Chaplain

Northern Light Home Care and Hospice

Department: Hospice

• Waterville

Position is located: Northern Light Home Care and Hospice Waterville

Work Type: PRN

Work Schedule: Variable

Summary:

The Chaplain is responsible for providing chaplaincy services to clients in their home by visiting assigned clients to establish dialogue, assess needs, provide spiritual care and guidance or discuss personal problems. The Chaplain assists and counsels dying clients and their families; assists and educates other home care personnel and community clergy regarding counseling in client care. The Chaplain contributes input to healthcare providers on medical/ethical issues. The Chaplain confers and collaborates with the client's primary clinician and other members of the client care team. The Chaplain serves as a liaison between Home Care & Hospice and other health care organizations and participates in related community planning. The Chaplain participates in development, marketing, and outreach to promote agency services. The incumbent performs duties and tasks in accordance with performance standards established for the job.

Responsibilities:

• Spiritual Assistance and Counseling

• Collaborates with members of the healthcare team to provide spiritual assistance and counseling for all clients through assessment, care plan development, and evaluation of client outcomes as supported by completed documentation.

• Spiritual Assessments

• Performs and documents comprehensive and holistic assessments of patients' and families spiritual and emotional needs. Anticipates potential emergency situations and intervenes safely with assistance if needed.

• Caring & Code of Conduct

• Develops a relationship with the patient/family that facilitates mutual involvement in the planning of care. Treats patients with courtesy and respect. Seeks resources for reconciling one's own personal issues and biases.

• Critical Thinking

• Demonstrates basic critical thinking skills.

• Documentation

• Documentation is concise, accurate, and complete reflecting adherence to agency, regulatory, and legal requirements.

• Population Specific Competency

• Completes population-specific mandatory education competencies as defined by the agency specific scope of service. Identifies age, culturalm or other population specific patient needs based on assessment findings. Works collaboratively with patients and families of diverse backgrounds to develop plan of care. Is tolerant of differences posed by patients and families while cognizant of personal biases.

• Evidenced Based Practice & Research

• Practice is consistent with Northern Light Health policy and procedures. Understands evidence for practice change. Demonstrates knowledge of reliable resources to support evidenced based practice.

• Leadership and Professional Conduct

• Utilizes appropriate time management and meets expectations for punctuality and attendance. Demonstrates flexibility in scheduling to support the staffing needs of patient care areas. Contributes to a healthy work environment by consistently utilizing effective communications with all members of the interdisciplinary team. Ensures continuity of care by reporting and addressing actual or potential conflict.

• Collaboration and Teamwork

• Actively implements and updates multidisciplinary plan of care and collaborates with internal and external resources to meet patient care needs. Identifies and evaluates changes in patient conditions that impact staffing, frequency of visits or the provision of safe patient care. Contributes to a healthy work environment by consistently exhibiting professional behaviors and addressing interpersonal conflicts with the right person, at the right time, in the right location. Supports colleagues in the daily care of patients in the department. Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to maximize patient care.

• Resource Management

• Identifies opportunities to improve utilization of resources.

• Professional Development

• Takes responsibility for meeting education and mandatory programs. Seeks opportunities to promote and advance personal growth. Seeks evidence in chaplaincy literature to identify/support best practice. Maintains an up-to-date personal educational file to demonstrate compliance with educational requirements.

• Performance Improvement

• Demonstrates a knowledge of and contributes positively to department performance improvement outcomes. Identifies potential safety issues to department manager and/or local agency-based practice committee.

• Productivity

• Provides service and produces work at or above expected levels of quality and consistent with agency defined quantitative standards.

• Other Duties

• Performs additional duties as required or assigned.

Other Information:

• Current license to drive in the state of Maine, with reliable transportation and agency required auto liability insurance. Must be able to drive within assigned region as directed.
• BLS for Healthcare Providers certification is required to be obtained prior to independent visits.

Competencies and Skills

• Achieves Results: Sets high standards for their own outcomes and seizes opportunities to engage others towards objectives. Consistently moves forward with direct actions in order to attain or exceed objectives. Manages their own time effectively to accomplish assigned tasks. Successfully prioritizes multiple projects and duties as needed.

• Behaves with Integrity and Builds Trust: Acts consistently in line with the core values, commitments and rules of conduct. Leads by example and tells the truth. Does what they say they will, when and how they say they will, or communicates an alternate plan.

• Cultivates Respect: Treats others fairly, embraces and values differences, and contributes to a culture of diversity, inclusion, empowerment and cooperation.

• Demonstrates Adaptability: Learns quickly when facing a new problem or unfamiliar task; is flexible in their approach with changing priorities and ambiguity. Manages change effectively and does not give up during adversity. Capable of changing one's behavioral style and/or views in order to attain a goal. Absorbs new information readily and puts it into practice effectively.

• Demonstrates Emotional Intelligence: Exhibits a high level of self-awareness, self-management, other awareness and relationship management. Conducts themselves in an empathic, appropriate way, with a sense of humor and stimulates a collaborative work environment. Is respectful of the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others and aware of the influence of their own behavior on them. Is aware of relevant social, political, system, and professional trends and developments and uses this information for the organization's benefit.

• Effectively Communicates: Listens, speaks and writes appropriately, using clear language. Communication methods are fitting to the message(s), audience, and situation and follow-ups are regular and timely. Shows that important (non-) verbal information is absorbed and understood and asks further questions to clarify when necessary. Expresses ideas and views clearly to others and has ability to adjust use of language to the audiences' level.

• Exercises Sound Judgment & Decision Making: Understands and processes complex information, which allows for appropriate and accountable conclusions. Does not react too quickly or slowly. Balances facts, goals, and potential approaches taking the appropriate criteria into account. Makes active decisions and commits oneself by communicating confidently and respectfully.

• Fosters Accountability: Creates and participates in a work environment where people hold themselves and others accountable for processes, results and behaviors. Takes appropriate ownership not only of successes but also mistakes and works to correct them in a timely manner. Demonstrates understanding that we all work as a team and the quality and timeliness of work impacts everyone involved.

• Human Capital, Supply Chain and Financial Software.

• Word processing, spreadsheets, data entry, database experience and other computer related skills.

• MS Teams

• Multi-line Phone

• Practices Compassion: Exhibits genuine care for people and is available and ready to help; displays a deep awareness of and strong willingness to relieve the suffering of others.

• Promotes Health and Safety: Promotes a healthy and safe environment for patients, employees and visitors. Advocates and models healthy physical and mental health behaviors even in challenging circumstances. Sets high quality standards and strives for continuous improvement and quality assurance by reporting and encouraging others to report near misses and safety issues.

• Provides Patient-Centered Care: Demonstrates understanding of patient care quality and service as organizational priority. Proactively supports change to improve patient experience and results. Exhibits the ability and willingness to find out what the patient wants and needs and to act accordingly, taking the organizational and outside resources into account. Cooperates, collaborates, communicates, and integrates care within and between teams to ensure that care is continuous and reliable.

• Resolves Conflict: Promptly acts to find alternatives/solutions when team members disagree. Addresses issues in a direct, honest, and appropriate manner. Handles conflicting interests diplomatically and helps to solve them. Transforms difficult situations into teachable moments using respect and accountability .

• Utilizes Resources Effectively: Understands how to get the most out of available resources and uses cost-benefit thinking in decision-making and in setting priorities. Monitors and analyzes resource usage to identify and eliminate areas of waste and maximize resources. As a leader, defines targets and provides appropriate means; oversees progress and makes adjustments when necessary. Appropriately delegates work, sets clear direction and manages workflow and time.

• Zoom

Education

• Required Bachelor's DegreeDivinity, theology, and ordination with two units of Clinical Pastoral education and two years of parish, missionary, chaplaincy or other pastoral work. Preferred Education: Masters' Degree in divinity or related field with one year of experience with parish, missionary, chaplaincy or other pastoral work.

Working Conditions

• Potential exposure to abusive and/or aggressive people.

• Potential exposure to diseases or infections.

• Need to drive to perform responsible duties.

• Potential exposure to hazardous materials.

• Potential exposure to noxious odors.

• Potential exposure to very hot or cold temperatures.

• Work with computers, typing, reading or writing.

• Lifting, moving and loading less than 20 pounds.

• Prolonged periods of sitting.

• Prolonged periods of standing.

• Prolonged periods of walking.

• Work beyond the regularly scheduled hours.

• Lifting, moving and loading 20 to 30 pounds.