Patient wants pastor, priest or rabbi notified of hospitalization. Patient requests prayer, communion, baptism or other religious rituals. Patient is facing surgery involving disfigurement or loss of function. Family member, friend or significant other grieving the death of a patient. To interpret and explore the relationship between a person's illness, culture and the expression of spirituality.
Staff needs pastoral support when sharing bad news with patients and families.
Staff may need encouragement after dealing with a series of traumatic, stressful, grieving situations. Patient is non-compliant to treatment plan. Patient does not have strong family support system. While these are only suggestions for making referrals to Pastoral Care, please remember these are not the only times to call for a chaplain.