Pastoral Services Coordinator at Forrest General Hospital – Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Job Summary:

In addition to the responsibilities of the Staff Chaplain position, the Pastoral Care Coordinator shall provide leadership to ensure that the Pastoral Care services is enabled to provide non-sectarian, multi-denominational support to people of all faith expressions.

• Provide administrative leadership in the direction and supervision of the daily activities of the Pastoral Care department and staff.
• Perform administrative duties as required by hospital administration, including scheduling and supervision of chaplains, operating within budget constraints, and acting as liaison with visiting clergy members.
• Equip and train existing and new staff and volunteers to become the premier team in Mississippi.
• Create daily visitation responsibilities using creative consult options when the list is low.
• Encourage increased participation in the existing consult system from Forrest General Hospital (FGH) personnel.
• Create weekly schedules and then share those schedules with those people who need to know how to access chaplaincy staff.
• Maintain an in-house system which enables each person to analyze their activity and devise ways of enhancing their skills and contact with people.
• Develop and implement plans and procedures for the Pastoral Care Department.

Provide support and input to further educate the hospital organizational structure and leadership on the spiritual needs of the hospital’s patient population.

Provide input directly to physicians and hospital leadership concerning spiritual and ethical matters directly related to patient care and the day-to-day operations of the hospital.

Interact with medical leadership to provide the best quality spiritual services possible to patients, their families and the hospital staff.

Interact with other departments to function as part of the overall healthcare team in the hospital environment. Performance Expectations:

Chaplains shall demonstrate the following traits:

Openness, compassion, empathy and supportive behaviors to all faiths utilizing a non-proselytization, non-agenda approach to pastoral care and presence. To listen and communicate with, support and empathize with people from a diversity of spiritual beliefs. An ability to remain calm and to provide a pastoral presence that is compassionate and appropriate for the spiritual care of those enduring crises. A teachable spirit. Interact and function as part of the larger healthcare team. An ability to assess spiritual needs, develop spiritual follow-up plans and an ability to grasp clinical documentation requirements for the electronic record. Practice proper infection prevention.

Qualifications:

Education - Required

Master’s Degree from a nationally accredited university in some form of ministry or from a nationally accredited divinity school.

Skills

Social skills to meet and work with new people quickly. Able to effectively communicate with, support and empathize with a wide range of culturally diverse patients and family members, healthcare professionals and local clergy. Work with a wide range of people with sensitivity, compassion and in confidence as needed. Remain calm and to provide a pastoral presence that is compassionate and appropriate for the spiritual care of those enduring crises emphasizing “a ministry of presence”. Competency using EPIC for clinical documentation, as well as MS Outlook, Word and Excel for supportive tasks. Utilize KRONOS for scheduling and supportive purposes.

Work Experience

Ten years’ experience in pastoral ministry preferred, with at least five years of experience required in pastoral ministry and/or healthcare chaplaincy. Five years’ experience in administration and management preferred. Two to four units of Clinical Pastoral Education preferred.

Certification/Licensure-DUE UPON HIRE

Ordination by a recognized ecclesiastical body within faith/denomination that is authorized to ordain

Board Certification from one of the major certification agencies, including but not limited to the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), the College of Pastoral Skills and Psychotherapy (CPSP) or the Spiritual Care Association (SCA)

Mental Demands:

Must be able to simultaneously cope with all types of emotionally and spiritually difficult and stressful scenarios. Must be able to serve and empathize with difficult people in difficult and crisis moments and then quickly adjust to the next person’s situation.