Chaplain Intern

FLSA STATUS: Non-exempt

About the Role

This position is a part-time or summer student role in the Houston Methodist accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. It includes classroom education and individual supervised learning. Under the clinical supervision of a Certified Educator, Associate Educator, or Student Educator CPE, the Chaplain Intern is precepted and mentored by an assigned Senior Chaplain or Chaplain to provide spiritual care addressing the spiritual, religious, and emotional needs of patients, families, and employees.

Qualifications

• Enrollment in an accredited college/university
• Bachelor’s degree or graduate-level theological degree from an accredited school (preferred)
• One year of membership in a faith/belief group

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrates skills and competencies necessary to safely function in a learning environment
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English to perform essential job functions, particularly regarding patient or employee safety
• Effectively communicates with patients, physicians, family members, and coworkers in a customer service-focused manner
• Basic computer knowledge; ability to operate systems for entering and maintaining patient documents
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills across all levels of the healthcare team
• High level of maturity, self-confidence, and decision-making ability
• Professional conduct at all times
• Above-average written and verbal communication skills
• Learning attitude toward problem-solving with good reasoning and judgment in high-stress environments
• Positive demeanor and strong multi-tasking abilities
• Very strong organizational skills and detail-oriented nature
• Professional handling of confidential and sensitive information

Responsibilities

People

• Provides a supportive and positive environment for Houston Methodist patients, family members, visitors, employees, and physicians
• Offers spiritual care support to employees
• Collaborates with all members of the patient care team through positive, supportive, and non-judgmental communication
• Contributes to improving department scores for employee engagement

Service

• Participates in interprofessional health team rounds, discharge planning, support groups, and other interprofessional teams
• Provides spiritual care to patients and their families of all faiths, particularly for pre-operative, critically ill, and dying patients, under the mentorship of a Senior Chaplain or Chaplain
• Assists in the initial screening, assessment, and development of patient care plans; responds to assigned referrals
• Follows patient protocols established by the precepting chaplain
• Provides crisis intervention for patients, visitors, and employees with attention to spiritual needs
• Contributes to meeting or exceeding department and organizational targets for patient satisfaction

Quality/Safety

• Seeks guidance from Certified Educator, Associate Educator, Student Educator, and precepting Chaplain as appropriate
• Accurately and thoroughly documents patient visits and spiritual care in the patient’s record
• Contributes to identifying corrective actions and improvement activities to meet quality and safety targets
• Reports “near misses” and inputs into Patient Safety Net (PSN)

Finance

• Utilizes time and resources effectively and efficiently, demonstrating responsible financial stewardship and minimizing incidental overtime

Growth/Innovation

• Prepares required patient care reports and summaries for review and evaluation in compliance with CPE program requirements
• Proactively learns from feedback and mentoring
• Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies
• Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an ongoing basis

Supplemental Requirements

• Work Attire: Business professional
• On-Call: Required during emergencies (e.g., disaster, severe weather events)
• Travel: May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area