Chaplain PRN: Wellstar MCG (Augusta)

Wellstar Health System

19h•Onsite

About The Position

At Wellstar, the mission is to enhance the health and well-being of every person served, striving to deliver world-class healthcare. The Department of Spiritual Health aims to enhance the spiritual health and well-being of every person, impacting the healing experience by offering compassionate presence and hope to patients, residents, families, staff, and the community, focusing on the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. The department's values include integrating professional and compassionate Religious/Spiritual/Humanist (R/S/H) care, refining evidence-based practice, partnering with diverse voices, embracing local R/S/H community leaders, and honoring the past while building for the future. The clinically-trained professional Chaplain PRN is responsible for providing spiritual health care and emotional support to patients/residents and their families/support systems, inclusive of all faith traditions and spiritual paths. This involves performing spiritual assessments, developing individualized care plans, offering spiritual interventions (including sacraments and rituals), collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and providing beginning-of-life and end-of-life support, legacy work, and bereavement support. The Chaplain PRN also works with the larger faith community to create a support network and offers support to team members, including education on self-care and compassion fatigue. Participation in the on-call rotation is required.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Divinity, Theology, or equivalent masters level degree from a graduate school, school of divinity or theology, equivalent masters level degree from a graduate school, school of divinity or theology seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools or one of the regional Association of Colleges and Schools or its equivalent.
4 Units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) completed at a training center accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). (72 credit hours minimum masters-level work)
Ordination or Licensure for ministry by a recognized faith group Upon Hire
Minimum 1 year of experience in spiritual health (or the equivalent) in a health care setting (may include 1 year of CPE Residency)
Exceptional spiritual assessment and advisement skills
Demeanor becoming of a professional chaplain and spiritual leader
Demonstrated ability to perform spiritual assessments, determine appropriate spiritual interventions, and effectively offer spiritual health support to persons of diverse systems of beliefs and values
Create staff support interventions to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue
Proficient in crisis triaging
Ability to perform at a high level in stressful and emotionally charged situations
Demonstrate resiliency working in the arenas of loss and grief
Ability to function with a high degree of independence and self-direction
Working knowledge of health care organizations and biomedical ethics
Competent in Microsoft Office programs

Nice To Haves

Board Certified with APC (Association of Professional Chaplains), NACC (National Association of Catholic Chaplains), NAJC (National Association of Jewish Chaplains), or National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC); must complete BCC within 24 months of hire

Responsibilities

Provide spiritual, religious, and emotional care to patients, residents, families, and their support systems, irrespective of faith tradition or spiritual path.
Possess a working knowledge of major world religions, including an understanding of the integration of a patients belief system and values in plan of care decision making.
Perform spiritual assessments to gather and evaluate the spiritual/religious, emotional, and social needs, hopes, and resources of patients/residents and their family; determine appropriate spiritual interventions, including rituals/sacraments, spiritual support, reflection, advisement, crisis intervention, and bereavement support; identify potential obstacles for the delivery of effective spiritual care.
Function as advocate for the patient/resident/family; identify and interpret the impact of cultural beliefs and practices on the plan of care.
Offer emotional support and perform legacy work with patients nearing end-of-life; provide bereavement support to families; identify anticipatory grief and provide resource assistance with navigating decedent care arrangements, as needed.
Facilitate advance care planning with patients/residents and their families/support systems.
Document in EMR (electronic medical record) all spiritual health encounters and interventions to ensure continuity and cohesiveness in care.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary team on the care plan to ensure spiritual health support and care; contribute to the well-being of patients/residents and their family/support system, including attendance at IDRs (interdisciplinary rounds).
Participate in on-call rotation (including evenings, overnights, weekends, and holidays) on a regular basis, as determined by site-specific needs; required of all chaplains.
Participate in interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings and contribute to the plan of care to address the spiritual needs of the hospice patient and their family (Hospice chaplains ONLY).
Determine an individualized plan of care that contributes to the overall care of the patient and family, is measurable, documented in the EMR, and is updated regularly; develop visit order frequencies for follow-up visits to provide spiritual support (Hospice chaplains ONLY).
Provide spiritual health care in the home hospice, IPU (inpatient unit), and GIP (general inpatient), and ED (emergency department)/outpatient settings as assigned (Hospice chaplains ONLY).
Provide spiritual health care in WellStar Medical Group settings, including attending to urgent spiritual needs in other WellStar outpatient settings (Outpatient chaplains ONLY).
Provide spiritual, religious, and emotional care to team members or their family members following a death, regardless of faith tradition, spiritual path, heritage, or culture, including, debriefings, crisis intervention, support, and memorial services, etc.
Design and offer education on self-care for the professional caregiver.
Serve as a subject matter expert and educate physicians and clinical staff regarding spiritual, religious, existential, and/or cultural components that influence beliefs/values which impact the decision-making process and care goals.
Collaborate with ethics team to provide learning experiences for medical Residents in the realm of spiritual health, including crucial decision-making conversations, sensitivity to religious beliefs, and cultural/personal values impacting goals of care.
Foster collaborative relationships with community clergy and faith group leaders to meet the diverse religious and spiritual health needs of patients, residents, their families/support systems, and team members.
Contact community clergy or religious leaders as needed for specific faith traditions rites, sacraments, ordinances, spiritual practices, or for consultation.
Support community clergy in the visitation of their own congregants.
Collaborate with spiritual health volunteers, representative of a diversity of faith traditions, to meet the spiritual health needs of patients, residents, their families/support systems, and team members.
Assume leadership responsibility for spiritual health initiatives such as spiritual health Volunteer Program; Ethics Committee and other committees; emergency management and crisis intervention; facilitation of support groups; spiritual health continuing education for faith communities, civic organizations, and clinicians; mentoring of CPE students; and orientation of new spiritual health team members.
Participate in performance and quality improvement projects, data gathering, and strategic initiatives to support system and local site level spiritual health daily operations and growth.
Develop, coordinate, and officiate chapel and prayer services, as well as services of remembrance and celebration, appropriate to diverse faith traditions, various settings, and site-specific/community needs.
Maintain a working knowledge of trends in the field of spiritual health and Joint Commission requirements, ensuring compliance with evidenced-based practice.
Attend department meetings at local site and at system level, including continuing education opportunities.
Adhere to current national standards and guidelines for Hospice Chaplaincy as directed by NHPCO (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization), CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), and Joint Commission (Hospice chaplains ONLY).
Performs other duties as assigned.
Complies with all Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.