The Rev. John Olsen on building bridges of trust

Offering Pastoral Care to Hospital Staff after a Sudden Loss

Spiritual care to a bereaved staff

Recently I led a prayer gathering with hospital clinical information staff. One of their co-workers was vacationing with her husband in the Caribbean when they both drowned in a diving accident. The staff was devastated, and had also lost other highly regarded co-workers in the recent past.

In the gathering, 40 staff members (including the chief of staff, administrators, and co-workers) shared remembrances, feelings and a time of prayer. I read from the Psalms, and led the group in a prayer that incorporated phrases from remembrances shared by the staff, as well as offering prayers for her family and loved ones.

Following the gathering, I mingled among the staff, and spoke with co-workers who needed to process her loss. They found my interventions comforting and thanked me for coming to offer my prayers and presence. I left materials with the supervisor for the staff, including Care Notes, pamphlets and prayer booklets we had prepared for our grief groups.

Memorializing the deceased staff member

I worked with staff to plan a memorial service, and to invite the deceased co-worker’s family. Due to the nature of the deaths, the bodies were delayed in returning for burial. Her manager wanted to wait until the family had held their services. That is what we did.

Several colleagues shared helpful insights in the wake of this tragedy. One spoke of the importance of listening for how the loss has affected their sense of hope for the future, and attending to their despair. Another had a prominent physician die suddenly and mentioned the importance of “companioning” staff that had experienced the loss.

Journeying with hospital staff after a loss

Often in chaplaincy, we minister to a patient and family during intense crises and then do not have the opportunity to journey with them afterward. I seek to make myself available as a supportive presence to people experiencing a crisis of health. They often return to their daily lives and are not heard from until their next visit to the hospital – save the occasional thank you card.

Hospital staff are a constant presence in the hospital amidst all the turnover of patients and crises. After a loss or crisis, we as chaplains have a unique opportunity to journey with staff as a supportive presence. Sometimes this involves being a sounding board for intense emotions of grief, loss, or anger. At other times this involves facilitating resources to help with coping. It may also mean working with supervisors to facilitate times of sharing or remembrance. Such a crisis is a time of great need that we as chaplains must be ready and equipped to respond to proactively. After the tragedy, I rounded through the department on a daily basis. I made myself available to any staff struggling to cope with losing their co-worker and friend.

Pastoral opportunities

When we respond to a staff crisis compassionately, it builds bridges of trust and creates new pastoral opportunities. After the memorial, I began receiving more referrals for pastoral care. I also found several new “go to” people to keep me updated on staff morale so I can respond effectively to their needs.

Better staff satisfaction = Better patient satisfaction

Patient satisfaction surveys, such as Press Ganey, show that higher staff satisfaction is very highly correlated to improved patient satisfaction scores. The time and energy we spend ministering to staff helps improve the care and ministry that patients receive. Offering effective pastoral care to hospital staff in crisis is one of the most important, but often overlooked opportunities for ministry that we as chaplains can engage in.

 

Resources:
Lindemann, Erich. "Symptamatology of Acute Grief." American Journal of Psychiatry. 151:6, June 1994. (reprint of 1944 article).
Kenneth Mitchell, Herbert Anderson. All Our Losses, All Our Griefs: Resources for Pastoral Care. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1983.
Press Ganey Associates. "Undeniable: Patient and Employee Satisfaction Linked." October 30, 2003.
Worden, J. William. Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy. New York: Springer Publishing Co., 1991.