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Rev. Cherie Baker on interpreting our work
The Hermeneutics of Productivity
In the religion of the ancient Greeks, it was believed that gods and humans were separated by language – neither could speak nor understand the language of the other, and consequently, the two groups had no way of knowing the needs, wants and/or expectations of the other. It took the gifts of the god Hermes to find a way to stand in the midst of the chaos and create a space where understanding could emerge. Hermes carried the words between Mt. Olympus and earth, interpreting the activity of humans and gods each to the other. From his name, we derive the word “hermeneutic,” the art of the interpretation of hidden meaning (as well as sacred texts).
As the director of spiritual care in a mid-size community hospital, I found myself longing for a visit from Hermes, especially when it came time to interpret the work of my department in administrative circles. It was never a matter of appreciation for the essential nature of the work; but how to uncover the “hidden meaning” of our work in the language of healthcare administration. We needed a hermeneutic of productivity.
After a bit of trial and error, our department developed a tool that has served us well for over a year.
Our “Productivity Hermeneutic” is a 3x4 inch card completed by each chaplain for each visit. There are five fields on the front of the card for documenting the following: date, shift, length of visit, location of visit, and acuity. Two additional fields capture the following: who was visited; type of visit; source of visit (i.e., referral source); and chaplain activities (e.g., prayer, reflective listening, pastoral presence, sacrament, liaison, comfort/affirmation, etc.). Except for the date, all fields are in check-box format, with a blank space for “other.” At the bottom of the card is a place for the chaplain’s initials, and a place to check whether the chaplain is weekend, weekday, volunteer or student. The back of the card is left blank and is often used by chaplains to make brief notes for documentation on the visit.
At the end of the day, the cards are gathered and data is entered into a database developed by our Information Services department. In addition to tracking the number of visits, whenever needed (e.g. monthly, quarterly) the program will produce various tables and graphs which successfully translate the work of our department into interesting and valuable reports, such as:
• Which floor/unit calls us most frequently
• What activities are most utilized by chaplains
• Average length of visits, not only in general, but by chaplain, floor/unit, etc.
Suddenly, we were speaking in a language that was clear and succinct to our administrators. Developing a tool that was “chaplain-friendly” (e.g., fast, clear, and easy to read and use and taking an average of 15-20 seconds to complete) has resulted in high compliance from the chaplains.
Oh, and one more benefit: budget time was easier this year.
Rev. Cherie Baker, M.Div., BCC, is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She has served as Director of Spiritual Care and Religious Services at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown, Maryland since 2000. Cherie spent 13 years in parish ministry in Arkansas before moving into hospital ministry in 1996. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, Tom, in the historic Fells Point community. In addition to administrative and clinical spiritual care responsibilities, she leads workshops and other educational events both within the healthcare system and the community. When not engaged with her colleagues in Western Maryland, Cherie enjoys all the books, movies, music, writing and cooking that time will allow.
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