Chaplain WMCG - Augusta Georgia

Wellstar Chaplain

How would you like to work in a place where your contributions and ideas are valued? A place where you can serve with compassion, pursue excellence and honor every voice? At Wellstar, our mission is simple, yet powerful: to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve. We are proud to have become a shining example of what's possible when the brightest professionals dedicate themselves to making a difference in the healthcare industry, and in people's lives.

Work Shift: Various (United States of America)

Job Summary:

The mission of Wellstar's Department of Spiritual Health is to impact the healing experience by offering compassionate presence and bringing hope to patients and residents, families, staff, and community, evidencing our commitment to the health and well-being of the whole person mind, body, and spirit. Our five-fold values are the following: (1) Integrating professional and compassionate Religious/Spiritual/Humanist Care; (2) Refining evidence-based, research-literate practice; (3) Partnering with diverse and global voices; (4) Embracing local R/S/H community leaders; and (5) Honoring the past and building toward the future. The clinically trained professional Chaplain has the primary responsibilities of offering spiritual health care and emotional support to patients/residents and their families/support systems, inclusive of all faith traditions and chosen spiritual paths, utilizing their expertise and advanced knowledge of spiritual health.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Spiritual Health Care to Patients/Residents and their Families/Support Systems:

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 patient's 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.

Hospice chaplains ONLY 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.

Outpatient chaplains ONLY - Provide spiritual health care in WellStar Medical Group settings, including attending to urgent spiritual needs in other WellStar outpatient settings.

Spiritual Health Care and Support to Team Members:

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.

Faith Community Networking:

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.

Spiritual Health Department Initiatives:

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.

Hospice chaplains ONLY 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.

Performs other duties as assigned Complies with all Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.

Required Minimum Education:

Masters Theology

Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s):

All certifications are required upon hire unless otherwise stated.

GADL - Georgia Driver's License-Preferred

PVI - Private Vehicle insurance-Preferred

Additional License(s) and Certification(s):

Board Certification (BCC) with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC), the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), or the National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC). Must complete BCC within 24-months of hire. Upon Hire Preferred and Ordination or Licensure for ministry by a recognized faith group Upon Hire Preferred

Required Minimum Experience:

Minimum 2 years of experience in spiritual health (or the equivalent) in a health care setting (may include 1 year of CPE Residency). Required

Required Minimum Skills:

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. Experience with EMR (electronic medical record) documentation preferred.

Join us and discover the support to do more meaningful workand enjoy a more rewarding life. Connect with the most integrated health system in Georgia, and start a future that gives you more.