Chaplain Resident

September 2026

At Houston Methodist, the Chaplain Resident position is responsible for active participation in the Houston Methodist Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program for up to a year, which includes classroom learning and individual supervision from the Educator Clinical Pastoral Education and/or Manager Clinical Pastoral Education. This position precepts with and is mentored by assigned Sr. Chaplain/Chaplain in the provision of spiritual care to meet the spiritual, religious and emotional needs of patients, families, and employees. The Chaplain Resident position is participatory in the daily life of the hospital: serving with chaplains on committees, assisting with departmental projects.

FLSA STATUS
Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in theological studies or related field
• Enrollment in a Master’s degree in theological studies from an institution accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or equivalency preferred
• Education approved by Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) or Cognate preferred

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of membership in a faith/belief group

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform as a resident, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Ability to work independently; capable of effectively handling challenging / difficult interactions/patient care situations and knowing when to refer to others; demonstrates sound judgment and executes excellent communication skills
• Conducts self in a professional manner at all times
• Exhibits strong interpersonal and team player skills with all levels of the healthcare team
• Adapts to multiple ongoing priorities with minimal supervision including, organizing work flow and actively participating in problem-solving
• Possesses basic computer knowledge; operates various computer systems to enter and maintain patient documents
• Demonstrates a positive demeanor and strong multi-tasking abilities
• Very strong organization skills and detail-oriented nature
• Professional handling of exposure to confidential/sensitive information
• Ability to complete the Residency Program and demonstrate competencies within the Program’s planned curriculum and within the prescribed Program timelines to remain a participant

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provides a supportive and positive environment for Houston Methodist patients, family members, visitors, employees and physicians. Provides spiritual care support to Houston Methodist employees.
• Contributes to a dynamic, team-focused work unit that helps to achieve optimal department results. Develops ongoing relationships and interactions with internal stakeholders and clinicians to best serve the needs of the patients and family members.
• Effectively communicates with the patients, family, staff and physicians. Provides crisis intervention for patients, visitors, and employees. Collaborates with all members of the patient care team by actively communicating in a positive, supportive, non-judgmental manner, reporting pertinent patient care information and data in a comprehensive manner.
• Provides contributions towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates in spiritual care morning report. Participates in interprofessional health team rounds, discharge planning, support groups and other interprofessional teams.
• Assists in the initial assessment of patients and the development of patient care plans; responds to assigned referrals. Follows patient protocols established by the precepting chaplain. Enables patients to participate in their plan of care as applicable.
• Contributes to meeting/exceeding department and organization targets for patient satisfaction measures.
• Participates in administrative/clerical support as needed by department and leadership. Participates in worship as assigned and to provide spiritual leadership as part of the spiritual care department.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates in regular check-in with the clinical mentor. Partners with Sr. Chaplain/Chaplain who is serving as the mentor to provide spiritual care to meet the spiritual, religious and emotional needs of patients and their family members of all faiths, during hospitalization and particularly for pre-operative, critically ill and dying patients.
• Accurately and thoroughly documents patient visits and spiritual care provided in the patient’s record. Seeks guidance from Certified Educator, Associate Educator, and precepting Chaplain as appropriate; escalates issues/requests to ensure quality and safety in services provided.
• Offers recommendations and ideas for the continued success and development of the Spiritual Care Department. Reports “near misses” and inputs into appropriate documentation system. Contributes to meeting department and hospital targets for quality and safety by offering corrective action and improvement initiatives/activities.
• Adheres to all HM policies, procedures, and standards within budgetary specifications, including accuracy of practice and serves on hospital committees as requested by the CPE faculty or the Spiritual Care and Values Integration department.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Uses resources efficiently; does not waste supplies. Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, minimizing incidental overtime. Utilizes time efficiently and helps other team members.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Prepares patient care reports and other summaries in compliance with CPE program requirements. Proactively learns from feedback and mentoring.
• Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies with a focus on continual development. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in theological studies or related field
• Enrollment in a Master’s degree in theological studies from an institution accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or equivalency preferred
• Education approved by Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) or Cognate preferred

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of membership in a faith/belief group

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required