Chaplain responses make a difference

Responses to the Spirituality/Medicine Interface Program Make a Difference

Editor’s note: Again, we have chosen to highlight the on-going dialogue around the article by Dr. Hamdy entitled, “Spirituality and Medicine” that appeared in the June 21 issue of PlainViews (Education & Research,Vol. 3, No. 10). These responses continue to raise this issue that is of great importance to the profession of chaplaincy. As you will read from APC President, Robert Kidd, some progress has been made! Dr. Hamdy is to be commended for his willingness to be open to re-considering some of the plans for the program.

It was clear that some within the chaplaincy community were distressed that the Southern Medical Association's Spirituality/ Medicine Interface conference did not include professional chaplains in its faculty. After reading the letters on this topic from APC members, I contacted the SMA myself. Following that conversation, during which I expressed my pleasure at the SMA's interest in the medicine/ spirituality connection, I also shared chaplains' general frustration when other medical professionals speak publicly about spiritual care delivery without including professional chaplains in the dialogue. During my conversation with the SMA, I offered to assist them in publicizing their event on the APC website and having the conference's content approved for CCEs. Following this conversation, I received the following email from Dr. Ronald Hamdy, the conference chair:

I am delighted to hear from Mandy Stone and Jean Lambert at the Southern Medical Association Office that you are interested in the conference we are organizing in September on the Spirituality/Medicine Interface. I am particularly appreciative of your willingness to help us get continuing education credits for chaplains.

I wonder whether you might be interested in moderating one of the sessions, joining the faculty of the conference and being a co-discussant in one or more of the case discussions. It is too late to change the program, but it should not be too difficult to add a flyer to the brochure.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you need any further information or wish to discuss any issue.

I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully meeting you in Atlanta.

At this writing, I have accepted Dr. Hamdy's invitation and will soon begin discussions about the details of my involvement. While I am aware that my participation on behalf of the APC does not address the more generalized concerns about chaplains' regular involvement in events like this, Dr. Hamdy's invitation is still gracious and most welcome. I see the APC's inclusion in this event as an additional stepping stone toward our strong collaboration with the national medical community.

Chaplain Robert Kidd
President
Association of Professional Chaplains

I write with a somewhat different “spin” on the issues raised about the Spirituality/Medicine program sponsored by the Southern Medical Association. My initial response was excitement about the conference and an eagerness to learn more. I will attend and still am very eager to be a part of the conference.

I deeply share the frustration that professional chaplains were not included in this faculty and typically are not included in conferences such as this. I am frustrated and territorial when those from outside our profession claim expertise in spiritual care and appear to not know that chaplains exist. I do not want physicians and nurses to increasingly claim spiritual care as their area of expertise. Having claimed all of this, I would like to present some other issues for consideration:

1. The sharply worded responses for Chaplains Wintz and LaRocca-Pitts seemed to have elicited from Dr. Hamdy defensiveness rather than dialogue. When my comments to a patient, family, or staff member elicit defensiveness I ordinarily think I have stepped over a line and have likely become unhelpful. I think we should not be placating but should exercise wisdom and patience as we seek to “find our places at the table”.

2. What I know of Chaplain Wintz’s program and professional environment is very different from my own. I deeply respect the thoughtful and developed professionalism that seems to be displayed in her personal work and the apparent organization of her department. I am a one-person department in the heart of the Bible Belt [as is the Southern Medical Association]. My experience is that “here” a minister is a preacher is a saver-of-souls to most people, lay and professional alike. And there are preachers everywhere! Issues of confusion and/or ignorance about professional expertise and collegiality are far more deeply entrenched than mere physician and chaplain relationships. This reality drives me crazy, but it is reality as I experience it!

3. Another reality is that “we chaplains” don’t do much research and writing for publication. Despite frequent pleas from those few chaplains who do research and write, those endeavors are pretty low on the list of priorities for the chaplains I know. The profoundly inadequate patterns of staffing for spiritual care rarely allow for comprehensive care to patients, families, and staff; research is just too much to add to the mix. Therefore, we don’t have much of a forum to be recognized as having important knowledge to contribute.

4. I believe that concerns about faculty being dominated by white males and the clear Christian reference for Dr. Koenig raised by commentators in the 7/19/06 issue of Plain Views warrant discussion. Having recently planned a major conference, I am very aware that focus is required to meet stated objectives. Are there non-Christian researchers who have the knowledge to contribute to this anticipated audience that Dr. Koenig has? Each will have to decide where the line is drawn between consciousness-raising and mere sniping. However, again I think we need to be very careful that we don’t jump to unwarranted conclusions about the ability of this faculty to be open to many kinds of spirituality. We certainly don’t appreciate it when someone uninformed about professional chaplaincy jumps to the conclusion that a chaplain is likely to be a pushy, pious religionist because we are ministers!

5. Finally, I believe that we must first take responsibility for ourselves and must start where we are. Perhaps, as Dr. John Nelson suggested at the APC conference in Atlanta, we need to seek ways to initiate more collegiality with physicians at local, state and national levels. Perhaps we need to plan conferences which would attract physicians to participate and experience our expertise. As for this physician-planned conference, I plan to go and participate as one who knows himself to be a qualified professional peer to any and all the participants. I hope to learn something; I hope to share myself and my experience/knowledge, and I hope to plant some seeds of collegiality.

Gary Batchelor, D. Min., BCC
Chaplain, Floyd Medical Center

Like many others, I read with disappointment the agenda and selection of speakers for the conference and with interest the ongoing conversation about the intent versus actions in the conference planning. There is an easy remedy for Dr. Hamdy and the conference planners to apply to this situation that would accomplish much more than defensiveness over what was clearly an error in planning. For each session, invite a board-certified chaplain to respond to the physicians’ presentations in whatever way s/he sees fit, give her/him a fair amount of time to do so (15-20 minutes), see to it that each respondent is provided the text of the presentation in advance in order to prepare a thoughtful response, and let the dialogue genuinely begin. I would gladly volunteer to be a respondent to one of the presentations and I’m confident that many other chaplains would do the same.

Jeanne Tessier Barone
NACC Certified Chaplain
Palliative Care Chaplain
Kosair Children’s Hospital
Louisville KY

I hope to attend the workshop on spirituality/medicine interface and appreciate your invitation to Chaplains to attend a dialogue about spirituality.

I did want to offer a couple of words of encouragement and advice.

I went to fill out the registration for the workshop and found the designated categories of physician and non physician. I had a physician, once identify medical professionals( me included) in the same manner, and in a snit of anger I told him that I was a Chaplain not a non physician.

The other thing I immediately saw was the first case study on the docket. The one in which the patient and family wanted the family minister to come to the hospital but the minister was too far away so the chaplain was called and of course the family did not want to see the Hospital Chaplain but instead asked the Physician to save the day by praying with the family.

I hate to join the chorus but both examples do not show evidence to me of an inclusive invitation to dialogue.

If I get to attend the workshop maybe we can talk about these perceptions.

Thank you.

Larry Austin, D.Min
ACPE Supervisor, BCC
Director of Pastoral Services

Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.