Palliative Care Blog

Chaplaincy is a Profession of Specialized Training and Development

What is required for a person to serve as a chaplain? What does a chaplain do?

The Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc., an affiliate of the Association of Professional Chaplains, says a chaplain provides “spiritual care in healthcare facilities, correctional institutions, long-term care units, rehabilitation centers, hospice, military, and other specialized settings.” Certification as a chaplain means this person has “met established national standards for professional competence, and is held to a code of ethics.”[1]

The standards of education and qualifications for Board Certified Chaplains (BCCs) include a Bachelor’s Degree plus three years of graduate level theological education taken at an accredited school; four (4) units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE provided by ACPE, NACC or CAPPE); and one year (2,000 hours) full-time chaplaincy experience. Ecclesiastical endorsement by a recognized faith group for ministry in a specialized setting is also required for board certification.

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The Press of Life …

By Helen McNeal, Executive Director of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care

When it comes to doing our advance directive and having crucial conversations with those we love, I think what gets in the way is … life! Too many other things to do … too many other priorities. Look at how long it has taken me (almost 6 weeks!) to get back to you and share how my advance care planning challenge to the Institute staff ended.

As you may remember, at our April staff meeting, I asked the Institute staff how many had completed an advance directive. The answer was less than 20% and I was shocked. So I challenged them to give me a very special birthday present … and complete their advance directive and have the conversation with their loved ones.

By May 1…

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New Chaplaincy Course in Palliative Care Starts in July

Helen McNeal Explains the Importance of Palliative Care Chaplaincy

The CSU Institute for Palliative Care just announced the release of a new course, Essentials of Palliative Care Chaplaincy, for chaplains working with or interested in working with palliative care patients and families. The course is taking enrollments now, with its first start date of July 26.

We took the time to speak with Institute Executive Director Helen McNeal to learn more, from her perspective, about why this course was developed, what the developing experts had in mind, and why chaplaincy is critical for healthcare.

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Aging is Even More Challenging for LGBTQ People

Symposium Speaker de Vries’ Research Reveals Reality but Encourages Resilience

CSU Institute for Palliative Care Academic Symposium 2017 plenary speaker Brian de Vries, PhD, indeed has a distinguished career, holding a Professor of Gerontology appointment at San Francisco State University with adjunct appointments at Simon Fraser University (in Vancouver, BC) as well as the University of Alberta (in Edmonton, AB).

He is an author, editor, researcher on aging with an emphasis on LGBT people, and has given over 150 presentations to professional audiences on the social and psychological well-being of midlife and older LGBT persons, bereavement, and life stories. Yet his research is very engaged with real people facing real difficulties.

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Measuring Quality Important for the Academy

Hospital-based Physician Will Identify Key Quality Topics That Inform Improvement

Steven Z Pantilat, MD, a physician whose practice resides primarily in the acute care setting as a hospitalist, is known for many awards, teaching, research and publications, yet this hospital-based practitioner’s passion is to make sure that people have their wishes honored, and that the care that people want becomes the default in the healthcare system.[1] For Symposium attendees, Pantilat will be teaming with Marian Grant, DNP in a Symposium plenary presentation where they will be discussing policy and quality reporting initiatives that impact palliative care research and clinical practice.

Why is Measuring Quality Important?

Although seemingly clinically-oriented, why is Pantilat’s work, and issues of policy and quality important to the academy? How can those who are educating future professionals advance not only practices that glean patients’ wishes, spread resources for teaching and reinforcing conversation skills with patients and families, but also amplify among students or within research more data about how quality measures set policy and parameters for practice?

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