Chaplain & Bereavement Services – Hospice – (PT)
Help patients and families navigate some of life’s most difficult moments. As a Hospice Chaplain & Bereavement Specialist at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC), you’ll provide compassionate spiritual support, grief counseling, bereavement services, and guidance to patients, families, and caregivers throughout the hospice journey and beyond. You’ll be part of a collaborative team that values dignity, compassion, and caring for the whole person.
About Us
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) is an innovative, non-profit healthcare system anchored by a central hospital in Harrison, Arkansas, and 13 clinics serving the rural communities of North Arkansas. Our continuum of care includes Home Health and Hospice, including our inpatient Hospice House.
More than 750 team members provide comprehensive healthcare close to home. Guided by our values of safety, quality, integrity, and community, our mission is to provide comprehensive healthcare across North Arkansas. Our vision is to be the region’s most trusted and preferred provider—one patient, one family, one neighbor at a time.
Job Summary
The Hospice Chaplain & Bereavement Specialist provides spiritual, emotional, and bereavement support to hospice patients, families, caregivers, and survivors. This position assesses grief and bereavement needs, develops individualized care plans, provides counseling and support, coordinates community resources, facilitates grief support activities, and collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to promote continuity of care.
The ideal candidate is compassionate, an excellent listener and communicator, comfortable supporting individuals and families through grief and loss, and able to work independently while collaborating closely with an interdisciplinary hospice team.
Key Responsibilities
-
Provide compassionate spiritual counseling, emotional support, and guidance to hospice patients, families, caregivers, and survivors.
- Assess social, emotional, spiritual, and bereavement risk factors and identify individuals or families who may require additional support or intervention.
- Develop individualized bereavement care plans based on survivor needs and collaborate with the interdisciplinary team when additional resources or intervention are needed.
- Provide goal-oriented grief and bereavement interventions, including support for anticipatory grief and loss.
- Identify and appropriately respond to survivors at increased risk for emotional crisis or suicide, following established safety and referral procedures.
- Conduct home visits and timely follow-up with bereavement families according to program expectations and patient/family needs.
- Assist hospice patients and families with grief-related concerns during hospitalization and prior to discharge when needed to promote continuity of care.
- Evaluate family and home situations and connect patients, families, and survivors with appropriate community resources.
- Coordinate referrals to community agencies, organizations, counseling services, and other support resources; follow up to evaluate outcomes.
- Facilitate or coordinate individual and group grief support activities in a professional and compassionate manner.
- Support families in developing healthy coping strategies and increasing independence throughout the grieving process.
- Manage and prioritize multiple bereavement cases while providing timely, individualized support.
- Maintain accurate and timely documentation of visits, assessments, interventions, care plans, referrals, and outcomes.
- Communicate regularly with the Medical Social Worker and interdisciplinary team regarding bereavement caseloads, high-risk situations, and family needs.
- Prepare reports and updates for the interdisciplinary team regarding bereavement services and patient/family progress.
- Maintain current community resource information and referral resources for bereavement services.
- Assist with the recruitment, training, supervision, and coordination of volunteers supporting bereavement services.
- Participate in bereavement program development, service coordination, quality improvement, and evaluation.
- Assist with reviewing and updating bereavement policies, procedures, and educational materials.
- Maintain compliance with applicable hospice regulations and licensing, certification, accreditation, privacy, and confidentiality requirements.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with patients, families, physicians, hospital staff, hospice team members, community organizations, volunteers, and the public.
- Protect patient and family privacy and comply with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements.
- Demonstrate professionalism, compassion, accountability, and teamwork while representing NARMC positively in the community.
- Participate in continuing education and professional development to maintain and expand knowledge and skills related to hospice, grief, bereavement, spiritual care, and supportive counseling.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Job Qualifications
Required
-
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Religious Studies, Theology, or a related field.
- Ordained clergy person or equivalent qualification appropriate to providing spiritual and pastoral care.
- Valid Arkansas driver’s license.
- Reliable transportation for required home visits and community-based services.
- Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and work professionally with sensitive patient and family information.
- Strong communication, active listening, interpersonal, organizational, and documentation skills.
- Ability to work independently, prioritize multiple responsibilities, and respond appropriately to changing patient and family needs.
- Commitment to compassionate, patient-centered and family-centered care.
Preferred
-
Training, certification, or formal education in grief counseling, bereavement care, pastoral care, spiritual care, or supportive counseling.
- Experience providing bereavement counseling or grief support.
- Experience working with older adults, hospice, home health, healthcare, hospital, palliative care, counseling, social services, or community-based programs.
- Knowledge of local community resources and support organizations.
- Experience facilitating individual or group grief support programs.
- Experience working as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team.
- Hospice or palliative care experience.
Compensation & Schedule
-
Status: Part-time
- Schedule: Primarily weekday hours with flexibility based on patient and family needs
- Location: Home Care & Hospice – Harrison, Arkansas
- Travel: Local travel and home visits are required
- Pay: Competitive compensation based on qualifications and experience; details provided during the interview process.
Why Join Us
At NARMC, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference during some of the most important and challenging moments in a patient’s and family’s life. Our Home Care & Hospice team focuses on compassionate, whole-person care that extends beyond medical treatment to address emotional, spiritual, and family needs.
You’ll work alongside a collaborative interdisciplinary team while building meaningful relationships with patients, families, caregivers, and members of the community. At NARMC, your compassion, expertise, and commitment to serving others are valued.
Join a healthcare organization where safety, quality, integrity, and community are more than words—they guide the way we care for our patients, our families, and one another.
