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Can We Measure Good Chaplaincy?
A new professional identity is tied to quality improvement
The November December 2008 publication of The Hastings Center Report (Vol. 38, No.6) contains several exceptional articles which focus on the profession of chaplaincy, the goal of patient-centered care, and the special challenges of defining, measuring, and improving quality in less-standardized areas of health care delivery. Having served on the project workgroup, I highly commend this publication as a useful resource for healthcare administrators, chaplaincy personnel, and ethicists.
David R. Jenkins, DMin
Director of Chaplaincy
Read the reports and essays:
The Hastings Report
The Hastings Report Essays
Start an online discussion of the reports on the Spiritual Pathways Community Forum
Interesting article in the New York Times about hospice and the changing role of the pastoral caregiver and/or chaplain.
Read the article
The Department of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Education Presents
Sister Alice Potts Endowed Lecture Series in Pastoral Education
Spirituality in Clinical Care
Christina Puchalski, M.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. She is also the founder and executive director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish), a center that develops educational, clinical, and research programs for physicians and other health care professionals regarding the role of spirituality and health in medicine.
Tuesday, October 28th 2008
8:00 - 9:00 am
R11.1400 (Hickey Auditorium)
Participants will:
1. Understand the role of spirituality in the care of patients
2. Learn communications skills in spirituality and health
3. Be able to do a brief spiritual story
The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWISH) unveils its new newsletter and updated website. GWish is working toward a more compassionate system of healthcare by restoring the heart and humanity of medicine through research, education and policy work focused on bringing increased attention to the spiritual needs of patients, families and healthcare professionals.
Visit their website at: http://www.gwish.org/
By Stacy Swanson, from MDACC's The Messenger
July 16, 2008
"Thank you just for being there for me."
Chaplaincy's small but mighty staff of 17 employees - 10 staff chaplains, four administrators and three administrative support staff members - take their jobs very seriously. They serve the entire institution 24 hours a day, 365 days each year, with, as their departmental vision statement says, "a multi-faith community whose ministry is characterized by respect, compassion and hope."
Read the article.
From PlainViews - A Publication of the HealthCare Chaplaincy Connecting Chaplains and Other Spiritual Care Providers
MyPractice
As professional chaplains we need to be in dialogue with each other about what we do, how we do it, and why we do it a certain way and how these practices benefit our patients. The ultimate goal of MyPractice is to build a consensus about what constitutes "good practice" and eventually establish "Standards of Practice" for chaplains. As with quality improvements in our institutions, this is an ongoing process in order to improve our practice. Read the complete article.
Chaplains on the River Blog
There is a new blog online from the chaplains from Ministry on the River, of the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey (SCI). Their ministry is the only full-time ministry that works with the towboat industry. Chaplain Jim Wilkinson ministers to towboats working on the upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and northern areas. Chaplain Pam Stephens provides ministry to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterways including the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston areas.
Check out the website at: http://chaplainsblog.seamenschurch.org/
The article is entitled" Cancer Doctors Dodge the Death Talk" published on the CNN.com/health website. Citing recent research, the authors highlight four points:
-Most cancer doctors do not discuss end-of-life care
-Those who had end-of-life talks are less likely to be on breathing machines
-About 7 percent of all patients in the study develop depression
-Sometimes doctors have trouble accepting that the end is near
The research supports the efforts being made to encourage doctors and patients to have end-of-life talks as early on in the treatment process as is possible and appropriate. From the perspective of a chaplain, I believe it would also be important for doctors to suggest chaplaincy resources to the patient and caregivers, so that they can receive the benefits of holistic care in the context of advanced care planning.
The CNN artcle can be viewed at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/06/15/cancer.talk.ap/index.html
What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
I find the spiritual care aspects of ministry to be fulfilling. To be involved in people's lives this way has always been an honor. I have skills in this area.
What's the most challenging part of your work?
Each person's situation is unique and different. Listening closely to the person to hear the themes and issues that are theirs.
What's the most rewarding part of your work?
When someone is able to make use of their spiritual resources to cope, live and act within their situation.
What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
Close and empathetic listening.
What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
Scripture and the spiritual tradition.
What personal characteristics do you believe make and effective chaplain?
Not being in a big hurry to jump in and say something but being able to be patient and wait. To not think you understand the person unless you have verified it with them. Getting out of the way so that God can work.
Are their spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
The relationship of my own faith tradition that of other faith traditions and belief systems. I do not believe that other traditions and systems are just different routes up the same mountain. Human life is too complex and the traditions and systems are far too profound and subtle for that. Each identifies the human condition differently and seeks to address it in a particular way, even though there may be similar features in common.
What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M. D. Anderson?
That they and their journey here are respected, not just in terms of spiritual care but in all areas of care.
David Stouter
Staff Chaplain
The Annual Loving Hearts Caring Hands Awaards Dinner is sponsored by the Chaplaincy Fund Inc. for the purpose of financially supporting various programs of the Chaplaincy Department at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
This year's event will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 6:60-9:30 p.m. at the Houstonian Hotel, 111 North Post Oak Lane in Houston. We will be honoring The Honorable James A. Baker, III and Susan Baker. Honorary Co-Chairs are Dr. and Mrs. John Mendelsohn.
For more information call 713-862-8482, or visit our web-site at: www.chaplaincyfund.org.
Lifeline Chaplaincy
Presents
"How Religious Practices Can Help or Hinder Healing"
Speaker
Swindell Hodges
Chaplain, Harris County Psychiatric Center
A Continuing Education Seminar For Pastoral Care Providers and Church Leaders
Thursday, March 20, 2008
6-9 p.m.
Lifeline Chaplaincy
1415 Southmore Blvd. (in the Museum District)
To register, call Lifeline Chaplaincy at 713-524-1055
Registrations are requested by March 17.
A light supper will be provided.
Registration fee: $10.00 payable at the door
Providing spiritual care to patients and caregivers in our diverse outpatient clinics is a much needed service. We are looking for persons who are willing to journey with outpatients as they undergo cancer treatment, persons who are sensitive to all faiths and beliefs and who provide a connection to community resources and referrals to the chaplains as needed.
Please Contact the Chaplaincy Dept. at 713-792-7184 if you are interested:
Continue reading "Interested in becoming a Spiritual Care Volunteer in our Outpatient Clinics?" »
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Honoring
The Honorable James A. Baker, III
and
Susan Baker
Honorary Co-Chairs
Dr. and Mrs. John Mendelsohn
Benefiting
The University of Texas
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Dept. Of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Education
THE HOUSTONIAN HOTEL
111 North Post Oak Lane
Houston, TX 77024
For more information
Call 713-862-8482, or visit our website at
www.chaplaincyfund.org
Chaplain and cancer survivor Debra Jarvis provided the Texas Medical Center chaplains with her insights, many of which she has included in her recent book, It's Not about the Hair. Jarvis provides a unique perspective as one who provides pastoral support to those who are ill, and has faced a life-threatening diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. I found her to be engaging, humorous, and insightful. I've included below a few of her insights which I jotted down during her presentation. You can also join me in a discussion on our community forum, where I have a message tree entitled: "survivor vs. pilgrim".
".....the medical aspect is such a a small part of the cancer experience."
" ...we connect through our vulnerabilities."
"...be alert to the gifts in the cancer experience - no one can tell you what they may be, or when or where they will show up - just be alert."
" ....in terms of transformation in the context of a life-threatening illness like cancer - people are tempted to go back to the way it was before the illness, which is to lose the precious opportunity to learn and grow from adversity."
On Tuesday, October 30th, at M. D. Anderson's Hickey Auditorium, an audience of clinical faculty, clinical staff, support staff, chaplains, local clergy, and visitors were treated to an in-depth and comprehensive presentation of the current state of research about religion and cancer. The event was hosted by the Division of Cancer Medicine and Chaplaincy Department, and featured guest lecturer George Fitchett, Dmin, PhD, Associate Professor and the Director of Research in the Department of Religion, Health and Human Values at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Fitchett can be contacted at: George_Fitchett@rush.edu
Dr. Fitchett presented a compelling argument that there is a growing body of research that is helping healthcare professionals to determine the effects of religion upon well-being, in the context of cancer. He organized his presentation of current research by focusing upon six desired outcomes. He then made reasonable conclusions, based upon the evidence for a measurable association between religion and cancer. The following summarizes his presentation:
1. Incidence, mortality, survival: Religious involvement is associated with lower incidence and mortality and longer survival: Evidence - Incidence - suggestive; Mortality - Mixed; Survival - No association
2. Health behavior: Religious involvement is associated with greater adherence to recommendations for cancer screening: Evidence - Reasonable
3. Importance of religion: A large majority of cancer patients report that religion is important to them. A diagnosis with cancer is associated with increased importance of religion: Evidence - Consistent
4. Quality of Life: Religious involvement is associated with better quality of life: Evidence - Reasonable
5. Psychological adjustment: Religious involvement is associated with better psychological adjustment to illness: Evidence - Reasonable
6. Religious struggle: Religious struggle is associated with poorer psychological adjustment to illness: Evidence - Suggestive
What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
My father died two weeks after a prostate surgery. He was only 64. I felt life was too short, but it is also a mystery. However, life is beautiful to me, whatever the circumstances may be. I treasured my deep cultural heritage from my father. Chaplaincy is the career I chose to enable me to walk with others what life may bring to them, either joys or sorrows or mysteries.
What's the most challenging part of your work?
The most challenging part of my work is to see a long suffering that some patients have to go through. However, they taught me how to endure the long suffering.
What's the most rewarding part of your work?
Listening to patients' life stories is a special gift for me. When my parents and grandparents were alive, I like to listen to their life stories. A life story is rich with cultural elements, life wisdoms, wit, and personality that make a unique human being.
What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
The most helpful thing when visiting with a cancer patient is coming without any
agenda, but focusing on the patient's needs.
What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
I found out that reading the life stories of others is the most helpful resources. In addition, I also attend a monthly meditation and mysticism lectures that help me to accept life as a mystery.
What personal characteristics do you believe make an effective chaplain?
Although there are many qualities expected to be an effective chaplain, I would like to emphasize simplicity, self awareness, compassion, openness and accept individual as a unique creation of God.
Are there spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
I am still wrestling with "life is a mystery."
What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M.D. Anderson?
I would like cancer patients and their families to know that M.D. Anderson treats every patient as a unique human being, body and spirit.
The Loving Hearts Caring Hands 2nd Annual Golf Tournament will be held at BlackHorse Golf Club on Monday, November 12, 2007. Registration and breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. with lunch and awards immediately following the tournament. Proceeds will benefit The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Education.
Cancer diagnosis is a life-changing experience. It often prompts concerns about life and death issues, and evokes a variety of responses including fear, anxiety, anger, bitterness or depression. Religious beliefs and the chaplains in the Department of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Education can be a great source of strength to help cancer patients and their families get through this critical time in their lives. The interfaith Chaplaincy program has been a vital part of supporting these patients for over thirty years and the ever-present loving hearts and caring hands of the chaplains are a major reason that M. D. Anderson is a place of hope.
We invite you to join us for the event. The entry fee is tax-deductible. Team prizes will be awarded for 1st- 3rd place, and individual prizes will be awarded for longest drive, closest to the pin, and a few extra surprises.
For more information, or to enter the 2nd Annual Loving Hearts Caring Hands Golf Tournament, please call The Chaplaincy Fund at (713) 862-8482. You may fax the entry form to: (281) 897-0467, mail to: P.O. Box 691284, Houston, TX 77269-1284, or you can register online at www.chaplaincyfund.org.
Maria Kennedy is an ordained United Methodist clergywoman and board certified chaplain with specialized training in pastoral counseling, and an extensive background in interfaith spirituality/interfaith spiritual guidance (with an emphasis on Buddhism - and the Tibetan/Vajrayana tradition - in particular). Her current primary assignment is to the Main Campus Clark Clinic outpatient area; however, she also serves and collaborates with both Integrative Medicine/Place of...wellness and Rehab Services/Rehabilitation Medicine on a variety of patient/family programs and groups.
What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
An experience I had while in college of having the opportunity to "journey with" a professor/mentor and his spouse during the spouse's relatively brief - but quite personally devastating - experience with cancer.
What's the most challenging part of your work?
Coping with the institutional complexities of being a part of such a large organization...and with the impact of those complexities on the lives of the patients, families, and staff to whom I minister.
What's the most rewarding part of your work?
The way that it serves as a constant reminder of the rare and precious - as well as quite fragile - nature of human life.
What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
To remember our shared, common humanness: that - however different our journeys may appear on the surface - we share in the hope and aspiration to be happy, to be loved...and to be free from suffering.
What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
Prayer and meditation. I also find deep spiritual connection and expression through the wonders of nature and the beauty of music, as well.
What personal characteristics do you believe make an effective chaplain?
Though there are any number of possible answers to this, I believe that the most important attributes would be an open, compassionate heart, a sense of personal integrity, a genuine willingness to "walk in the shoes" of others, and a playful spirit.
Are there spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
Making sense of the enormity of suffering that I see in the world.
What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M. D. Anderson?
Many folks come here seeking "the" answer - the cure for their cancer - that they haven't succeeded in finding anywhere else. For those folks in particular - but also for everyone, more generally - I would like to convey the sense that there is hope here...even though it may not be the hope, the answer, or the cure you seek, there is hope - as well as a community of support...of care...and of understanding.
Over the past 17 years our Department of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Education was fortunate to have a group of 10-12 per diem chaplains who would rotate as part of our night and weekend on-call rotation. Many of them were graduates of our Clinical Pastoral Education Program. It is with gratitude and some sadness that we say good-bye to them as a group. They have been and will continue to be part of our chaplaincy family. They have taught us so much about religious and cultural diversity, about dedication, and about caring and compassionate ministry. Many patients and family members were blessed to experience their supportive ministry in times of crisis and loss, as well as their worship leadership on Sundays.
We honored our per diem chaplains with a good-bye dinner (that contained story telling, singing, thanksgiving, enjoying food and humor) and with a display outside of our chaplaincy offices. We are hoping that many of the per diem chaplains will continue to be connected to our department and institution, as part of our speakers' bureau and as rostered professionals.
Thank you to all of you and God bless you on your future journeys.
There is a highly descriptive "day in the life of a chaplain" article, featured in the July 17, 2007 edition of the New York Times, entitled: "Offering Comfort to the Sick and Blessings to their Healers". The author provides a window into the varied life and challenges of chaplaincy in the context of a metropolitan trauma center. Visit: The New York Times for more.
Rev. David R. Jenkins, the Director of Chaplaincy at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, was awarded the Doctor of Ministry Degree on May 20, 2007, at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The final project, entitled "Enhancing Integration of Psychological and Theological Reflection on Caregiving Practice: Implications for CPE Curricula" focuses attention to an integrative teaching method for Clinical Pastoral Education Students.
Rev. Jenkins states: "My goal in this project was to determine to what extent students could become "bilingually competent", that is, proficient in the use of both psychological and theological languages in the context of providing spiritual care to our cancer patients." He would welcome any discussion of this topic through our community forum, where he has established this topic on the message tree under the title: "An Integrative Model for Theological Reflection".
Presbyterian minister and chaplain Steven Thorney will join the Chaplaincy Department staff, effective June, 2007. In his new role, he will serve as the palliative care chaplain, focusing on the provision of spiritual care to cancer patients, and their families, in the context of palliative medical care. Reverend Thorney brings extensive experience, returning to a chaplain role which he previously held at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, prior to being called into the parish ministry. Over the past ten years, he has served as Associate Pastor at Missouri City Presybterian Church, specializing in pastoral care to the congregation. We welcome Steve back, and look forward to renewing an old collegial friendship here!
Sister Alice Potts, our beloved staff chaplain, has been honored by the Society of Surgical Oncology. At its 60th annual conference in Washington, D.C., the society presented her with its James Ewing Layman's Award, given annually to a non-physician who has made a significant contribution to the prevention of cancer and to improving the care of cancer patients.
Sister Alice, who has belonged to the Sisters of Providence order for 64 years and ministers to patients, plans to retire on May 31, 2007, after 30 years of service. She graduated from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College with a bachelor's degree in education. She received a master's degree from Marygrove College.
Sister Alice worked as a teacher and principal for 25 years before receiving training in clinical pastoral education at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston. She later joined the chaplaincy staff at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, where she has focused on care of patients in the intensive care units, as well as facilitating patient and caregiver support groups.
 Back in April 2006, I recommended a devotion entitled "Disrupted" by Rev. Dr. Virgil Fry. Dr. Fry has just published a companion book, entitled: "Rekindled, Warmed by Fires of Hope". Once again, Virgil has used his considerable experience as a chaplain and writer to create another rich devotional resource, drawing upon scriptures, wisdom sayings, and personal experience in the pastoral care ministry. The prayers he includes are real, and express the deepest spiritual longings of the heart.
Our pediatrics chaplain, Richard Maddox, has compiled some helpful suggestions about the spiritual life of teenagers living with cancer. Dick is available through the community forum message board if you would like to contact him.
1. The "work" of a teenager is to question almost everything. Under normal circumstances, it is not unusual for a teenager to question and rebel against the religious and spiritual belief systems of his/her parents or other family members. When diagnosed and subsequently living with cancer, it is even more common for a teenager to scrutinize and dismiss the faith of his/her family. This process is quite normal, and in some ways even necessary for the teenager in order to permit him/her to apprehend and own the faith for himself/herself. A very high percentage of teenagers eventually come around to hold the basic beleifs of their parents.
2. Regardless of the degree of independence sought by teenagers, or the level of rebelliousness expressed by them, and the resulting utter frustration of their parents, most teenagers still consider their parents to be the most significant people in their lives. Consequently, while not always readily apparent, most teenagers have a deep, yearning to please their parents. This includes their desire to respect and particiapte in the religious or spiritual beliefs and practices of their parents. This may not be in the literal substance or fashion preferred by the parents, but the basic desire is still present.
3. One of the most important elements in a teenager's life is friends. For many reasons, including treatment requirements, distance, life styles, social skills with the sick, etc., relationships with friends during treatment are initially strained and often diminish over tme. When this happens, teenagers lose interest in many of the important features in their lives: treatment assent and compliance, trusting parents and medical staff, and investment in faith and hope.
4. While adults are reasonably comfortable engaging others in conversation regarding faith issues, teenagers are not sure how to do so. They generally pick unexpected times and places, and launch test messages (indirect hints and clues) when wanting to explore faith issues. Parents often are surprised by this approach and feel unprepared especially when the teenager's illness is the precipitating issue for the conversation on faith. Consequently, parents often defer, dismiss, or reframe their teenager's interest in engaging in heart-to-heart talks about faith. Such responses discourage teenagers from discussing such issues, and leave them feeling more abandoned and confused about living with cancer.
Our pediatrics chaplain, Dick Maddox, has compiled a list of things about the spiritual life of younger children living with cancer. We're buidling a list of his suggestions here - also feel free to contact chaplain Maddox on our community forum.
1. Children look to their parents and close family members to learn how to understand and cope religiously or spiritually with their cancer and treatment.
2. Children often conclude that their illness is the result of God, Allah, or other Supreme Being punishing them for their disobedience or misbehavior. Sometimes this comes from, or is reinforced by, hearing their loved ones say things like, "What did we do to deserve this?" or "Why didn't we go to church more often?"
3. The "work" of a child is play. A playful activity or play partmner will provide and sustain a child with hope and meaning.
4. Unlike an adult who replays the past and laments the loss of the future when chronically ill, a child dwells primarilly in the experiences and promises of today, tomorrow, and the next few days.
5. Children have a different vocabulary from adults. they do not generally know terema people around them use. For example, when someone speaks of the "presence" of God, Allah, or other Supreme Being, a child interprets "presence" more literally, assuming that God, Allah, or a Supreme being is physically close.
What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
I felt called to ministry and did not know what area I was to serve. While working in my local church , with Young Life and taking and extended CPE unit I knew God as calling me to be a chaplain. I loved working in the hospital. I enrolled in a CPE residency the next year at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
What’s the most challenging part of your work?
The most challenging part of my job is being with people who have received bad news either from the medical team or from home. Each person in the family handles the news differently. It is challenging to be with each person where they are in their grief while being conscious and attuned to the other members of the family at the same time. It is both physically and emotionally exhausting.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
I enjoy meeting new people and staff every day. I love to be with people and hear their stories about life and faith. Walking through life with people is such an honor and gift.
What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
The most helpful thing I have found is listening to what the patient’s needs are by listening to their life story. I like to ask the person what name they want to be called by and then call them by name each time I see them. This is also helpful when I pray with them as I try to pray for the specific things that the person shared with me during the visit.
What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
I would have to say that prayer is the most helpful spiritual resource because I can pray with patients and they can pray any time they wish. It allows them to feel God’s presence at all times.
What personal characteristics do you believe make an effective chaplain?
First of all a love of people. Second a good listener. Third would be a pastoral presence.
Are there spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
Working as a chaplain I struggle with the same “why” questions that my patients do. Why do people get cancer? Why do good people die? Why do some people get well and others don’t?
What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M. D. Anderson?
I would like them to know that M.D. Anderson is a place that looks at each patient as a person and considers them part of our family. We really do care about each person’s needs and want to cure them all. Unfortunately, that is not possible but we will still be there for the patient’s and families that do not get a total physical cure
I am pleased to announce that M. D. Anderson Cancer Center was awarded a 2007 IMPACT Award from the Houston Human Resources Association at the award banquet held at Reliant Center, Tuesday, March 27, 2007. We received recognition for our institution's pilot program conducted in the Palliative Care unit measuring the positive impact of leveraging spirituality as a dimension of diversity to improve workplace productivity. The Houston HR Association, known as HR Houston, is the Houston affiliate chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Our coordinator of Presybyterian volunteer ministries, Rev. Steve Spidell, has compiled a helpful list of complementary spiritual practices for use by chaplains and other trained pastoral caregivers. The entire list can be found on the Association of Professional Chaplains webstie, under the resource section. Each week, we will highlight specific spiritual practices which have been incoporated into our care plans here at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. We hope you find this list helpful, and invite you to offer comments and suggestions via our website message board, where there is a specific message tree that addresses this topic.
ANNOINTING WITH OIL
This is a religious ritual that includes the placing of oil on the forehead and other places of the body. It is often accompanied by the reading of scripture and prayer, and is for the purpose of spiritual blessing. The annointing of oil also symbolizes the bond between the Divine and the community of faith. Often, annointing is provided in the context of illness, with the hope for healing and restoration.
At M. D. Anderson, the practice of annointing with oil is also extended through the practice of chaplains praying prior to chemotherapy, for example. Again, this is understood as a spiritual blessing which takes into account the purpose and intentions of those called to care for the sick, as well as the hopes and desires of the patient,with the recognition that we are partners with the Divine in the healing process.
Here is an additional resource about the spiritual practice of annointing with oil:
"Paths to Prayer, Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God", Patricia Brown. 2003. Jossey -Bass.
ART
Participation in artistic endeavors is a creative expression which increases one's appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us, often resulting in an attitude of apprecation and gratitude. This, in turn, can help the cancer patient and caregiver(s) to find strength and perspective. At M. D. Anderson, several endeavors , including programs offered by the Place of Wellness, and a tour of an area museum, sponsored by Chaplaincy, offer the opportunity to experience the deep and rich effects which art has upon one's sense of wellness.
What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
I experienced a spiritual "calling" to enter Chaplaincy as a career.
What's the most challenging part of your work?
Staying spiritually centered within me so that I can consistently offer a non-anxious, open, and gentle presence.
What's the most rewarding part of your work?
Hearing, sensing, seeing, and experiencing the inner beauty, struggles, and growth of others journeying with Cancer.
What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
My ability and capacity to be fully present, attentive, and available to my patient's world.
What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
I find prayer, listening, the scriptures, humor, and the spiritual traditions of lament most personally helpful.
What personal characteristics do you believe make an effective chaplain?
Humility, playfulness, empathy, and discerning wisdom.
Are there spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
I struggle with issues around religious pluralism, racism, and the on-going process of dying to self.
What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M. D. Anderson?
That MDACC is a complex, competitive, compassionate, comforting and conflicting place at times.
I recently published an article in the Austin Theological Seminary Doctor of Ministry magazine, Windows, which describes how clinical pastoral educators train future chaplains how to hear and interpret the stories of patients at our hospital.
The full article is available in the Winter 2007 edition of Windows.
You may find this recent interview with Lifeline Chaplaincy Coordinator and author, Dr. Virgil Fry informative. Virgil has been an important pastoral presence at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and a colleague of our Chaplaincy Department.
When did you decide to make a career out of hospital chaplaincy?
My experience in Abilene kind of planted the seed. From there, when I finished my degree, I went to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and spent a year in a clinical pastoral education program — a post-graduate work if you want to go into professional chaplaincy. So I had that under my belt. Then I was with the Pipeline Road church in Hurst, Texas, as an associate minister for youth and education for about eight years. While I was in Hurst, the churches in Houston began their search for a chaplain, and I was one of the few who had any clinical pastoral education. So, that’s how I ended up here.
You can read the entire interview at The Christian Chronicle.
Carol Dimmett is an ordained, board-certified staff chaplain at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Her speciality area is the Palliative Care floor.
1. What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
As a child I had a very powerful spiritual experience, a vision that had a profound impact on me. In the vision, I felt unconditional love, peace and acceptance. From that point on, I wanted to be a minister. I was eleven years old. It wasn’t until my seminary training (started at age 40) that I came in contact with CPE. I did two years of CPE and knew that chaplaincy was what I wanted to pursue.
2. What is the most challenging part of your work?
For me, it was a struggle in the beginning to deal with the suffering and loss people experience on the cancer journey. I had to process that and meld it into my existing theology and concept of the Divine. Recently the biggest challenge for me is to get my ego out of the way and let the Divine Spirit work through me to minister to others.
3. What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
The most helpful thing, I feel, is to listen. We all need to tell our stories and be heard. One of the greatest gifts we can give another is our attention. Chaplains listen to patients, families, staff, and to the Divine within. Reading body language and observing the surroundings in the patient's room is a form of listening also. The listening, although hard work if done well, helps bring us together in our commonality.
4. What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
Spending time in meditation and quiet is essential for me. It is important for me to connect to the Divine Spirit within all of us on a daily basis. From that place of peace, I am more able to allow God's Spirit to flow through me. For patients and families, I like to share prayer, books, tapes, music, or objects to be held. Helping patients reframe, listening as they tell their story, helping them remember their blessings and what has given their lives meaning - all are means of joining others on their journey.
5. What personal characteristics do you believe make an effective chaplain?
Being inclusive, nonjudgmental, inquisitive, and supportive would be some of the characteristics that would help to be effective as a chaplain. Joining with, and walking beside, are helpful. While an emergency personnel's motto is: Don't just stand there, do something; a chaplain’s motto is "Don't just do something, stand there" (or more importantly sit there).
6. Are there spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
Suffering, loss, and injustice, are all things I have struggled with. What helps me with this however, is having an experience of God. Reading, talking, or knowing God only with my mind or by hearing about the experience of others, will never replace my own personal experience of God. By spending time in prayer and silence each day, I can experience God's peace and presence. We weren't designed for anything less.
7. What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M.D. Anderson?
The community of M.D. Anderson is unlike any other. There is a feeling of acceptance and support for patients and their families that make this a special place. People bond quickly here and support each other. Staff are friendly and helpful. When a person enters M.D. Anderson, there is a sense of commonality. People come from all over the world, with different customs, languages, religions, and belief systems, but what we have in common is so much more than what makes us different. We are a community dedicated in our struggle against cancer. We have all been touched by it in some way, but we transcend our differences and unite in the common goal of supporting, learning, and caring about each other. When you come through those doors, you have entered and become part of, a community.
Richard Maddox is a board certified, ordained minister and chaplain at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. His specialty area is providing pastoral care to pediatrics cancer patients and their families. He is also assigned to the thoracic service.
What motivated you to enter Chaplaincy as a career?
I was very much influenced by my CPE experience. Providing spiritual support to patients and their families in the midst of health crises and to the medical staff who served them was humbling, empowering, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time. I discovered that I was blessed with many of the gifts necessary to journey with those whose lives were being touched by illness and suffering.
What’s the most challenging part of your work?
As the chaplain for the Children's Cancer Hospital, I must accompany children, adolescents, and young adults, and their families, near, at, and after the end of their lives. In such moments, there is so little that can be said or done to address what has to be the ultimate suffering in life - losing a child.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
Visiting with patients and their families following active treatment when they return to the hospital for a checkup, and they share how they are enjoying and living life to the fullest. Inevitably, they all seem to have a much greater appreciation for family and the simple things in life.
What do you find to be the most helpful when visiting with a cancer patient?
Having the opportunity to sit with the patient when he/she is alone, not interrupted by another staff member, and without the presence of a family member or friend, so that he/she can freely share what it feels like to be living with and fighting cancer.
What spiritual or religious resource do you find most personally helpful?
I continue to find the Christian Scriptures to be the most helpful. There are so many stories and experiences in the Scriptures which give me and my patients a glimpse into the nature and manner of God - not so much as to how God would have us act but more to whom God is and can be for us.
What personal characteristics do you believe make an effective chaplain?
Being an intentional and active listener; being open to diversity; being sensitive to and understanding of multiple perspectives; having compassion when no one else does.
Are there spiritual/religious topics you personally wrestle with?
(1) Substitutionary atonement for sin (2) The lack of biblical support for people knowing, recognizing, and interacting with loved ones in the after life (3) Human suffering as an inherent part of God's creation
What would you like cancer patients and their families to know about M. D. Anderson?
While striving to maintain MDACC as a world-renowned center for providing cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care, the MDACC staff equally embrace that the journey itself of every patient is as important as how that journey ends. Or as someone once said, "There is something worse than dying - and that is dying without ever having lived."
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