Providence Health Care's Spiritual Health team is now accepting applications for Spiritual Health Practitioners to join their team. Reporting to the Director of Spiritual Health and Pastoral Care (SHPC), the Spiritual Health Practitioner works in collaboration with the interdisciplinary teams on assigned clinical units. The Practitioner’s role is to assess spiritual needs and provide comprehensive spiritual care and emotional support to patients, families and health care staff in a manner that is appropriate to belief systems and cultural diversity.
Position attends and participates in program based care team meetings and collaborates with spiritual/cultural representatives and clergy in the community. Provides spiritual and emotional support to staff during times of crisis, mentors and supports volunteer visitors who provide ministry to patients/residents and provides support as a preceptor to Clinical Psychospiritual Education students. Supports patients, residents and their families who are considering, or who are engaged in, end of life conversations. Participates in sharing on-call and/or back-up on-call duties, as required, and is available to respond to organizational emergencies.
Want to learn more? Apply today, no cover letter required. 

Your duties will include: 

• Comprehensive Spiritual Support: Assesses and provides spiritual and emotional support through counseling and presence during times of anxiety, loss, death, and other distress, tailored to the beliefs and practices of patients, residents, and families.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Documentation: Attends care team meetings, responds to referrals, documents spiritual assessments and interventions, and collaborates with community spiritual/cultural representatives and clergy.
• Staff and Volunteer Support: Provides spiritual and emotional support to staff during crises, mentors volunteer visitors, and acts as a preceptor to Clinical Psychospiritual Education students.
• Program Participation and Crisis Response: Plans and participates in facility-wide spiritual events, encourages staff awareness of different spiritual expressions, and participates in on-call duties and organizational emergencies.

Education, Training and Experience

• Master’s degree in Theology, Public and Pastoral Leadership, Spiritual Practices, or other relevant theological/spiritual studies from an accredited institution.
• Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE) with two advanced units.
• Preferably certified as a spiritual health practitioner with CASC/ACSS.

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to engage counselling theories, interventions, and intentional supportive activities to support patients, residents, and their families, and the ability to quickly identify the appropriate spiritual health practice in order to meet expressed or unexpressed needs.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in crisis intervention as required, such as attending Code Blues or other critical incidents.
• Ability to navigate electronic medical record (Cerner), pagers, and other communication channels.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to support all expressions of spirituality without imposing personal religious beliefs.
• Demonstrated ability to approach spiritual health issues in a person-centered manner with insight, discernment and flexibility.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively handle stressful situations with sensitivity, compassion, gentleness, caring and approachability.
• Demonstrated ability to work in accordance with Providence Health Care’s Mission, Vision and Values.
• Demonstrated ability to work as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to work flexible hours.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work and activities.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

• Competitive salary: $74,618 - $107,264 CAD per year / $38.12- $54.80 CAD per hour, depending on experience 
• Comprehensive benefits: Eligible employees receive a robust medical and dental benefits package, including 4 weeks paid vacation starting.
• Pension plan: Work towards a comfortable retirement through employer-matched contributions to one of Canada's strongest pension plans! 
• Meaningful impact: Your dedication and expertise will directly impact the lives of patients, including many from marginalized communities, helping contribute to the public healthcare system we're privileged to have here in BC.  
• Growth opportunities: We welcome individuals at all stages of their career, offering opportunities for professional development and growth.
• State-of-the-art facilities:  The new St. Paul’s Hospital and health campus will be the most innovative approach to the delivery of integrated care in B.C. and Canada, designed to appropriately address the future health needs of patients, families and our communities. From hospital care to primary and community health solutions, the new St. Paul’s Hospital and health campus will continue to lead innovations in care, research, and teaching. The new St. Paul’s Hospital is expected to open in 2027.
• Inclusive culture: We respect the diversity, dignity and interdependence of all persons. We value the cultural richness that our diverse workforce brings to the care of our equally diverse population of patients and residents. 

Who we are: 

Providence is a non-profit healthcare provider with over fifteen sites, including a large tertiary hospital in the heart of Vancouver’s beautiful and vibrant Downtown, a smaller community hospital in the idyllic Mount Pleasant neighborhood, one of the largest referral centres for rehabilitation in British Columbia, and five long-term care facilities, as well as other clinics. 

As a leading teaching and research organization, and the provincial referral center for Cardiac, HIV/AIDS, and Renal Care, we provide services ranging from acute and long-term care to leading substance use and addiction treatment supporting some of BC’s most marginalized communities. Guided by the motto “how you want to be treated”, delivering exceptional patient and family-centered care is our mission.

Curious about working at PHC and our culture? Check out the video below to learn more and meet some of the members of the team you'd be joining:

A message on spiritual health from our CEO Fiona Dalton:

Your Day to Day:

• Assesses, and provides comprehensive spiritual and emotional support through counseling and supportive presence at times of anxiety, loss, death, and other spiritual and existential distress, to inspire strength, courage and hope to patients/residents/families according to their stated beliefs and practices.
• Promotes the on-going spiritual well-being of patients/residents through listening, prayer and group support such as Memorial Services, spirituality groups, Study of Sacred text and Hymn Sing.
• Attends and participates in program based care team meetings, rounds, huddles, case conferences, family meetings, ethics consults, and other meetings as required.
• Receives referrals from all disciplines and responds in a timely manner. Creates and implements follow up plans as required. Makes referrals to other disciplines, when appropriate, based on the needs of patients and residents.
• Consistently documents in patient/resident medical records where spiritual assessments and significant interventions are recorded to ensure other members of the interdisciplinary care team are properly informed.
• Collaborates with spiritual/cultural representatives and clergy in the community, when requested by patients and residents and supports religious/spiritual leaders and faith specific volunteer visitors in their ministry.
• Provides spiritual and emotional support to staff during times of crisis, by active listening, supportive presence for spiritual enrichment, and at times, conducting rituals/memorials/ debriefing when there has been death of a patient/resident/staff member.
• Maintains daily record of spiritual care activity offered to patients/residents and staff and submits these on a timely basis, as required.
• Mentors and supports volunteer visitors who provide ministry to patients/residents through religious/spiritual visits and participation in group events.
• Provides support as a preceptor to Clinical Psychospiritual Education students, including on-site orientation, ongoing support, coaching conversations, and providing feedback to the student and educator.
• Plans and participates in facility-wide celebrations, such as Worship Services and Memorial Services for individuals or groups.
• Encourages staff awareness of, and respect for, different expressions of spirituality through in-services and one-on-one conversations. Encourages staff to be aware of the strength that a patient/resident can experience through their beliefs and practices.
• Is aware of the sensitivities of MAiD requests within Catholic Health and responds within these expectations, to provide support to patients, residents and families.
• Participates in sharing on-call and/or back-up on-call duties, as required. Available to respond to organizational emergencies (Code Orange, Psychosocial Disaster Response Team, etc.) and act as a liaison during crisis intervention.
• Participates in Spiritual Health and Pastoral Care team activities, including team meetings, Spiritual Health Awareness Week, retreats and huddles.
• Provides all spiritual health support in accordance with the expectations of Catholic Healthcare principles and Health Ethics Guidelines. Participates in an organization’s clinical ethics discussions/reviews.
• Engages in research projects and opportunities both within and outside of the department.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Join Us and Transform Your Career in Healthcare! 

Apply today to seize this unique opportunity to specialize and advance your career within a supportive and growth-oriented environment. Be a part of our journey as we approach the grand opening of our new hospital, where you will play a key role in shaping the future of healthcare.