We post an ethical or situational concern that has arisen in a facility where one of our readers works. It has no identifiers included. It gives you only the facts of the case. Then, you can respond to that concern. This is an ongoing dialogue, with comments added as they come in. In the following issue, assuming it has been resolved, we give you the outcome from the facility where the incident took place. Please send any cases that you would like considered for inclusion to: info@plainviews.org

We hope that this new addition will help to inform not only those who are dealing with the issue, but will enable all of our readers to learn from the experiences and perhaps mistakes of others.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to unanticipated continuing responses to both the case and the resolution of the case, added responses can be viewed in the archives. Click HERE.

How to Submit a Case for CaseConference

No cases were submitted for this issue of PlainViews. Cases have not been submitted with as much regularity as we thought they would. The Advisory Board of PlainViews and the Managing Editor have discussed possible reasons for this:

– chaplains are unsure of how to write up a case

– chaplains are loathe to have someone "armchair quarterbacking" what then did or did not do

– fear of being somehow found out

– fear of even trying to submit a case, thinking that it is unimportant or that no one would be interested

I want to address these possible reasons because I hear from so many chaplains and supervisors how helpful it is to have these CaseConferences and so we do not want to discontinue this section.

First, in order to submit a case, one need only to write down the facts:

Who was involved

What happened

Where the event happened (ER, ICU etc)

When it happened (if important to the case - e.g. overnight, week-end, end of a long shift)

Why it happened (what in your determination is the reason this happened)

How it happened

You can send the case in whether or not it is "resolved". Send it to info@plainviews.org.

The editor and staff will then review the case and make sure that it has no "identifiers" that link it to a particular institution, chaplain, or individual. It will then be sent back to the submitter for final approval.

The same process is used for the "resolution" piece.

"Armchair quarterbacking" fear: it is understandable that one would worry about this. But consider that all of us, at one time or another, have been or will be where you are now with your case.

Fear of being found out: another understandable concern, but one that is a highly unlikely to ever occur since only the managing editor knows who submitted what and she is not telling....

A case may be "unimportant" or not interesting enough: another understandable concern but consider this – since most of us operate within a confined area, it is hard to determine how what you are dealing with will impact someone else. Chances are, either they have been through something similar already or will go through it in the future. We learn from each other – from our mistakes as well as from our successes.

So, please consider submitting a case from which all of us can and will learn. We deal with situations that may seem "normal" or "usual." To someone else, however, they may be a wonderful learning experience.

Please check the archives below for comments made about the last CaseConference.

Send your comments about CaseConference to info@PlainViews.org.