DESCRIPTION:

This course (offered pass/fail for 2 units) is designed to provide an experience of pastoral care in the hospice setting, under the direct supervision of an experienced hospice spiritual care provider. Students will: 1) explore attitudes about disease, pain, suffering, spirituality & religion at the end of life, and death & dying; 2) learn the hospice philosophy of palliative care; 3) develop skills in visitation and spiritual assessment within home and health care facility contexts; 4) sharpen abilities to reflect theologically in connection with patient care needs and concerns; 5) participate in grief support settings, memorial services and other rituals as available.

This course provides an introduction to the world of hospice ministry--its tasks, skills, challenges and opportunities.

The student will spend a minimum of 100 hours in hospice-related settings (homes, skilled nursing settings, office) in one 10-week period. During this time, the student will be given patient visit assignments, meet regularly with the supervising chaplain and other hospice staff for integrative and didactic sessions, and participate in memorial services or support group settings as assigned. The chaplain will provide training and lead discussions on topics relevant to hospice ministry. Students are required to attend all sessions.

Regular and punctual attendance, completion of all visitation assignments, attendance at agreed upon meetings, inservices, and support groups, completion of at least four written (typed) verbatims, one book review, and one personal evaluation report to be submitted the tenth week of the quarter by the supervising chaplain and the student to the Office of Field Education. NOTE: Substitute assignments may be given by the chaplain, but equivalent material must be submitted.

Before the student may register for this course, several steps must be completed, a process that may take up to a month, since the student is responsible to make arrangements for an internship site. The first step in the process is to read the preregistration materials available on the internet at or in the Office of Field Education. After the student has submitted internship and supervisor applications, he or she must schedule an enrollment interview with the Office of Field Education. If the internship is approved, the student will then receive a Course Approval Notification that must be submitted to the Academic Advisor prior to registration. The student must also complete an orientation with the assigned chaplain at the beginning of the internship.

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Meets FE2 Field Education M.Div. requirement (MIN 7). This internship is offered pass/fail for two units.

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