Description
Penn Medicine is dedicated to our tripartite mission of providing the highest level of care to patients, conducting innovative research, and educating future leaders in the field of medicine. Working for this leading academic medical center means collaboration with top clinical, technical and business professionals across all disciplines.Today at Penn Medicine, someone will make a breakthrough. Someone will heal a heart, deliver hopeful news, and give comfort and reassurance. Our employees shape our future each day. Are you living your life's work?
Penn Medicine at Home's Hospice Care has a holistic philosophy that takes a pro-active approach to pain and symptom management and recognizes that pain extends beyond the physical. The symptoms of each patient's illness are addressed as well as the emotional and spiritual concerns of the patient, caregiver and family — assisting patients and loved ones with the challenges that come with death and dying.
Hospice care provides an opportunity for healthcare professionals to help patients take control of their life and treatment. A multidisciplinary hospice team provides a wide range of care and support, allowing patients to live out their final months comfortably, in control, and with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Summary:
The Chaplain will provide and document individualized spiritual need assessments, care planning, interventions, and outcome evaluations for seriously ill and dying Penn Medicine at Home patients and their families. The Chaplain will assist patients and families with issues related to self-determining life closure, safe and comfortable dying and effective grieving through individualized care such as planning, interventions, and evaluations.
Responsibilities:
Participate as a member of an Interdisciplinary Team in the formulation and ongoing evaluation of an individualized, age-specific, culturally, and spiritually responsive Plan of Care for each patient and family.
Conduct comprehensive spiritual assessments and ongoing reassessments of patients and families. Accurately document and verbally communicates assessment information, treatment plans, and client system interactions in a timely manner according to the organizational setting and agency standards.
Assess spiritual needs and provide spiritual counseling to patients and families who are at social or psychological risk. Attend to individuals who demonstrate ineffective coping skills and grief reaction.
Develop an individualized Plan of Care with the patient and caregivers based on the spiritual assessment. Develop and implement interventions that optimize comfort and dignity in addition to enhancing the client’s abilities and decisions.
Identify community resources, coordinate spiritual management, and evaluate outcomes of resource planning with patients and families.
Educate patients and families on factors impacting care, treatment options, disease process, and issues of grief and loss.
Demonstrate knowledge of medical terminology, medications, disease process, and treatment decisions faced by patients through disease progression and facilitate decision-making - including advance directives.
Evaluate diverse patients’ and families’ adaptation to hospice care and work effectively with them on issues of death, dying, treatment modalities, and spiritual beliefs.
Identify patients’, families’, and caregivers’ grief and bereavement needs and assess risk for complicated grief. Screen for both psychopathology, suicide risk, and/or abuse/neglect.
Respond with effective professional skills in crisis situations and understands the limits of his/her expertise. Seeks consultation and/or refers to others as needed.
Credentials:
- Clinical Pastoral Educators
Education or Equivalent Experience:
- Master of Arts or Science (Required)
- Education Specialization: Divinity, Pastoral Theology, and/or Counseling Equivalent Experience:
- CPE Experience (4 units)
- 1+ years Experience within a healthcare environment
- Experience in hospice or home care setting
- Oncology, geriatric, or hospital chaplain experience
We believe that the best care for our patients starts with the best care for our employees. Our employee benefits programs help our employees get healthy and stay healthy. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits program that includes one of the finest prepaid tuition assistance programs in the region. Penn Medicine employees are actively engaged and committed to our mission. Together we will continue to make medical advances that help people live longer, healthier lives.
Live Your Life's Work
We are an Equal Opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status, citizenship status, military status, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable law.
