CPE Reflection #3 - Caring for Staff

I was so eager - maybe too eager - to see patients that morning. And the eagerness wasn’t about seeing patients as much as it was about writing that first verbatim that I was behind on. After reviewing the new consults, leftovers from the day before, and the list of patients needing some TLC, I got my assignments and headed out of the chapel towards the elevator. 

I had two patients to see before a meeting a couple of hours later. The meeting would last until the end of my time that day, so I needed to see these patients before the meeting started. After three attempts at each, I was completely disheartened. Not enough to wake a patient hoping they’d want to talk to me, but feeling like I wasn’t getting to do the real work. 

On my fourth attempt, walking down the hall on the second floor, I bumped into Nurse Natalie. She quietly said, “May I share a prayer request?” I matched her quiet tone agreeing to gladly listen to any prayer request. She shared about her son, Sam who is away from home for the first time in college. He’s at NC Central and she’s worried about him. We talked about her worries… decision making, time management. Then, she landed the big one. “He didn’t register for classes this semester. He thought he’d take a semester off.  I’m still paying for the apartment and his car… not for long though.” Oh… Sam. You have messed up a really good thing, I thought to myself. We talked for a few more minutes before realizing we both needed to get back to our tasks. I promised the prayers and moved along.  

My observations of chaplaincy taught me about the importance of caring for the caregiver whether that be a faculty/staff member at a university, a baggage handler or gate agent at the airport, or a nurse or doctor in the hospital. Caring for those who care for others recognizes the difficult nature of the work. 

In an article in the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, authors surveyed directors/managers responsible for spiritual care services at the 2020–2021 U.S. News & World Report top hospitals. “Staff chaplains at over half of the hospitals spend an estimated 10–30% of their time on staff care, with chaplains in five hospitals spending greater than 30%.” 

I never saw those two patients. But the day was far from a waste. The time I spent with Natalie was equally important. Helping to hold her concerns about her son may have allowed her to refocus and provide even better care to her patients that day. It further recognizes that we bring our whole selves into our work and home lives. We don’t (and probably shouldn’t) compartmentalize our work. Therefore, as Chaplains, we should be prepared to address the whole person.