My research intends to look into the career of chaplaincy in a variety of healthcare settings. My inspiration to research this topic stems from my passion for healthcare and religion and I couldn’t think of a better way to connect the two. While I am religious and have a background in healthcare I have never really tied them together until now.
All of the most popular religions speak to helping and caring for the sick in times of need through the process of divine intervention as all healing comes from our creator. Some examples of verses regarding healing include the Quran (26:80), “And when I am ill, it is [God] who cures me” (1). Another verse is in the Bible (30:17) where Jeremiah states, “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord” (2). These verses show that while there are some differences in religions they both speak to healing thru verses in scripture.
I am hoping to examine the roles that chaplains have in healthcare settings and how they differ in different settings. How a chaplain may see their role in a faith-based hospital may be different than one that works in a non-faith-affiliated hospital and how these institutions view interfaith chaplaincy. A chaplain may provide different support and services in a VA hospital than in a Catholic hospital or hospice care at the end of one’s life. Chaplains may have to work with or care for people of different religious backgrounds and faiths which may result in various forms of support that they provide to an individual. This may also change when it comes to one’s stage in life. How a chaplain speaks to a child may be different than how they speak to someone in hospice care. Chaplains may have had their own struggles when it comes to adjusting in terms of support, care, and decision-making that they had to go through during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chaplains also use spiritual coaching in a variety of ways depending on the religious doctrine they follow when it comes to helping people who are dealing with substance abuse, self-harm, suicide prevention, and those navigating crisis, hopelessness, and loss. I believe in the common goal of helping a patient heal while using faith-based resources like chaplaincy will hopefully show a positive correlation with patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes.
Author: Jose Serna
(1) Ziyara. Healing Verses in Quran.
(2) Bible Study Tools. Healing Bible Verses – Scriptures About Physical Healing.