Why are Some Healthcare Chaplains Registered Professionals and Some are Not? A Survey of Healthcare Chaplains in Scotland

Abstract

The professional status of UK healthcare chaplains remains partial, with voluntary accreditation effective in achieving around 50% registration. This study set out to elicit reasons for this by surveying healthcare chaplains working in Scotland. An online survey was created to gather demographic details and chaplains' opinions on the importance of five key elements of professional status: A body of knowledge that underpins practice; A code of professional ethics; An occupational organization controlling the profession; Substantial intellectual and practical training; and Provision of a specialized skill or service. Most respondents (38/43) agreed that chaplains should belong to a professional body in order to maintain standards, ensure accountability and formalize professional development. A negative minority felt that the professionalization agenda was not for them, but the majority stated that registration reinforced their professional status, added credibility and a clear governance structure to protect the public. Due to the wide interest in this issue, further UK and international studies into the professional status of chaplains are planned.

What Did Chaplains Do During the Covid Pandemic? An International Survey

“…Given that Europe also scored lower on 13 of 15 of the wellbeing measures shown in Figure 4 , it may be that lack of professional status could account for this. There is primary evidence that Scottish chaplains registered with their professional association were more likely to feel supported than those not registered ( Snowden et al., 2020 ). It follows that chaplains associated with professional associations may therefore actually be better supported.…”

“…They can take time and provide a presence and space to meet spiritual need. Chaplains promote healing, even when cure isn't possible (Massey et al, 2015) However, despite the growing evidence for their impact (Kestenbaum et al, 2017;Macdonald, 2017), chaplains in healthcare remain widely misunderstood, undervalued and underused (Snowden et al, 2020). Never has this been more starkly realised than during the recent Covid-19 pandemic.…”

“…However, despite the growing evidence for their impact ( Kestenbaum et al., 2017 ; Macdonald, 2017 ), chaplains in healthcare remain widely misunderstood, undervalued and underused ( Snowden et al., 2020 ). Never has this been more starkly realised than during the recent Covid-19 pandemic.…”

“Essential Not Optional”: Spiritual Care in Australia during a Pandemic

“…However, the need for an increased professional spiritual care workforce has already been identified in the Australian context ( Eve & Phillips, 2019 ; Tan et al., 2020 ), and the need for a nationally consistent approach to spiritual care documented ( Holmes, 2018 ). A recent study in Scotland found that credibility was identified as one of the benefits of professionalism ( Snowden et al., 2020 ). It may be that those practitioners with a higher level of professionalism (i.e.…”

From Chaplaincy to Spiritual Care: Turning points for an emerging health profession

“…[4] The question of professional identity of those providing spiritual care continues to garner international attention and should be of interest to health management with responsibility for ensuring high standards of care. [5,6] The expectation for spiritual care is apparent in current Australian standards, [7,8] and pastoral care is included as a common health profession in the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020. [9] Yet there is no national agreement on the workforce required to deliver this care and spiritual care continues to be provided by a range of people with varying skills, competencies and accountabilities.…”