Hospice Chaplain

Affinity Care of Ohio - Thurman, OH

Full-time

Thurman, OH

About the position

The Hospice Chaplain is responsible for providing spiritual care services to patients and their families or caregivers, ensuring that their spiritual needs are met through direct care and coordination with other spiritual counselors. This role involves assessing spiritual needs, developing care plans, and maintaining communication with interdisciplinary teams and community spiritual resources.

Responsibilities

• Assures spiritual assessment of patients and families/caregivers in the hospice program and appropriate services are rendered in a timely manner.
• Facilitates the development of the individualized plan of care by participating in the comprehensive assessment to meet identified spiritual needs.
• Provides direct spiritual care to patients and families/caregivers.
• Serves as liaison and support to community chaplains and spiritual counselors.
• Maintains records of spiritual care services utilization and related activities for quality assurance, program development, and policies and procedures review and revision.
• Documents direct services and ongoing communication with community chaplains and spiritual counselors.
• Attends patient care conference and interdisciplinary group meetings as a member of the interdisciplinary group.
• Provides consultation, education, and support to the interdisciplinary group on spiritual care.
• Recruits community chaplains, spiritual counselors, and spiritual care volunteers adequate to meet patient and family/caregiver needs by developing community contacts and offering education through congregations about hospice care.
• Provides for funeral or memorial services for patients as requested.
• Plans periodic memorial services to meet the needs of personnel, volunteers, and community clergy/spiritual counselors working with the hospice team.
• Assists in supervision of spiritual care volunteers when assigned to patients/families/caregivers.
• Completes, maintains and submits accurate and relevant clinical notes regarding patient's condition and care given.
• Communicates with the physician during IDG meetings regarding the patient's needs and reports changes in the patient's condition.
• Communicates with community spiritual counselors to coordinate the care plan.
• Serves as liaison between patients and families/caregivers and community agencies.
• Maintains collaborative relationships with organization personnel to support patient care.
• As a mandatory reporter, reports failure to comply with the requirements of chapters to the Dept. of Health as required within 14 calendar days, using Dept. of Health forms.
• Reports suspected abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, or neglect of a person in violation of the department of social and health services and the proper law enforcement agency.
• Works in concert with the interdisciplinary group.
• Assists the patient and family/caregiver and other team members in providing continuity of care.
• Works in cooperation with the family/caregiver and hospice interdisciplinary group to meet the spiritual needs of the patient and family/caregiver.
• Attends interdisciplinary group meetings.
• Participates in on-call duties as defined by the on-call policy.
• Assumes responsibility for personal growth and development and maintains and upgrades professional knowledge and practice skills through attendance and participation in continuing education and inservice classes and ongoing CPE.
• Fulfills the obligation of requested and/or accepted case assignments.
• Actively participates in quality assessment performance improvement teams and activities.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in religious studies or a related subject and a master's degree in theology, divinity or pastoral studies is required.
• Certification is preferred, with specific requirements varying based on affiliation.
• Ongoing commitment toward development through education and obtaining CPE.
• Experience in hospice care preferred.
• Comfort in an interfaith setting.
• Ability to accept different lifestyles, cultures, beliefs, and values.
• Ability to network with community clergy and congregations.
• Knowledge of and commitment to hospice philosophy of care.
• Demonstrates good verbal and written communication, and organization skills.
• Must be a licensed driver with an automobile that is insured in accordance with state/or organization requirements and is in good working order.
• Possesses and maintains CPR certification.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in hospice care preferred.
• Comfort in an interfaith setting.
• Ability to network with community clergy and congregations.

Benefits

• Continuing education opportunities
• Professional development support
• Flexible scheduling options