Documents

PEDIATRIC CHAPLAINS NETWORK

Demonstrated Competencies of a Pediatric Chaplain

A. Self-knowledge and Personal maturity

1. An awareness of one's temperament and ministry style, including strengths and weaknesses.

2. A commitment to one's own continuing education and growth.

3. Actions and attitudes that show respect and compassion for all persons.

4. An ability to be a non-anxious presence in stressful situations.

5. Self-discipline and a respect for professional boundaries necessary to protect vulnerable populations.

6. The ability to relate well to a wide variety of persons and age groups.

7. Honesty and personal integrity.

8. Good self-care and a vital spiritual life evidenced by faith, hope, love, forgiveness and joy.

B. Knowledge and Skills in Theology

1. A pastoral theology that is well-founded and thoughtfully examined.

2. An ability to assist others in considering the spiritual dimensions of relationships, situations, crises, and decisions.

3. A respect and appreciation for the basic tenets, practices, holy days, taboos, and rites of diverse faith groups and a resourcefulness in finding ways to meet the spiritual needs of patients/families from those groups.

4. Skills as an advocate for the rights of persons to determine their own religious expression and for the special protections needed against proselytizing in vulnerable populations.

5. An understanding of the toxic possibilities in belief systems, and an ability to assist persons who have been damaged by religious beliefs.

6. An understanding of key theological elements, such as Prayer, Hope, Reconciliation, Theodicy, etc., and their importance in a healthcare setting.

C. Knowledge and Skills in Pastoral Care

1. An understanding of the faith development process in human beings at various ages and stages.

2. An understanding of human coping styles that are healthy and destructive.

3. An understanding of psychosocial development, family systems, and relational dynamics.

4. An ability to translate developmental understanding into meaningful pastoral relationships with infants, children, adolescents, and adults.

5. The ability to relate pastorally to diverse forms of family units, respecting their culture and style of making decisions, offering them opportunities to express their faith in ways that are meaningful to them, and serving as a resource in responding to their own and their children’s spiritual needs.

6. Skill as an advocate for the rights, responsibilities, needs, and values of pediatric patients, families, and healthcare professionals in the process of medical decision-making.

7. Knowledge of the laws concerning child abuse and how those affect pastoral conversations.

8. Skills in mediating disputes.

9. Skills in debriefing crisis intervention health professionals and responding to the spiritual crises and day-to-day spiritual needs of staff.

10. Skills in active listening, counseling, referral, and group leadership with children, adolescents, adult family members, and staff.

11. Knowledge of bereavement processes and pastoral skill in relating to grieving persons.

12. A respect for the confidentiality of pastoral conversations and the vulnerability of persons seeking help.

13. Crisis intervention skills with children and adults.

14. Spiritual assessment skills.

15. Basic knowledge of terminology and care for major illnesses, injuries and syndromes most commonly treated in one's healthcare setting.

16. Understanding and skill in end-of-life issues and the pastoral role in these.

17. Skills in training, supervising, and ministering to pastoral volunteers.

D. Leadership Ability

1. Skills in planning/leading worship for children, adolescents, and adults.

2. Skills in teaching children, adolescents, and adult family members.

3. Skills in preparing and conducting in-service education for staff.

4. Skills in developing programs, interventions, and printed material to address the spiritual needs in one’s particular healthcare setting.

5. Knowledge and skills to serve as a resource in ethical decision making.

6. Skills in developing cooperative relationships with faith congregations and service providers in the community, as well as pediatric chaplains in other settings.

7. Skills and judgment needed to serve as a pastoral voice on committees within the healthcare setting and for the institution to the wider community.

8. The ability to foster a spiritual dimension of care throughout the healthcare setting, consistent with appropriate accreditation standards.

9. An understanding of and commitment to the overall mission of the healthcare setting and the role of pastoral care in that mission.

10. Good stewardship of time, energy, and financial resources.

11. An ability to work as a cooperative member of the healthcare team through appropriate chart entries, use of common healthcare terminology, handwashing and other safety precautions, referrals, interdisciplinary conferences, quality improvement projects, and collegial relationships.