By Bernard Freeman
Caring for spiritual needs
Caring for patients takes many forms. While most people think of doctors and nurses when they think about health care careers, there are also professionals in hospital and health care facilities whose job is to take care of the spiritual needs of patients and their families.
Hospital chaplains are religious or spiritual leaders who provide emotional and spiritual support to patients, their families and hospital staff. They offer comfort, guidance and prayer to individuals who are facing illness, injury or end-of-life situations.
Qualifications
Most hospital chaplains have a graduate degree in theology or divinity and many are ordained clergy members. However, many are able to practice with just a bachelor’s degree in religious studies.
Many hospital chaplains complete specialized training in clinical pastoral education (CPE), which prepares them to work in health care settings and informs them about some of the specific situations they will face.
Duties
Hospital chaplains may be asked to offer prayer or spiritual guidance, listen to patients and families, provide comfort and support during end-of-life situations and to help patients and families navigate difficult medical decisions.
They may make rounds the same way that doctors do, though some wait until they are called upon by the patient or family. Often they are trained in providing end-of-life rituals from a number of different faiths. These duties might include helping a patient resolve any remaining conflicts they have with others or helping them highlight the positive effect of their life. Chaplains may sit with a person during the final moments of their life.
Sometimes, hospital chaplains conduct worship services in the hospital or facility’s chapel. Others provide education or seminars on such topics as grieving, dealing with terminal illness and spiritual topics.
They also work closely with healthcare providers, either to help them process trauma they face and depression they experience or as a partner in providing holistic care for patients.
Chaplains most commonly work in hospitals, but are also employed by hospices, nursing homes and in other health care settings. Within a hospital, they may be deployed to emergency rooms, intensive care units, oncology departments or pediatric units.
Because they are often needed in emergency situations, they may be on-call and have to work evenings, weekends or holidays depending on the needs of patients.
Inter-faith Duties
Many hospital chaplains are trained to support people of different religious or spiritual backgrounds. They provide spiritual care to patients, families and staff of various faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and others.
To successfully navigate interfaith care, hospital chaplains must have a deep understanding of different faith traditions and beliefs, and an ability to communicate effectively with individuals of different backgrounds. They may provide spiritual support, such as prayer, meditation or listening.
Some health care organizations may employ chaplains from specific faith traditions in addition to providing interfaith chaplaincy services. This allows patients and families to receive spiritual support from a chaplain who shares their faith and can provide guidance and support specific to their religious beliefs.
Hospital chaplaincy can be a rewarding career for individuals who are passionate about providing emotional and spiritual support to those in need. Hospital chaplains play an important role in health care, providing comfort and guidance to patients, families and health care providers in some of the most challenging and memorable moments of their lives.
Caring for the physically active
Athletic trainer is a great health care occupation for those who love sports and want to work with athletes, coaches and other health care professionals. They specialize in preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses related to physical activity.
Athletic trainers are often hired by sports teams and get to attend games and travel with the team. They work at schools and universities to treat student athletes. Other places they may work include hospitals, clinics, fitness centers, gyms or even in corporations where they provide injury prevention services to workers. The military and law enforcement agencies hire civilian athletic trainers to treat soldiers and officers.
Is your interest more in performing arts than sports? There has been a growing need for athletic trainers with performing arts organizations, especially those heavy in dance, acrobatics and other movement. Some institutions that hire athletic trainers, according to Kent State University, are Cirque Du Soleil, Disney, Radio City Music Hall, The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Cincinnati Ballet and Blue Man Group.
Responsibilities
Athletic trainers assess and manage a wide range of injuries, from acute injuries such as sprains and strains to chronic conditions such as overuse injuries. They develop injury prevention programs and educate people on proper exercise techniques and equipment use They work with injured athletes, helping them in the rehabilitation process so that they can regain strength, mobility and function.
Qualifications
Most athletic trainers have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from an accredited athletic training program. These programs include coursework in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and injury prevention. They usually also require students to have clinical rotations to gain hands-on experience.
Once you have a degree, you must pass a national certification exam from the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer. Different states have their own licensing and registration requirements.
Good athletic trainers also have a number of personal qualities and skills, including excellent communication skills, strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, physical fitness and stamina to work long hours and be able to move and transport injured athletes and empathy and compassion.
While it may seem obvious, it is also important that an athletic trainer have experience in both sports and healthcare. They need to stay physically fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle so they can perform the job and set a good example.
Career evolutions
There are several areas where the job of athletic trainer has been expanding beyond its traditional scope, something that is requiring some athletic trainers to get new training and skills. In some cases, it is because states have changed their requirements and now allow athletic trainers to do things that were once performed only by doctors, such as concussion assessment and treatment.
There is also a growing conversation about mental health in sports and athletic trainers are part of this conversation. Some are being called upon to provide mental health services, but this requires specific training and resources that haven’t traditionally been a part of athletic trainer backgrounds.
Another issue is that many states have different licensing requirements which can cause challenges when athletic trainers travel across state lines with sport teams. These are issues still being worked out, but some athletic trainers are seeking out licensing in multiple states.
However, for those looking for an exciting and growing health care career, athletic trainer offers a lot of possibilities.