Looking for the NACC e-newsletter, NACC Now? That's in a separate section.
The Pastoral Care Summit that met during the first part of Pastoral Care Week at Alegent Health in Omaha NE, was a remarkable first-time convening of experienced practitioners, health care leaders, and performance and research experts in the spiritual/pastoral care field exploring and sharing on critical pastoral care performance areas. While it was not a surprise to find a wide variation in pastoral practice, and no common understanding or even awareness of what chaplaincy leaders have already done, participants are committed to create some common ground and best practices. Therefore, we were able to focus, lay frameworks and foundations, and organize ourselves for further work. People left hopeful and energized, and committed.
Some key challenges include:
However, we also realize that no one healthcare entity has the resources to tackle the macro issues of recruitment, training, ongoing professional development, and research of best practices. The vision of 2017 for a robust and influential pastoral care and chaplaincy ministry that is an integral leadership arm of Catholic health mission will not happen without this type of collaboration. “We have to do this together!” remarked one participant.
NACC is now working with CHA to complete the Summit synthesis and organize for next steps. We will keep you updated!
Thirty-eight representatives from the six Spiritual Care Collaborative groups met recently to begin plans for the Spiritual Care Summit in February 2009. NACC planning team members include: Mary Pat Campbell (Wausau, WI) for education, Mary Ann Cowan (Tampa Bay, FL) for local arrangements, Rev. Jim Kunz (Rochester, MN) for worship, and Pablo Holquin (Austin, TX) for collaborative events, along with David Lichter. David Baker (Stevens Point, WI) could not attend but is assisting with fund raising. Dr. Eleanor Braddock (Jefferson City, MO) has withdrawn as co-chair in order to put all her energies into chemo treatments. Eleanor, we keep you in prayer. Thanks to the great team.
Effective immediately, certified NACC Chaplains should use 'BCC' (Board Certified Chaplain) to designate their credentials instead of 'NACC Cert.'
NACC Board Chair Karen Pugliese, M.A., explains the change in her report, excerpted from the upcoming September 2007 issue of Vision:
"The Board...agreed to implement the recommendation made at the Portland Board Meeting to replace 'NACC Cert.' with the 'BCC' (board certified chaplain) designation. I am often asked about the history of the choice of our credential. During the business meeting at the 2003 Annual Conference, a member asked what designation should be used when signing a medical chart. In the May 2003 edition of Vision, Fr. Joe Driscoll wrote that the designation 'board certified' originated from the Association of Professional Chaplains (the then College of Chaplains), which uses 'BCC' as the official designation for the board certified chaplain.
Shortly after becoming our executive director, Fr. Driscoll had several conversations with the College of Chaplains leadership and recognized the wisdom and value of this designation, since it is the language of the medical profession. However, our governing body at the time chose the designation 'NACC Cert.,' although Fr. Driscoll and others began to use the expression 'board certified' whenever we referenced a professional certified chaplain or supervisor. But was an NACC-certified chaplain 'board certified'? The answer is that our authorization to certify comes from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Commission on Certification and Accreditation, whose Board of Directors approves our standards. Although we didn’t use the designation 'BCC,' in fact our chaplains and supervisors are indeed 'board certified.'
However, this has caused confusion for healthcare professionals. Numerous members requested a change to "BCC" in order to communicate a recognizable professional credential to employers, physicians, interdisciplinary healthcare colleagues, patients, and families. Our cognate partners also support the change. In approving the revised standards, and in keeping with our strategic goals of enhancing professionalism, the Board of Directors, with support from the Standards and Certification Commissions approved the immediate use of the BCC appellation for NACC chaplains and supervisors. "
Subscribers to the NACC's newsletter, Vision, can now choose a web-only version, which allows members to log in to a special section of the website to read both current and back issues.
Read more about it here.
On November 7, 2004, in Portland, Maine, the constituent boards of the Council on Collaboration (AAPC, ACPE, APC, CAPPE/ACPEP, NACC, NAJC*), met and affirmed four foundational documents:
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Since September 2003, three task forces authorized by the constituent boards worked to draft a common set of foundational documents. The writing and signing of these documents marks an exciting moment within the world of spiritual and religious care. This endeavor will move us forward in the eyes of the public as professional associations who share a common set of standards. They provide us with the power of greater advocacy as we come with a common voice to the issues that face our profession.
The content of these documents can be viewed on the websites of each association:
*American Association of Pastoral Counselors
*Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
*Association of Professional Chaplains
*Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice/ACPEP
*National Association of Catholic Chaplains
*National Association of Jewish Chaplains
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does this mean for these associations?
This marks a time of information sharing and mutually held horizons. The associations are not talking about merging. We are continuing to identify ways to efficiently and effectively collaborate with one another.
What does affirming these documents mean?
Affirming the documents means the boards accepted the standards, codes, and guiding principles as a shared basic foundation for our professional, pastoral life, and practice. Without changing the words of the documents, each association can add their own specific particularities and wording to these as additional sections and/or use the common documents as a preamble to their own standards, codes and principles. Any standard added by an association may create a higher standard, but may not lower the Common Standards affirmed.
For those associations for which a particular set of standards does not apply because they do not offer what is described, they affirmed that they support the documents as shared common standards among the associations that participate in the Council on Collaboration.
Can these Common Standards be revised?
Yes, these remain living documents that can be amended by the action of all the boards participating in the Council on Collaboration.
What power does the Council on Collaboration have?
The Council on Collaboration is responsible to the Board of Directors of each participating association. Its work is in service to the Boards.
Are the documents on the website in their final form?
No, there is considerable editing needed to create consistency of form and language throughout the documents. However the content is affirmed.
When do these documents go into effect?
They are effective immediately, but will be operationalized through a gradual roll-out process.
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