The National Association of Catholic Chaplains

Menu
  • Membership
      • Apply for Membership
      • Frequently-Asked Questions about Membership
      • Request Retired Membership
      • State Liaisons
      • Newest Members
      • Membership Directory
      • Member map
      • Celebrating Our Members’ 25-year Membership and Certification
      • In Memoriam: deceased NACC members
    • Close
  • Certification
    • Initial Board Certification
      • Board Certified Chaplain (BCC)
      • Certified Associate Chaplain (CAC)
      • Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification (PCHAC)
      • VA Initial Board Certification
      • Recognition of Strategic Partners Board Certification
      • Newly Certified Chaplains
      • Close
    • Renewal of Certification
    • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Important Background on NACC Certification Competencies
      • Professional Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals
      • Certification Commission
      • Certification Appeals Panel
      • Ethics Appeals Panel
      • Close
    • Mentors
    • Recognition of Strategic Partners Board Certification
    • Verifying Certification
    • Maintaining Certification in Retirement
    • Graduate Theological Programs
    • Close
  • Education Resources
      • 2023 Retreat
      • 2023 Webinar Series
      • Recorded webinars (2009-2022)
      • Calendar of Events
      • Graduate Theological Programs
      • CPE Programs
      • NACC Professional Networking Calls
      • Continuing Education Hour Requests – Guidelines and Forms
      • Ongoing Educational Opportunities
      • Local/Regional Gatherings & Events
      • Past Conferences (2004 – 2022)
      • Vision
    • Close
  • Resources
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Administrator Resources
    • Awareness Resources
    • Chaplaincy Care Resources
    • Coronavirus Resources & Updates
    • Job Listings
    • The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Research
    • Specialty Care Resources
    • Spirituality and Prayer Resources
    • Spiritual Care Department Resources
    • Vision
    • Close
  • About NACC
    • About the NACC
      • Mission/Vision/Values
      • Constitution and ByLaws
      • Strategic Plan
      • History
      • Close
    • Annual Awards
    • Association Leadership
      • NACC Board of Directors
      • Committees, Commissions, and Panels
      • National Office Staff
      • Episcopal Advisory Council
      • Close
    • Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
    • Choose Chaplaincy
    • Health Care Collaborators
    • NACC Merchandise
    • NACC Publications and Documents
      • Vision
      • NACC Now
      • Annual Reports & Financial Reviews
      • Documents and publications
      • NACC Blog
      • Close
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Partners for Professional Excellence in Spiritual Care
    • Vision
    • Close
  • Choose Chaplaincy
  • Contact Us
      • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    • Close
  • Donate Now
  • Member Login
Home » Vision » November-December 2017 » Spiritual care helps save ED staff from burnout

Spiritual care helps save ED staff from burnout

By Rabbi Nadia Siritsky

In Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Thomas Merton wrote, “There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which the idealist most easily succumbs: activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times. The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”

These wise words present a challenge for those of us working in healthcare, especially in the emergency department. The very definition of working in such a setting is to want to help everyone, and to be thrust in the midst of an array of conflicting concerns, all of which are urgent, and many of which are the direct result of the violence of our times.

Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma are often the consequence of working in healthcare, but they can be particularly challenging for those working in the Emergency Department. The pace and the acuity contribute to this, as does the sad reality that most emergency responders only see the patient at their worst, and rarely get to see them healed and recovered. This contributes to a lack of compassion satisfaction, which Beth Hudnall Stamm identifies in her research as a mitigating factor.

The pastoral challenge is to enter the emergency department and not succumb to the chaos and violence that pervades that space.

Burnout, while common for healthcare providers, can lead to a variety of other concerns, ranging from staff retention issues and patient experience challenges, to safety concerns due to forgetfulness and even health problems. As such, addressing staff compassion fatigue and burnout is critical.

The pastoral challenge is to enter the emergency department and not succumb to the chaos and violence that pervades that space, to be present with providers and to help them to reconnect to Merton’s “root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.” Carving out space for caregivers to debrief and reflect upon meaning and purpose is the primary goal. Meaning-making is the key to developing the capacity to find compassion satisfaction.

Dr. Viktor Frankl taught, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” While it may seem difficult to schedule or prioritize, pastoral care and support for staff working in emergency departments must be a top priority. Helping staff carve out time to reflect upon the meaning and purpose of their work will help them to derive greater satisfaction, which in turn will ensure improved patient care.

Leviticus enjoins us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This means that it is not selfish to schedule time for rest and reflection on the emergency department’s to-do list. Even if it is simply taking a moment to pause and breathe at the beginning and the end of a shift; or ensuring that the chaplain’s rounds include emergency department staff, not only patients; or taking a moment to pause in silence when a patient dies — each of those moments can become anchoring moments that can root caregivers during stormy times.

Rabbi Nadia Siritsky, MSSW, BCC, is vice president of mission at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY.

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains
Become a Member Would you like to get Certified?

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

National Association of Catholic Chaplains
4915 S. Howell Avenue, Suite 501
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Get Directions

Phone: (414) 483-4898
Fax: (414) 483-6712
Email: info@nacc.org

Our office hours
Mon-Thur 8:00am – 5:00pm Central Time
Friday 8:00am – 12 Noon
Sat-Sun closed

Job Listings

Current job opportunities for chaplains, priests, CPE residents, supervisors, directors of pastoral care, managers, mission directors, and more.

Job Listings

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

Donate Now

Learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to NACC.

Donate Now

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
© 1997 - 2023 National Association of Catholic Chaplains - Sitemap

Built by Westwords