Associate Chaplain - Spiritual Health & Education

Under the supervision of the Clinical Manager of Spiritual Health and Education, the Associate Chaplain provides spiritual support to patients, visitors and staff members. Uses, as appropriate, a wide range of spiritual care skills, including listening/attending, empathic reflection, conflict resolution/confrontation, crisis management and appropriate use of religious/spiritual resources. Responsible for performing job duties and implementing the mission, vision and goals of the Spiritual Health and Education Department and Tampa General Hospital.

Essential Functions:

• Provides consistent spiritual care to team members facing personal or professional concerns.
• Assess patient and family spiritual needs and assists families in using their faith in dealing with illness, trauma and stress.
• Provides crisis intervention as necessary; responds to all Code Blue and Trauma Alerts; assists in helping families remain informed of patient's condition.
• Develops ongoing spiritual relationships on assigned clinical units. Visits patients on assigned areas, special requests and in critical care waiting areas; establishes ongoing ministry relationship with patients and families from previous visits when appropriate.
• Educates and helps patients and families execute Advanced Directives; advises patients on understanding documents related to their healthcare (i.e. Living Wills and Health Care Surrogate).
• Completes bereavement care protocol; supports family using their faith system to cope with death; provides support to the family as appropriate.
• Develops and maintains a working relationship between the Spiritual Health and Education Department and medical staff, nursing staff and other departments.
• Participates in interdisciplinary rounds of assigned clinical units.
• Attends to requirements of regulatory agencies by representing the department in assigned patient areas.
• Plans, provides and maintains a safe environment for patients, staff and families.
• Responds promptly to orders and requests for spiritual care services with special attention to trauma patients and urgent requests within the hospital.
• Formulates goals for ongoing personal and professional development.
• Successful completion of assigned Professional Development Courses.
• Participates in all required Spiritual Health and Education required meetings.
• Assists with the new team member orientation and training of both staff and student learners

Qualifications

Education Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree Religious Studies
• Bachelor's Degree Divinity
• Bachelor's Degree Theology
• Bachelor's Degree Related Field

Experience Qualifications:

• Successful completion of ACPE Internship and ACPE Residency
• At least one year of experience working in a professional and/or clinical environment.

Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrates current knowledge and level of expertise to provide spiritual care to a variety of people, inclusive of multiple elements of cultural and ethnic diversity, social conditions, systems and family issues.
• Demonstrates a range of spiritual care skills including listening/attending, empathic reflection, conflict resolution/confrontation, crisis management and appropriate use of religious/spiritual resources.
• Communication skills necessary to counsel patients, families and team members.
• Ability to be self-supervising and self-motivated.
• Able to integrate knowledge of behavioral science, theology and pastoral identity into spiritual care function.