How do we talk about our ministry?

1. How do we talk about our ministry? What is your “elevator speech” about your ministry?

2. With Physicians “You all work so diligently to help repair or correct the physiological issues in everyone you care for. But what happens when their fear, or their beliefs or their families create barriers to your efforts? There is no pharmaceutical or surgical process for removing those barriers – because they are not physical. We are the specialists in helping to reduce -- possibly even remove – those barriers because our expertise falls within the psychosocial-spiritual realm and we will work with you and the Social Workers to support all of your physiological efforts as long as they are not in conflict with the patients own desires.”

3. With CFO’s in secular healthcare “Your mission is to _______________________. Our role is to support that mission as it relates to the human psyche or soul – an aspect of care often overlooked in modern medicine, but one that needs to be aligned with the efforts of the entire care team if you are to realize maximum success and the faith-based market share.”

4. With CFO’s in Catholic healthcare “Stewardship is a core value in all of Catholic healthcare, but the concept of stewardship transcends that of the financial ROI (return on investment). The concept of Stewardship -- stewarding God’s creation as sacred -- demands specific attention to and financial support for the whole person – body, mind and spirit. “Stewardship” must give equal support for and attention to all three aspects of the human person (who we call patients) as creation in order to be consistent with Catholic teaching.”

5. With CEO’s and CMO’s “The community in which we all serve is crying for our system to care! When people are vulnerable, they not only want the best technology and the most prestigious physicians, they need to feel as if they are important to those at the bedside. ‘Caring’ is a non-technical, highly emotional and deeply spiritually motivated word. As we continue to be asked to do more and do it more efficiently, the biggest changes being imposed on bedside staff are not really technical or medical – they are psycho-emotional and spiritual! That is the chaplain’s area of expertise! If we can help to inspire (or re-inspire) one nurse, we touch hundreds of patients who in turn improve patient satisfaction scores! Part of our role is to help inspire mission-centered, patient-centered care in the caregivers!

6. With Social Workers “Our role overlaps and intersects with yours because they overlap in patients. Let’s work together to see where we can support one another and how we can avoid stepping on one another’s areas of expertise. How about meeting as departments twice a year to offer one another feedback and ask questions that will enable us to all serve more effectively on behalf of the patients and their families?”