres to all triage duties and responsibilities when needed.
• Serves as advocate in articulating patients’ and families’ spiritual needs.
• Offers and receives consultation with the interdisciplinary team in delivery of patient care, functioning in a collaborative, cooperative manner.
• Serves as liaison between Spiritual Care and other SHC departments.
• Works to increase the visibility and enhance the quality of Spiritual Care within the hospital community.
• Assists in developing, coordinating, and evaluating Spiritual Care initiatives to staff.
• Shares in planning and leadership of services.
• Provides weddings, memorial services, and baptisms for patients and staff within or in accordance with their beliefs and/or religious tradition.
• Provides and/or participates in other special services offered through Spiritual Care in collaboration with the Manager, team members and hospital staff.
• In collaboration with the Manager, and team members, develops services and resources appropriate for the holy days of various religious traditions.
• Charts visits in the medical record accurately and in a timely manner (within the scheduled work shift) that is relevant to the patient’s medical, psychosocial, and spiritual/religious goals of care.
• Maintains daily records of the Department’s activities in accordance with Department’s data gathering tool in use.
• Participates in triage rotations, is available on short notice for emergencies and overnight coverage as needed.
• Facilitates and coordinates Code Blue, and non-Code critical incident stress debriefings as needed.
• Performs other duties as required, or assigned by, or negotiated with the Manager of Spiritual Care Services.
• Shares responsibility for maintaining and developing positive relationships with significant individuals and constituent groups (religious leaders, faith communities/faith groups, inter-faith groups, other hospitals, and graduate schools of religion) in support of SHC and Spiritual Care programs.
• Shares responsibility for coordinating and presenting educational events for SHC.
• Develops and teaches workshops and seminars for presentation to Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Chaplain students on a schedule to be negotiated with the Manager of Spiritual Care Education – CPE and Director of Spiritual Care Services.
• Assists in developing a curricular track for inclusion in the overall CPE curriculum.
• Regularly participates in joint visits with Chaplain students to assess their functioning and to offer critique for improvement of spiritual caregiving.
• Helps orient CPE students to unit(s) and facilitates students’ clinical involvement.
• Assists in other dimensions of CPE programs as requested and appropriate.
• Mentors CPE students, who will support staff Chaplains in providing spiritual care to patients and families admitted to inpatient clinical areas.
• May assist in recruitment, interviewing and selection of CPE students.
• Attends team meetings and retreats.
• Serves on selected hospital committees as appointed by the Manager.
• Serves on Campus, Religious, or other community committees as appointed by the Manager.
• Attends religious/faith group meetings to maintain good standing and serves on committees of national Spiritual Care organization(s) as needed.
• Assists with other administrative duties as assigned by the Manager.
• Serves on ethical case consultations to represent spiritual care and to participate in ethical decision making when needed.
• Serves as a consultant to students and staff on questions of ethical considerations.
• Assists in the interpretation and evaluation of ethical questions and moral situations in care delivery, to ensure the dignity and rights of the patient.
• Assists in the research and development of relevant policies and procedures to ensure continued provision of ethically appropriate and culturally and religiously sensitive care to patients.
• Adheres to current organizational Performance Improvement priorities.
• Participates in quality studies through data collection and analysis.
• Makes recommendations and takes actions to improve Spiritual Care Services structures, systems and outcomes.

Benefits

• Stanford Health Care sets a high standard for delivering value and an exceptional experience for our patients and families. Candidates for employment and existing employees must adopt and execute C-I-CARE standards for all of patients, families and towards each other. C-I-CARE is the foundation of Stanford’s patient-experience and represents a framework for patient-centered interactions. Simply put, we do what it takes to enable and empower patients and families to focus on health, healing and recovery. You will do this by executing against our three experience pillars, from the patient and family’s perspective: Know Me: Anticipate my needs and status to deliver effective care Show Me the Way: Guide and prompt my actions to arrive at better outcomes and better health Coordinate for Me: Own the complexity of my care through coordination

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level