Search

Ascension, one of the largest Roman Catholic healthcare systems, and Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) collaborated on a research project "Managing Spiritual Care (SC) Departments During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study." Research participants included 22 leaders from Ascension and TC contacts. Four rounds of individual interviews were conducted from April, 2020 to February, 2021. After issues of race and racial reckoning following George Floyd's murder were brought up spontaneously in interviews, questions on how leaders responded to racial reckoning were added to the subsequent interviews. A secondary analysis examined responses from participants on racial reckoning from interviews 2–4. The objective of this study was to better understand how SC leaders understand their role in issues concerning justice, equity, and inclusion. This study utilized hermeneutic phenomenology methodology. Four phenomenological patterns emerged including: World of Racial Reckoning, Lack of Safety, Creating Safety, and Movement Toward Justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted North American health care chaplains' modes of work and emotions. To capture the experiences of health care chaplains across the United States, 30 Board Certified (or eligible) chaplains were asked to keep a weekly narrative journal of their experiences and emotions during the pandemic from April of 2020 through June of 2020. Twenty-one chaplains submitted their journals for qualitative analysis, amounting to over 90,000 words of chaplain reflection containing rich, descriptive, and often personal stories of health care chaplains. Journals were analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. The overarching patterns identified included: The World of Chaplaincy, Policies/Procedures/Visitation, Staff Care, Rituals, Chaplain Emotional Responses, Coping, and Racism. A significant finding was the resiliency and creativity of chaplains despite the rapid changes, uncertainty, and fear brought on by the pandemic. The results further suggest that journaling is a feasible and acceptable method in chaplaincy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been a lack of research so far on spirituality and trauma. There has been some indication that religion and spirituality are resources in protection against burnout. Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the phenomenon of spirituality in the context of vicarious trauma among trauma clinicians. Methods: This was a qualitative study based on hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Individual interviews were conducted with 36 physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants on the relationship between their spirituality and trauma work. Results: Participants were recruited from a large Midwest metropolitan Level I trauma center and attendees at the 2018 Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma annual conference. Four patterns emerged from the interviews that transcended religious or spiritual affiliation and medical specialty. These included (1) the world of trauma; (2) religious or spiritual beliefs guiding their work; (3) the need for support systems; and (4) the importance of coping mechanisms. Conclusion: Religion or spirituality plays a role in underlying meaning making and, in the moment, coping for trauma professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]