HR Pulse - Fall 2008 - (Page 34)

Pastoral Care An Underutilized HR Resource By Rev. George Handzo chaplain, one must be in good standing with one’s faith tradition, be a master prepared in theological studies, and have completed at least 1,600 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). CPE is accredited interfaith professional education for ministry in which students spend at least half of their time in direct patient care. This training scenario is comparable, in type and level, to a medical internship or residency. Professional chaplains also subscribe to a code of ethics, which prohibits proselytizing, respects the beliefs of all clients, and holds information conﬁdential. Communication and active listening are core competencies for professional chaplains. Unlike community clergy, professional chaplains are trained to work with people of any faith or no faith. They bring a non-judgmental presence and are generally viewed as impartial by patients, families, and staff. Their goal is to help patients and loved ones maximize the use of their own religious/spiritual resources in the service of their healing. They serve as the institution’s expert on spiritual and religious needs. Like other disciplines on the health care team, professional chaplains now work largely by referrals based on screening protocols, which allows other staff to assess the presence of spiritual distress and religious or spiritual needs. Chaplains also are written into response protocols for codes, deaths, debrieﬁng, medical error, organ donation, disaster response, and terminal wean, among others. If stafﬁng allows, individual chaplains are assigned to particular service lines. This allocation not only provides better care to patients but allows the staff to know their particular chaplain very well. This linkage enhances the ability of the chaplain to support the staff through individual and group crises. Finally, professional chaplains are trained to work in crisis situations such as deaths, codes, and traumas. They are able to take the time that other disciplines do not have to spend with a patient or family in crisis thus relieving others, especially nurses, of this stress. Chaplains are free to move about the institution to wherever they are needed. In one institution, a long-time night shift OR nurse was driving home from work when she was killed by a wheel that came off a truck traveling in the opposite direction on the ©iStockphoto.com/Claudia Dewald 34 HR Pulse Fall 2008 P rofessional board certified chaplains are a significantly underutilized HR resource in most health care facilities. A Pastoral Care Department staffed with professional chaplains can add to your risk management, employee satisfaction, and retention programs, improve organizational communication, increase your institution’s cultural sensitivity, support your major HR initiatives, and add to community benefit. Professional chaplains can be major contributors to building morale and supporting a high-performance environment. Chaplain Credentials Professional health care chaplains are a distinct discipline from community clergy serving congregations. To become a board certiﬁed Because professional chaplains are communication specialists, they are viewed as approachable, non-judgmental, and impartial.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Pulse - Fall 2008

HR Pulse - Fall 2008 Contents Pulse Points Executive Director’s Letter President’s Message HR Leader Profile: Irma Pye Sammy’s House: Making a Difference in Austin Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies Increasing CEO Engagement Pastoral Care Retaining Scarce, Critical Talent The Engagement Dilemma Diversity Considerations…More than AAP & EEO Quashing the Workplace Bullying Bug How to Become a Strong Human Resources Partner Citizen Lobbyists Descend Upon Capitol Hill Conference Highlights Schedule at a Glance Sponsors Exhibitors Advertisers’ Index

HR Pulse - Fall 2008

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