Description

GENERAL SUMMARY:

We are seeking a compassionate, experienced Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplain for our outpatient services to provide spiritual and emotional support to our patients, their families, and staff members. The Chaplain is an integral part of our Hospice and Palliative care teams and will assist in meeting the spiritual needs of our patients/families. On occasion, the Chaplain will participate in a call rotation to support patients/families within the Acute Care departments to include: ED, Med/Surg and Surgical Services. Spiritual care may also be provided for volunteers, hospital and medical staff. The ideal candidate provides spiritual and emotional support to patients of various faith backgrounds, as well as those who do not adhere to any particular faith tradition. Therefore, interfaith knowledge and sensitivity to a wide range of spiritual practices and beliefs is usually highly valued in this role.

Klickitat Valley Health is a rural, critical-access hospital located in scenic Goldendale, Washington only two hours from Portland along the breathtaking Columbia River Gorge. KVH offers emergency and acute inpatient care and a full scope of ancillary services including General Surgery, Diagnostic Imaging, Laboratory, Respiratory Therapy, PT / OT, Behavioral Health, Dental, Pain Management, Optometry and Hospice. The hospital also owns a busy, well-established primary clinic that is located on hospital campus. Inpatient care is managed by 24/7 Hospitalist staff. KVH employs over 300 staff.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Meets with patients and/or their families in dealing with and coping with Spiritual concerns, including end of life issues.

• Delivers professional bereavement services through home visits, phone calls, mailings, referrals.

• Works closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to recruit, train and staff spiritual care volunteers.

• Coordinates on-call spiritual care resources using local clergy.

• May facilitate post-trauma spiritual debrief sessions or grief counseling for staff, providers, volunteers

• Maintains knowledge of predominant religious / spiritual systems, and provides education to the interdisciplinary team on these systems in order to best meet the needs of a diverse population.

• Facilitates patient and family access to community-based spiritual resources including, but not limited to: prayers, Bible reading, spiritual care visits, communion, sacraments, rituals, etc. May need to research uncommon or unfamiliar faiths or practices in order to provide timely assistance. 

• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to assess the spiritual and emotional needs of patients and their families, and create an individualized care plan.

• Support patients and their families in exploring questions of meaning, purpose, and spiritual distress related to their illness.

• Supports the Hospice and Palliative Care staff through educational programs on spiritual care, self-care, stress management and grief and loss.

• Documents patient and family interactions and interventions in the patient’s medical record. 

• Maintains regulatory compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation (42 CFR § 418.56, 42 CFR § 418.56(c)(6), and 42 CFR § 418.204. 

• Participates in committees as requested.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Please note, this position will require travel throughout Klickitat county primarily during the business day but may include some out-of-area, night-time and weekend travel.

Qualifications

Minimum Education, Training & Experience (includes licenses or certifications):

Education:

• Master of Divinity degree from a recognized theological institution, or equivalent experience
• One-year CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) preferred
• Certification through the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) or American Academy of Grief Counselors (GC-C) preferred
• BLS required

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years working with the terminally ill
• Experience facilitating bereavement support groups, individual grief counseling sessions required
• Experience working in a spiritual care role in a medical setting strongly preferred
• Experience with program development and implementation

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Meets with patients and/or their families in dealing with and coping with Spiritual concerns, including end of life issues.
• Works closely in conjunction with the social worker and healthcare team to identify spiritual care needs and develop a plan of care.
• Oversees the development, implementation and evaluation of practices, policies and procedures for the District’s Hospice Program in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations. This includes the delivery of professional bereavement services through home visits, phone calls, mailings, referrals.
• Works closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to recruit, train and staff spiritual care volunteers
• Coordinates on-call spiritual care resources using local clergy
• May facilitate post-trauma spiritual debrief sessions or grief counseling for staff, providers, volunteers
• Maintains knowledge of predominate religious / spiritual systems, and provides education to the interdisciplinary team on these systems in order to best meet the needs of a diverse population.
• Facilitates patient and family access to community-based spiritual resources including, but not limited to: prayers, Bible reading, spiritual care visits, communion, sacraments, rituals, etc. May need to research uncommon or unfamiliar faiths or practices in order to provide timely assistance.
• Participates in committees as requested
• Perform other duties as assigned