Merri Reed
Wichita,KS
Summary
Accomplished Staff Chaplain at Via Christi Ascension Health Care, adept in spiritual care and interfaith understanding, significantly boosted patient satisfaction by fostering comprehensive care plans. Skilled in crisis management and empathetic communication, I excel in developing volunteer programs and enhancing interdepartmental collaboration.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Staff Chaplain
Via Christi Ascension Health Care
02.1994 - 12.2023
- Provided guidance to volunteer chaplains through training sessions focused on best practices in pastoral care delivery within a healthcare setting.
- Communicated with interdisciplinary healthcare team to obtain pertinent information regarding patient's condition, family dynamics, and health care teams' understanding of need for spiritual care.
- Assisted with the planning and execution of memorial services for patients who had passed away during their hospital stay.
- Contributed to staff wellness initiatives by offering stress management techniques and opportunities for reflection through meditation or prayer sessions.
- Responded to code blues and other emergencies to verify patient identity and engage and support family.
- Developed crisis intervention strategies that effectively addressed the spiritual needs of patients experiencing trauma or critical illness.
- Resolved crisis and emotional issues through empathy, support, prayer and scripture.
- Facilitated referrals to variety of educational and support groups, individual counseling and crisis response resources for bereaved families.
- Supplied spiritual care for diverse religious needs of patients, family and staff such as grief and bereavement support.
- Fostered a sense of unity among diverse faith communities by participating in interfaith dialogues and collaborative projects aimed at promoting tolerance and understanding.
- Reduced stress levels for patients and families by offering individualized counseling sessions addressing grief, loss, and other complex emotions.
- Conducted religious sacraments for sick patients and family members.
- Served as a liaison between hospital administration and faith communities to ensure proper coordination of resources during times of disaster or crisis response efforts.
- Streamlined the chaplaincy program''s operations by developing efficient documentation processes for tracking patient interactions and referrals.
- Visited and counseled patients, families, and staff concerning death and dying by providing direct spiritual care.
- Played an integral role in end-of-life decision-making by collaborating closely with medical teams during ethics consultations involving complex cases.
- Counseled and provided care to patients with life-threatening illnesses to help families respond effectively to approaching death of loved one.
- Supported diverse religious preferences by coordinating with local faith community leaders to provide appropriate resources for patients.
- Maintained ongoing professional development by attending conferences, seminars, or webinars related to chaplaincy practice in the medical field.
- Facilitated support groups for various populations such as bereaved parents or cancer survivors, fostering a sense of community among participants.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to develop comprehensive care plans that addressed patients'' physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
- Increased cultural competency among hospital staff through educational programs highlighting the importance of understanding diverse religious beliefs when providing patient care.
- Enhanced hospital staff morale with regular pastoral visits, active listening, and empathetic communication.
- Collaborated with Number-person administration team to develop and implement plans for increasing patient satisfaction, boosting satisfaction Number%.
- Improved patient satisfaction by providing compassionate spiritual care and support to individuals and families during challenging times.
- Offered spiritual care and support in a variety of hospital settings, including intensive care units, emergency departments, and long-term care facilities.
- Provided spiritual guidance, emotional support and direct care to residents, family members and staff.
- Led programs such as worship, study, fellowship, and service opportunities.
- Comforted family members, offered attentive listening and high level of emotional support.
- Met with individuals, discussed issues compassionately and determined appropriate type of involvement to meet spiritual needs.
- Provided spiritual care through visitation, counseling, and prayer.
- Oversaw administration and management of all areas of ministry.
- Officiated special services such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, and nursing home services.
- Applied knowledge regarding crisis interventions to assist in emergency situations.
- Interacted with local community, building relationships with civic organizations and other churches.
- Raised congregational awareness of needs and contributions of youth to church life and operations.
Education
Master Of Arts - Christian Ministry
Friend's University
Wichita, KS05.2003
Bachelor Of Applied Arts And Science - Management And Ethics
Manhattan Christian College
Manhattan, KS05.2000
Skills
- Spiritual care
- Interfaith understanding
- Pastoral Care
- Mental health awareness
- Grief support
- End of life care
- Family Support
- Prayer guidance
- Funeral planning
- Bible studies
- Crisis Management
- Ethical guidance
- Empathy Development
- Disaster Response
- Volunteer Management
- Worship service assistance
- Mass casualty response
- Final arrangements assistance
- Marriage officiating
- Sacraments administration
- Bereavement follow-up
- Ministry development
- Data Entry
- Spiritual Guidance
- Clinical pastoral education
- Religious event coordination
- Records Maintenance
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Problem-Solving
- Time Management
- Attention to Detail
- Multitasking
- Community Service
- Spiritual leadership
- Multitasking Abilities
- Preaching
- Reliability
- Excellent Communication
- Organizational Skills
- Team Collaboration
- Active Listening
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Decision-Making
- Relationship Building
- Teaching
- Mission-oriented
- Congregational care
- Team building
- Task Prioritization
- Self Motivation
- Interpersonal Skills
- Analytical Thinking
- Interpersonal Communication
- Public Speaking
- Crisis Intervention
- Continuous Improvement
- Spiritual instruction
- Adaptability
- Written Communication
- Individual Counseling
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Counseling
Accomplishments
Founder and Director of a crisis prevention and intervention program . Provide support to victims, families.and friends who have been affected by acts of violence .Have served over 2600 person. From 1990-Present. Never Alone Crisis Inc.
Certification
Board certified 2005
Timeline
Staff Chaplain
Via Christi Ascension Health Care
02.1994 - 12.2023
Master Of Arts - Christian Ministry
Friend's University
Bachelor Of Applied Arts And Science - Management And Ethics
Manhattan Christian College
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