Chaplain Intern

At Houston Methodist, the Chaplain Intern - Extended Fall 2026 position is responsible for participating as a part-time or summer student in the Houston Methodist accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program which includes classroom education as well as individual supervised learning. Under the clinical supervision of the Certified Educator/Associate Educator, or Student Educator CPE, this position is precepted and mentored by assigned Sr. Chaplain/Chaplain in the provision of spiritual care to meet the spiritual, religious, and emotional needs of patients, families, and employees.

FLSA STATUS
Non-exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Enrollment in an accredited college/university
• Bachelor’s degree or graduate level theological degree from an accredited school preferred

EXPERIENCE

• One year of membership in a faith/belief group

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely function in learning environment
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security.
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles.
• Possesses basic computer knowledge; operates various computer systems to enter and maintain patient documents
• Exhibits strong interpersonal and team player skills with all levels of the healthcare team
• Demonstrates a high level of maturity with demonstrated self-confidence and ability to make decisions
• Conducts self in a professional manner at all times
• Above average written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrates a learning attitude toward solving problems, using good reasoning and judgment in a high stress environment
• Demonstrates a positive demeanor and strong multi-tasking abilities
• Very strong organization skills and detail-oriented nature
• Professional handling of exposure to confidential/sensitive information

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provides a supportive and positive environment for Houston Methodist patients, family members, visitors, employees and physicians. Provides spiritual care support to Houston Methodist employees.
• Collaborates with all members of the patient care team by actively communicating in a positive, supportive, non-judgmental manner, reporting pertinent patient care information and data in a comprehensive manner.
• Provides contributions towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement on department scorecard.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates in interprofessional health team rounds, discharge planning, support groups and other interprofessional teams.
• Precepted and mentored by assigned Sr. Chaplain/Chaplain, provides spiritual care to meet the spiritual, religious and emotional needs of patients and their family members of all faiths, during hospitalization and particularly for pre-operative, critically ill and dying patients.
• Assists in the initial screening and assessment of patients and the development of patient care plans; responds to assigned referrals. Follows patient protocols established by the precepting chaplain.
• Provides crisis intervention for patients, visitors, and employees with attention to spiritual needs, involving others as needed.
• Contributes to meeting/exceeding department and organization targets for patient satisfaction measures.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Seeks guidance from Certified Educator, Associate Educator, Student Educator and precepting Chaplain as appropriate; escalates issues/requests to ensure quality and safety in services provided.
• Accurately and thoroughly documents patient visits and spiritual care provided in the patient’s record.
• Contributes to identification of corrective action and improvement activities and contributes to meeting department and targets for quality and safety. Reports “near misses” and inputs into Patient Safety Net (PSN).

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Utilizes time and resources effectively and efficiently and helps other team members, demonstrating responsible financial stewardship, minimizing incidental overtime.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Prepares required patient care reports and other summaries for review and evaluation in compliance with CPE program requirements. Proactively learns from feedback and mentoring.
• Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies with a focus on continual development. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Enrollment in an accredited college/university
• Bachelor’s degree or graduate level theological degree from an accredited school preferred

EXPERIENCE

• One year of membership in a faith/belief group

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required