APC e-News March 2010

A Dictionary of Patients' Spiritual & Cultural Values for Health Care Professionals
Cultural & Spiritual Sensitivity - A Learning Module for Health Care Professionals

Soon to be added to the Web page is a new implementation guide developed by the Joint Commission, which called upon the expertise of board certified chaplains affiliated with the Association of Professional Chaplains and HealthCare Chaplaincy.

2010 Webinars to Offer Wealth of Continuing Education

by Brian Hughes

The Association of Professional Chaplains is committed to helping its members find opportunities for excellent continuing education. We recognize that roughly only 20 percent of our members are able to physically attend our national conference in any given year, often due to money and time constraints, so we have sought to find ways of bringing the same kind of high-quality educational opportunities provided at our national conferences to our members in their own professional context.

We have begun a series of APC Professional Chaplaincy Webinars - which are basically a conference call with a concurrent online presentation and discussion - that are priced at cost for APC. This means that all of our membership will have the opportunity to be present for our outstanding educational content on a monthly basis beginning in May. Presenters are among the top in their field, and topics will encompass pastoral care research, evidence-based best practices, diversity, clinical expertise and professionalism within the field of chaplaincy.

We are excited by the depth, breadth and quality of the Webinars we have to offer. The first three for 2010 are:

Ethics in a Postmodern World II, presented by Joretta Marshall, professor of pastoral theology, pastoral care and counseling at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX. May 19, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

Ten Stories Three Streams: Teaching Tales from Buddhism II, presented by Rev. Jennifer Block, director of public education, and Carlyle Coash MA BCC, hospice chaplain, of Zen Hospice Project, San Francisco, CA. June 9, 12:30 p.m to 2:00 p.m. Central Time.

Working with the Confused Patient: Introduction to Delirium and Dementia for Chaplains, presented by David Harrison MD PhD, acting assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine, and attending psychiatrist at UW Medical Center. July 14, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

Each Webinar will offer 90 minutes of content for a low price of $55 per site. This means that you can gather staff chaplains, directors, CPE students, volunteers and other interested parties in a conference room to participate in the Webinar for one registration fee of $55 per facility. All that is needed is a phone and a computer with Internet access. Participants will be able to ask questions by phone and interact with the presenter online, as Q&A time is built into each Webinar.

In an exciting parallel addition, George Fitchett PhD BCC and Patricia Murphy PhD BCC have agreed to help our membership become more research literate. They are offering a Webinar course called Introduction to Pastoral Research that will allow up to 30 chaplains to participate in learning how to select, read, evaluate and implement clinical evidence-based research. This Webinar course will help chaplains become comfortable approaching research and to help chaplains develop initial research literacy by:

Emphasizing skills for reading research and dispelling the concern that all chaplains should be active investigators
Describing ways in which science can inform professional practice without conflicting with religious beliefs
Introducing key concepts in biomedical research by a close reading of selected research articles relevant for chaplains' spiritual care
Introducing evidence about the harmful effects of religious struggle and its implications for chaplains
Providing information to help chaplains find additional research relevant for their work.

The course of five 90-minute classes will only cost $340, and will be held on the following dates and times: Tuesdays from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Central Time on September 7, October 5, November 9, December 7 and January 11. Participants will be able to have some of the leading experts in pastoral research guide them through how it is done, and what impact it can have on their practice.

Complete details and registration will be available later this month at the APC Store under Educational Webinars. If you missed any of last year's outstanding Webinars, Webinar Recordings are available.

Chaplain Brian P. Hughes BCC of Dallas, TX, is a stay-at-home dad. Previously, he was a staff chaplain at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He serves as Education Committee chair and 2010 Conference Workshops Subcommittee chair. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Finance Committee Reports Progress
by Dan Duggan BCC

Dick Haines, the APC treasurer, will give the financial numbers in his article about the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31, 2009. What I want to report is that the finance committee worked faithfully during a difficult financial year to understand the financial landscape - within and beyond APC - and then present a solid, proposed budget for the board to discuss. The proposed budget was tied to strategic objectives during a time that APC had to scale back its staffing while maintaining services to the membership. The committee would not have been able to do its work without the able help of our treasurer, the national office, our officers, board members and the APC membership.

Our association is once again on solid financial ground, thanks to a very large village working together. Because of a solid, proposed budget, the APC board was able to reflect upon and make the decisions that would help us meet the challenges of these difficult times. The Finance Committee also proposed a realistic strategy to bring APC back to its minimum reserve policy of 50% within four years. The board discussed and approved this strategy, and referred it back to the committee to monitor.

Great things are happening for the future of APC. The APC Development Committee, which is under the umbrella of the Finance Committee, is hard at work creating opportunities for membership giving and additional external fundraising. Chairperson Clarke Mundhenke, our former treasurer, came out of retirement to lead the Development Committee at this time. Thank you, membership, for stepping up to the plate with your support, prayers, and financial gifts to help underwrite the work of APC while we were in the middle of some of the worst of the storm.

This is my final year to chair the APC Finance Committee. It has been a privilege to be a member and chair of the committee. A couple of years ago, I was able to host a summer Finance Committee meeting here at Goodwin House in Falls Church, VA, since half of our committee at the time lived in the area, which certainly is pretty in summertime.

In retrospect, it has been my overall goal to educate the committee members about the finances of APC, the APC budget process, and the relationship between the finance committee and the board. The committee has a strong, talented membership. They will be ready to prepare yet another budget for these times and deal with any other issues that arise.

I offer my gratitude to the members of APC, who allowed me to serve these many years. I offer my committee colleagues my best wishes as they do their part to help lead APC into the future. Peace, my friends.

Daniel R. Duggan MDiv BCC is director of clinical pastoral education at Goodwin House Inc., a continuous care retirement center in Alexandria, VA. He serves as chair of the Finance Committee and may be contacted at [email protected].

APC Treasurer Reviews Last Fiscal Year
by Richard B. Haines BCC

This was the most difficult financial year I have ever experienced during my professional career. Companies and organizations across all economic sectors felt the impact of the recession, and APC was no exception. Our fiscal year (Nov. 1, 2008 to Oct. 31, 2009) began with a severe drop in the value of all invested funds. The result was that APC began its fiscal year with a major reduction in our reserve funds. In two months, the reserve funds went from a minimum level of about 27% of budget to about 10% of budget.

This led the board to make some very hard, but essential, budget revisions the APC Board of Directors focused on our core business items, and the staff with the leadership of Carol Pape, operations manager, looked for every conceivable savings in expenses. In addition, members of APC responded with terrific support to the board's fundraising requests.

The most difficult financial decision was the need to reduce national staff by 2.5 FTEs. This included an administrative position, the development officer and the interim executive director. The remaining staff members have taken on additional responsibilities, striving to keep the office functioning effectively, and serving the membership well and in a timely manner. Rita Kaufman, as marketing and public relations manager, continued working to convert print media to electronic formats and to develop the APC Professional Chaplaincy Webinars.

During this year, Pat Appelhans joined the national office as executive director, bringing a wealth of experience in association management, law and development that will build the strength of APC.

From my perspective as treasurer, the board acted responsibly and with careful diligence while remaining focused on the mission of APC and, with the help of staff, actually began several new initiatives. Thanks to all for your efforts!

The actual post-audit financial results are as follows:

Revenue: Budget - $1,086,693; Actual - $1,099,265

Expenses: Budget - $1,000,697; Actual - $965,871
Net Income: Budget - $85,996; Actual - $147,394
Net assets at end of FY09: $288,546 - 34%

Again, thanks to everyone for their efforts during a very difficult year. However, we need to continue to strengthen our reserve funds. Thanks to John Simon's work on the Finance Committee, the board has approved a process that will restore the reserves to the required level of 50 percent of the operating budget. The goal is accomplish this within no more than four years. Your help and support will help us accomplish this goal.

Dr. Richard B. Haines DMin BCC, treasurer of APC, is the director of Chaplaincy Services at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, VA. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Publications Task Force Seeks to Meet Members' Publication Needs

by Martha Jacobs BCC

In the September APC e-News, we announced the formation of a Publications Task Force to look at the APC publications and see how we can better serve our membership. The task force has been working on several fronts, so we want to give you a brief report as to where we are, since we promised to do so.

The Publications Task Force members r

ecognized that, as a professional organization, APC needs to help members improve their research/writing skills. We discussed starting a new journal, but decided that it would be better stewardship of our resources to enhance what we already offer.

We took a closer look at Chaplaincy Today with respect to what it currently provides to our members, as well as what we could add to meet APC's goals of advancing the profession of chaplaincy and providing continuing education. We are considering adding two new intentional foci to CT: One would be an article that reports research that is ongoing or completed by our members. The second would be a "how to" article that explores some aspect of the research process.

We are also looking at ways to match up chaplains who want to do research with those who have done solid research, so that we can concentrate on growing the body of research articles that will move our profession forward.

Stay tuned - more to come! Please send your comments about this to me at [email protected].

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs BCC is the managing editor of PlainViews, published by HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York, NY. She serves as chair of the Communications and Publications council.

APC and HCC Advocate for Chronic Pain Care
by Rev. George Handzo BCC

As the debate on health care reform goes on, it is important for the professional chaplaincy care community to be reminded that chronic pain continues to be one of the most pernicious, debilitating and pervasive conditions afflicting our patients. Every day in our practice we interact with people whose spiritual pain is rooted in physical pain that saps their hope and even their will to live. We come face-to-face with the reality that medical professionals often have neither the tools nor the training to even control, let alone eliminate this pain. It is this reality which led the Association of Professional Chaplains and HealthCare Chaplaincy to endorse the report of the Mayday Fund Special Committee on Pain and the Practice of Medicine.

This report calls for increased recognition of pain as a chronic condition and better training for health care providers in the treatment of pain. While our particular expertise as chaplains is care for the spirit, we understand the connection of spirit, mind, and body and stand ready to partner with other health care professionals in the promotion of care for the whole person. The Mayday Fund report continues to be an opportunity for chaplains to raise up the issue of pain in all its dimensions as our nation grapples with how we are going to provide health care to all who need it.

Rev. George Handzo BCC, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, is vice president of pastoral care leadership and practice at HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York City. He is a past president of APC and currently serves on the Standards of Practice Acute Care Work Group. He may be contacted at [email protected].

What Members Say About APC Membership and Board Certification

Recently in an online discussion forum, a chaplain overseas asked about the value and benefits of APC membership and of being a board certified chaplain. Several APC members responded with what they appreciate about membership and certification. Their words are shared here with their permission.

Mark LaRocca-Pitts BCC, Athens, GA: "The value of being a BCC? Adds three more letters behind my name. More seriously, it indicates a professional level that I have striven to achieve. It, hopefully, indicates to other chaplains and potential employees that I can work as a chaplain at a level commensurate with other clinical professionals. It, ideally, suggests an industry standard (that is still in process).

"What does APC 'do' for me? Professionally, it advocates with various agencies on a national and local level for standards of care they can expect for a BCC. They also develop, and then advocate for, an industry standard that is BCC. They provide conferences and publications that enable me to develop myself professionally. They encourage and support research across the industry.

"Personally, APC increases the size of 'my world' such that it includes a national stage on which I can interact with other professionals. It provides publications in which I can publish my ideas. It provides a vast network of connections with other professionals for travel, job opportunities and news. It provides me with colleagues and friends. It helped me meet you."

Rich Hoffman BCC, Saratoga Springs, NY:
"Board certification means I have demonstrated meeting competencies and standards established by APC and the other cognate groups. I think the CE requirements and the five-year peer review requirement have added needed backbone to our certification. My employing organization, colleagues, patients and others can have reasonable assurance that they can depend on me to provide competent spiritual care.

"As for what APC does for me. A lot. Annual meeting: When I am able to go the meeting provides educational and collegial support. State level opportunities: I serve on certification and peer review committees and I have been the NYS state chair for two terms.

"A colleague in our region had his position saved from a reduction to part time by APC advocacy and the advocacy of local clergy."

Gordon Putnam BCC, Charlottesville, VA: "One benefit of APC and its certification is quality chaplaincy. Certification is not a panacea but it affords at least a minimal assurance for hospitals and other employers that there is a competence...We constantly talk about competence and worry about [how] people who don't have any training can call themselves chaplains. There is also accountability in being a member or BCC of APC. I must do a certain amount of continuing education, I must follow a code of ethics, I must be part of a community of believers, and the list goes on. I have a lot of trouble when chaplains say they are 'certifiable' because they have all the requirements to be a BCC."

Nancy Piggott BCC, Salt Lake City, UT: "I will affirm all the positive comments about APC board certification and add that the process of writing the materials for a board certification interview really helped me to analyze my practice - why I do what I do and how I do it. It created a coherence in my understanding that is very valuable to me. And my interviewers were chaplains with whom I totally enjoyed talking about our craft. Board certification is well worth it."

Chaplaincy Today Makes Content Easier to Search

by Rozann Shackleton BCC

Beginning with the next issue, Chaplaincy Today will offer an enhanced table of contents (TOC) for institutional libraries, APC members, subscribers, students and researchers. The TOC will include key words and a brief description of each article, along with the title and author(s).

The TOC will be sent along with the announcement of each issue's posting on the Web site. APC members are requested to invite their librarians to sign up for this mailing by contacting [email protected].

A continuing goal of APC is to make Chaplaincy Today more easily accessible both to APC members and to others seeking information on specific topics. The expanded TOC will include short article summaries to aid individuals utilizing the search engine on the Chaplaincy Today Web page or the search engines used by universities, seminaries and institutional libraries for research.

Currently, Chaplaincy Today articles are abstracted in Religious and Theological Abstracts Inc. Abstracts and full text are available through the ATLA Religion Database, published by the American Theological Library Association. In addition, full text is available through EBSCO's Religion Database. Chaplaincy Today is available to libraries by subscription to these databases. In addition, institutions and individuals may purchase subscriptions or single issues through the APC store. Members receive complimentary subscriptions as a dues benefit.

Chaplain Rozann Allyn Shackleton MDiv BCC serves as editor of Chaplaincy Today. She may be contacted at [email protected].

APC Ramps Up Communication with Members and Public

by Patricia F. Appelhans JD

As part of an ongoing effort to communicate more frequently with members about association plans, goals and activities, APC will publish committee, commission and council reports in APC e-News. This issue includes reports from the Finance Committee chair, treasurer and Commission on Quality in Pastoral Services chair. Reports from other leaders will follow throughout the year.

In the past, APC published an Annual Book of Reports, which included reports from each CCC chair. This was printed and distributed to conference attendees each year. Last year, instead of being printed, it was posted in the Members Only section of the APC Web site.

Now members will get timely reports directly from volunteer leaders on the activities of the APC commissions, committees, councils throughout the year in APC e-News. The reports will also be archived for future reference in Members Only under Reports from the Leadership.

To enhance communication beyond the membership, APC will soon publish a brief Annual Report to inform the public and potential donors about APC, including highlights of its activities and financial results for the year.

Patricia F. Appelhans JD is executive director of APC. She may be contacted at [email protected].

Membership Tip of the Month

Clarifying What Constitutes Continuing Education

by Jodie Futornick BCC

As we have ended the first year of the new continuing education reporting requirements, the Education Committee continues to identify areas that may require clarification. Following are a few more helpful hints:

1. For people who serve on peer review committees other than their own, these hours should be recorded in Category 7, "Service to APC that is educational to you," which is capped at a maximum of 10 hours.

2. For hours spent teaching or leading groups:

If a chaplain is preparing a series of classes, each on a different topic and each requiring preparation, then the prep hours for each individual class are legitimate continuing education. For example, a pastoral care department director provides a six-week lecture series on bereavement, with a curriculum as follows: Week 1: Understanding grief and bereavement; Week 2: Grief in Children; Week 3: Grief around the holidays; and so on.
If, however, a chaplain provides the same class or training on a regular basis, then the hours may only be claimed once. For example, a monthly lecture to new associates on the process of ethics consultation, or a community presentation repeated at several area churches about the history and appropriate use of advance directives.
If a chaplain leads a group each week as part of a regular job description, for which little or no preparation is required, the group time may not be counted as continuing education. For example, a weekly spiritual support group in which the agenda is left open to the needs of the attendees.

We hope that this information serves as a helpful guide as you plan your continuing education program for 2010. Forms for 2010 reporting are available in the Continuing Education section of the APC Web site under Continuing Education Guidelines and Forms.

Rabbi Jodie Futornick MA BCC is a staff chaplain at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Barrington, IL. She serves as a member of the Education Committee and may be contacted at [email protected].

PCNSR Plans Peace Outing to Schaumburg Islamic Center April 13

by Lerrill White BCC

The Pastoral Care Network For Social Responsibility, in conjunction with the 2010 APC Annual Conference, will host its annual Freedom Ride, Dinner & Peace Walk.

The Midwest Islamic Center & Mosque, in Schaumburg, IL will be our destination this year. We will gather in the Renaissance Hotel lobby at approximately 4:00 pm on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 and board our "freedom bus." We will travel to the restaurant Lazzat, where we will be greeted by the owner and his wife, who is the restaurant's chef. The restaurant's owner is a trustee at the Islamic Center & Mosque. We will be treated to a special dinner buffet, which I'm sure will be greatly enjoyed by all.

A five minute walk up the street after dinner will take us to the Islamic Center and Mosque. As we arrive, we will be greeted by our host for the evening. We will have a speaker or two share with us some of the emotional, spiritual, & cultural needs of Muslim patients and families during health crises. Perhaps we will also be able to have a conversation regarding social justice and peace in Islamic teachings. If time allows, there will be an opportunity for questions and dialogue.

Our plan is to time our tour of the Islamic Center and the Mosque, so we will have the opportunity to join our hosts in evening prayer. After this sacred time together we will re-board the "freedom bus" and return to the hotel. This will be a rich and rewarding experience, and we hope you will join us.

Rev. Lerrill J. White is a chaplain at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, TX. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Participate in National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16

National Healthcare Decisions Day is dedicated to helping Americans understand that making future health care decisions includes much more than deciding what care they would or would not want; it starts with expressing preferences, clarifying values, identifying care preferences and selecting an agent to express health care decisions if patients are unable to speak for themselves.

APC is a National Healthcare Decisions Day participating organization. As chaplains, APC members have a vital role in helping patients, families and staff navigate the spiritual, emotional and logical process of making and planning health care decisions.

The National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) initiative is a collaborative effort of national, state and community organizations committed to ensuring that all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their health care decisions.

Information and resources are available on the National Healthcare Decisions Day Web site.

APC Offers Limited-Edition Reprint of Anton Boisen Book

The APC History Committee has arranged for a limited-edition reprinting of Anton Boisen's landmark book, "Out of the Depths: An Autobiographical Study of Mental Disorder and Religious Experience."

Pre-order your copy online at the APC Store now through Sunday, March 7. APC will not be carrying this book in inventory in the future, so be sure to submit your order and payment by the deadline.

Summary by Anton Boisen: "This is my own case record. I offer it as a case of valid religious experience which was at the same time madness of the most profound and unmistakable variety. It gives support to my central thesis that certain forms of mental disorder and certain forms of religious experience are closely interrelated. Mental disorder is, I hold, the price humanity has to pay for having the power of choice and the capacity for growth, and in some of its forms it is a manifestation of healing power analogous to fever or inflammation in the body."

216 pages. Copyright 1960, Harper & Brothers, New York, NY.

To be reprinted ONLY for APC in a perfect-bound paperback edition. Pre-orders taken online now through March 7, 2010.

Shipping will be added to each order. Orders will ship in late April. Alternatively, you can opt to pick up your copy at the 2010 APC Annual Conference in Schaumburg, IL April 10-14, 2010 by typing in the Promo Code IBKDISC1 on the payment screen, and the shipping cost will be deducted from your order.

Don't miss this opportunity to get a copy of this affordable limited-edition reprint of Boisen's book. A popular online book seller recently listed a used copy of "Out of the Depths" for more than four times this price. New copies are not available from any other store or online retailer. Member price: $30. Nonmember price: $45.

Contact Us

APC e-News is the official newsletter of the Association of Professional Chaplains. If you would like to contribute an article, recommend a topic for a future issue or offer feedback, please contact the editor, Rita Kaufman CAE, APC marketing and public relations manager, at [email protected].