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Encounters that Enrich

A Volunteer Pastoral Care Program with

Professional IntegrityPresenter:

Al Henager, BCC, BCCCStaff Chaplain &

Coordinator of Palliative Care University of Arkansas for Medical

SciencesLittle Rock, Arkansas

© Copyright 2005 Al Henager

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Workshop Description

• With financial and personnel resources shrinking for healthcare chaplaincy, good stewardship demands the creative use of community pastoral care resources. This workshop offers a program for chaplain departments in certain settings to use pastoral care volunteers while still maintaining professional standards and integrity. A paradigm is presented for Board Certified Chaplains to be the mentor and supervisor of pastoral care volunteers.

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Workshop Goals

• Become aware of the scope of pastoral resources available in your community for the welfare of patients.

• Be able to articulate the appropriate times to train, supervise, and utilize pastoral care volunteers.

• Gain tools for recruiting, training, and supervising pastoral care volunteers in appropriate healthcare settings.

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Healthcare in a Community Setting

• Chaplain’s role:– Facilitator of spiritual care– Consultant– Specialized colleague– Integrator of resources

• Church seen as:– Another valuable spiritual

resource– Partner in wholeness– Staff as colleagues– Members as support system

• Chaplain seen as: – The sole expert

– “The” source of spiritual care

– Interacting almost exclusively with hospital professional

• Outside church staff:– A limited resource

– Mostly ignored – Otherwise tolerated

Integrated vs. Isolated

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A Model of Community Oriented Chaplaincy

• Collegial– Chaplain: Specialist in Pastoral Care in Health

– Pastor: Generalist in Ministry

• Ecumenical– An understanding of various faith traditions

• Strengths as value to offer

• Weaknesses as opportunities for growth

• Professional– Education/Training for Specialization

– Continuing Ministry Development/Growth

– Appropriate Supervision & Accountability

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A Model of Community Oriented Chaplaincy

• Pastoral Identity– First & foremost, chaplains are pastors/clergy

• Professional Identity– Chaplains are healthcare professionals– Secondary to pastoral identity

• Personal Identity– Comfortable/confident in who you are– Integration of all aspects of self

(Basic C.P.E.)

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Types of Volunteer Programs

• Why Use Community Volunteers?– Churches, their members, & ministers offer a

wealth of spiritual resources.– Volunteers know the community.– It helps integrate the community with the

healthcare institution.– It is good stewardship.– Hospital patients can benefit from a variety of

spiritual support resources.

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Types of Volunteer Programs

• Lay people as volunteer pastoral caregivers

• Clergy as volunteer pastoral caregivers

Two Basic Types

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Lay Volunteers

• Eucharistic Ministers

• Pastoral Visitors (Chaplain’s Assistant)– Hospitality visits– Literature distribution– Basic initial spiritual “screenings”– Waiting room

• Office/Clerical Helpers

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Lay Volunteers• Basic initial spiritual “screenings”

– Do you have a church or faith community you are a part of?• (If “yes) Do they know you are here?

• (If “no”) Would you like for us to notify them for you?

– How much comfort, strength, and support would you say you get from your personal beliefs and values to help cope with your illness? Enough? Less than enough? None at all?

– Do you feel that it would be helpful to explore how your personal beliefs and values can help you better cope with your illness?

• Triggers for referral to the chaplain– If “Less than enough” or “None at all.”

– If “yes” to that last question.”

– If other issues come up in the hospitality visit.

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Clergy Volunteers• Various names/titles can be used

– Volunteer Pastoral Associates– Volunteer Chaplain Associates– Volunteer Assistant Chaplains– The “Shepherd’s Staff”

“A rose by any other name . . .”

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Clergy Volunteers

• The make up– Professional members of the community

• Who volunteer their time;

• Who have been screened, interviewed, and accepted into the program

• Who have undergone special training in hospital pastoral care

• Who provide a professional pastoral service to the hospital, etc.

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Clergy Volunteers

• The qualifications– Ordained minister by a recognized faith group– College or seminary or CPE or meets own faith

groups education requirements– Have blessing and approval of faith group or

congregation– Willingness to volunteer– Completes initial training– Attends supervisory meetings

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Clergy Volunteers

• The role (in a typical hospital)– To make rounds at the hospital every day

• Visit nursing stations

• Visit Emergency Room

• Visit patients for new admits/pre-surgery, etc.

– To be “on-call” for crises• Codes

• Deaths

• Other emergencies

– To make referrals to the Chaplain

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Volunteers – Scope of PracticeLevel Scope of Service/Responsibility Type of Caregiver Level of Skill Set

Highest Level Board Certified Chaplain Highest Level

Supervise Lay & Clergy Volunteers Management skills

Pastoral supervision Skills

Spiritual Assessment See APC/NACC/CPSP standards

In depth spiritual care “

Inter- disciplinary interventions “

Ethics consultation “

Advance directives intervention “

Therapeutic intervention “

In depth crisis intervention “

Etc. See APC/NACC/CPSP standards See APC/NACC/CPSP standards

Moderate Level Volunteer Clergy Moderate Level

Same as Basic Same as basic

Basic crisis intervention Know procedures

Basic crisis management skills

Basic Level Lay Volunteers Basic Level

Hospitality visits Active listening

Spiritual screening (3 questions) Make referrals

Limited ministry of presence Knowing when to speak

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The Most Appropriate Settings• The small town hospital

• The single hospital city– Community ownership & loyalty to hospital– Non-competitive healthcare environment

• Problematic for the multi-hospital metropolitan area– Divided institutional loyalty– Competitive nature– Not as much community ownership– Lay volunteers a may be an easier possibility

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Standards for Volunteers

• Standards for lay volunteers• Character

• Congregational/faith group affiliation

• References

• Endorsement/commissioning

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Standards for Volunteers

• Standards for clergy volunteers• Character

• Ordination/licensing

• Education/training

• Endorsements/commissioning/blessing

• Faith group affiliation

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Standards for Volunteers• Supervision Standards

• Training

• Continuing education

• By Certified Chaplain– By nationally recognized chaplain certifying body

– JCAHO Standard for “Qualified Chaplain” (old)

Chaplain, qualified:Chaplain, qualified: An individual who is certified and is in good standing with a pastoral care cognate group recognized by COMISS/JCAPS [Commission On Ministries in Specialized Settings/Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Pastoral Services] or who is in good standing with such a group and has the documented equivalent in education, training and experience with evidence of relevant continuing education.

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Recruitment

• Personal recruiting– Building pastoral relationships– Professional ministerial organizations

• Mass recruiting– Recruitment dinner– Recruitment educational event– Mass mailing letter– Speaking in congregations

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Recruitment

• Incentives (what will they get out of it)– Volunteer recognition – like all volunteers get– Holiday turkey– Training– Continuing education– Parking– Health club membership– Hospital discounts– Appreciation dinner

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Policies & Procedures

• Policy spelling out the vision of the program

• Policy on scope and plan of care

• Policy on organization

• Policy on requirements and expectations

• Policy on not proselytizing

• Procedure on daily visits/rounds

• Procedures on response to emergencies (codes/death/etc.)

• Policy and procedure on documentation

• Policy and procedure for confidentiality/HIPAA

• Policy and procedure for response to disasters

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Training• Program overview and commitment• Hospital orientation & health screenings• Introduction to pastoral care and pastoral identity• Establishing the helping relationship• Effective active listening skills• Creating understanding• Ministering in crisis and grief situations• Ministering to the confused and disoriented• Tour

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Training - continued

• Ministering to the elderly• Understanding and using pastoral assessment• Suicide• Ministering to children in death and dying• Overview and practice in implementing policies

and procedures• Mentoring & Supervision

– Ongoing

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Presuppositions

• That we are in the field of “Pastoral Care”• That we are chaplains• That volunteers can be helpful to

professional chaplains• That volunteers are not a threat to

professional chaplains – if done right• That the professional, certified chaplain is

basically capable of recruiting, training, and supervising volunteer chaplains

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Ground Rules• Not for debating pros & cons of volunteers• Not for debating “pastoral” vs. “spiritual”• Not for debating “religious” vs. “spiritual”• Nor for debating lay vs. clergy• Not for debating organizations• Not for quibbling of finer points of policy• Respect other speaker• Speak one at a time• Ask questions• Use “I” statements• Do not change the contents of the Power Point

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For further information, resources, or dialogue, contact:

Contact Information

© Copyright 2005 Al Henager.

You are free to use this for your ministry if you give proper credit.