Palliative Care Chaplain

Intermountain Health

8d•$28 - $44

About The Position

The Staff Palliative Care Chaplain provides compassionate spiritual and emotional support to patients with serious or life-limiting illnesses, their families, and caregivers. As a member of the interdisciplinary palliative care team, the chaplain conducts spiritual assessments, offers crisis intervention, and contributes to care planning and decision-making. The role includes facilitating family meetings, supporting advance care planning, and coordinating resources to address each patient’s spiritual and emotional needs.

Requirements

Accredited bachelor’s degree.
Completion of 2 units of Accredited Clinical Pastoral Education meeting NACC/APC BCCi approval within 2 years of hire.
Completion of four units of Clinical Pastoral Education meeting NACC/APC BCCi approval within 2 years of hire.
At least 2 years of health care chaplaincy experience, including at least 1 year specifically in palliative care.
Documentation from an ecclesial judicatory body of current endorsement and/or reference prescribed in accordance with the applicant’s spiritual or faith tradition, received or reaffirmed within the last 12 months, confirming current endorsement or authorization for hospital chaplaincy ministry and good standing with the endorsing or authorizing body. The documentation must be mailed, emailed, or faxed directly from the endorsing or recommending organization. Faith groups must be recognized by the Department of Defense Armed Forces Chaplains Board or previously reviewed and approved by the BCCi; otherwise, the Intermountain Mission office must approve the authorization or endorsement documentation following a review of the faith group.
Empathetic listening, spiritual assessment, pastoral counseling, crisis intervention, and supportive presence.
Interdisciplinary collaboration, verbal and written communication, meeting and priority management, and competence with digital and electronic documentation.
Interfaith knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and awareness of family and group dynamics.

Nice To Haves

Completion of 4 or more units of Clinical Pastoral Education meeting approval by NACC/APC BCCi.
At least 3 years of relevant spiritual care experience in palliative care.

Responsibilities

Help patients, families, and visitors cope with psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual needs during illness, trauma, and stress, and support caregivers and physicians experiencing grief, moral distress, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue.
Participate in daily palliative care interdisciplinary team rounds, including in the ICU, and engage in the ICU Early Intervention Model to support identified palliative care patients and develop and implement ongoing care plans with the team.
Partner with ICU attending and resident physicians to assess the need and timing for family meetings, and participate in, schedule, or facilitate those meetings.
Review charts for advance directives and assist with completing them when needed, ensuring patients’ wishes are documented and respected.
Develop, implement, and document spiritual assessments, interventions, and outcomes, maintaining accurate and professional documentation in the electronic medical record.
Respond to crises such as resuscitations, trauma, rapid response, death, and security alerts, and participate in ethics consultations and triage calls as directed by the care site.
Attend Spiritual Care department meetings, contribute to quality improvement plans and strategy deployment, promote teamwork and collegiality, and provide shift coverage as needed.
Participate in committees and potentially lead projects or initiatives.
Perform other duties as assigned.