Spiritual Care Counselor- Full Time

POSITION TITLE:     SPIRITUAL CARE COUNSELOR

FSLA STATUS:         HOURLY/ NON-EXEMPT

REPORTS TO:           SPIRITUAL CARE COORDINATOR

POSITION OBJECTIVE:

• Anticipates the need and provides spiritual counsel and emotional support to the active and bereaved hospice patients and their families.   
• Serves as a liaison between community clergy and hospice.   
• Provides support and spiritual counsel to members of the hospice team.

 QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree with experience in bereavement and grief.
• One (1) year of chaplaincy/counseling and/or previous experience in terminal care preferred (internship, clinical pastoral units, or past work experience).
• Preferred: Ministerial License and/or Ordained.
• Must be able to safely perform the job's essential functions without posing a direct threat to the health and/or safety of self or others in the workplace.
• Must have Indiana motor vehicle operator’s license, access to an automobile, and current automobile insurance coverage.
• Must drive independently to all patients'/family clients’ homes.

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provides spiritual care/ministry to hospice patients and families as appropriate and desired.
• Performs the admission spiritual assessment, assesses the present religious status of the patient, facilitates connection with their personal clergy if requested, and involves the patient’s church family in care, if desired and needed. Establishes spiritual care plan for patients and families, including but not limited to counseling, sacraments, and rituals in keeping with patient’s beliefs.
• Demonstrates respect, courtesy, and empathy to all individuals: patients, families, co-workers, and volunteers.
• Establishes rapport utilizing communication/listening skills, offering opportunities for patients and families to discuss and share their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and values.
• Maintains positive work relationships and contributes to a team environment by demonstrating respectful, appropriate language and nonverbal behavior.
• Provides spiritual support as indicated in the plan of care and updates specific interventions in the patient’s care plan.
• Participates in every other week's interdisciplinary team meeting to promote holistic care, assisting in developing and updating the plan of care. 
• Collaborates with appropriate team members for individual cases as appropriate.
• Maintains a professional and therapeutic relationship with patients and families: confidentiality, coworker consideration, and utilization of the entire team.
• Seeks appropriate clinical supervision. 
• Documents counseling provided in the patient’s clinical records.                 
• Records the patient contacts with proper documentation and reports, following established procedures and protocols (all documentation completed by 9:00 a.m. the following day unless approved by a supervisor).
• Participates in monthly, weekend on-call rotation and at least one on-call holiday from 8 am-5 pm on specific on-call days to ensure appropriate patient care coverage.
• Acts as an educational resource for local clergy on issues of “death and dying.”
• Provides spiritual support for other hospice team members.
• Functions independently in the patient’s setting.
• Implements agency policies in all work-related situations; orientation of patient and family to hospice services; role of team members; and spiritual care planning.
• Identifies and anticipates patients' spiritual needs by assessing environmental, spiritual, or religious issues in their lives.
• Maintains expected and acceptable productivity.
• Assists in orienting new employees and visiting chaplain students.
• Assists with in-servicing the community on the hospice philosophy as needed or requested.
• Coordinates care with other health care providers as needed.
• Works in a cooperative relationship with other SWH personnel.
• Assists in SWH Memorial Services.
• Participates in committees and task forces.
• Assumes responsibility for continued personal growth and development.
• Seeks educational opportunities to improve clinical practice.
• Adheres to all SWH policies.
• Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor. 
• Adheres to SWH privacy practices as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices.  
• When requested, participate in quality improvement activities and/or other agency committees or task forces.             

 MARGINAL FUNCTIONS:

• Performs funeral services when requested with the approval of the supervisor.
• Available after regular business hours, weekends, and holidays to meet the spiritual care needs of patients and families with approval from the supervisor.

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL/MENTAL FUNCTIONS:

• Must have visual, hearing, and mental ability to initiate and comprehend written and verbal communication.
• Must be able to engage in clear, concise verbal/non-verbal communication
• Must be able to perform tasks involving physical activity such as lifting (i.e., boxes of computer paper and bound reports), extensive bending and standing, reaching, handling objects, fingering, and discriminating colors.
• Must be able to climb a minimum of three (3) flights of stairs.
• Must be able to endure long periods of sitting while driving.
• Must have the ability to remain calm in occasional emergencies.
• Recognizes emergencies and knows emergency procedures according to agency policy.

 ESSENTIAL HAZARDOUS PHYSICAL EXPOSURES:

• Must be willing to travel between patients in inclement weather.
• The potential threat of physical violence to self. (Security personnel available upon request.)
• Potential exposure to dangerous animals, such as dogs, rodents, etc.
• Potential exposure to environmental pollutants.
• Potential exposure to infectious diseases, needle sticks, blood and body fluids, and hazardous waste.
• Potential exposure to variable temperatures in the working environment.

 CHEMICAL OR HAZARDOUS PHYSICAL EXPOSURES:

• Potential exposure to substances within the office environment, including copy machine toner, VDT emissions, cleaning solvents, and medical supply chemicals.
•  Potential exposure to chemical/cleaning substances in the patient’s home environment.

ESSENTIAL PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

• Seat belts must be worn when traveling during working hours according to state law.

  OTHER SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

• Must be willing to accept assignments without regard to location, socioeconomic environment, disease, or ethnic origin.
• Must be willing to make after-hours and weekend visits, as requested.

    The published compensation range for this position reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full-time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The base pay may be higher or lower based on demonstrated job-related experience.