Chaplain Non Cert
Company : Catholic Health Initiatives
Location : Tacoma, WA, 98405
Job Type : Full Time
Salary : 32.38-48.17 HOUR
Date Posted : 8 January 2026
Job Summary and Responsibilities
As our Chaplain, you will serve as a vital spiritual leader and compassionate caregiver within our hospital community, providing essential spiritual counseling and support to patients, families, and staff.
Every day, you will provide direct spiritual, religious, and existential care, offering compassionate presence, support, and appropriate rituals to patients, families, and staff, especially during times of crisis or grief. You will collaborate with the healthcare team to advocate for spiritual needs and integrate holistic care, ensuring respect for diverse beliefs.
To be successful in this role, you must be a highly compassionate individual, comfortable and skilled in engaging with people who may be emotional, panicked, stressed, or in pain. You'll need the proven ability to provide empathetic care, adapt to diverse spiritual needs, and communicate effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
Position Tasks
- Delivers direct spiritual care appropriate to recipient’s spirituality, culture, religious preference and health status.
- Attends to critically ill patients/families with personalized care.
- Participates in crisis intervention and participates on Code Blue teams and crisis debriefing as necessary.
- Provides and coordinates essential elements of spiritual/pastoral assessments and care to patients and families.
- Provides spiritual/pastoral care interventions.
- Documents assessments and interventions in the patient’s medical records.
- Provides ministry to and/or colleagueship with people of diverse cultures and those with disabilities.
- Collaborates with local clergy, and other spiritual leaders, to augment the patients’ faith group support system.
- Facilitates prayer and healing rites as appropriate to the area of service.
- Works closely and effectively with care managers, interdisciplinary care teams, social workers, nursing and medical staff to provide spiritual care insights.
- Attends reports, rounds, and IDT meetings on a regular basis as time allows.
- Provides information regarding Advance Directives to physicians and other care providers.
- Facilitates support groups and group debriefing where appropriate.
- Participates in family/client conferences, providing spiritual care insights.
- Provides education on spiritual care and mission as assigned.
- Prepares timely, accurate, and thorough documentation in accordance with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) standards and procedures.
- Regularly and thoroughly completes required spiritual care documentation, including charts regarding patient/client interactions, daily activity sheets, community benefits forms, and spiritual assessments.
- Provides direct spiritual consultation and spiritual and emotional support for staff experiencing work-related or personal stress, including being available for private conversations while respecting work schedules and locating private space for counseling.
- Investigates, identifies and implements strategies to more effectively use available resources to meet client needs.
- Works within the scope and expertise of a chaplain and refers to additional support as appropriate.
- Collaborates with CPE students, volunteers, and local clergy to extend spiritual care services.
- Supports the efforts of the department to recruit, train and mentor pastoral care volunteers, including assisting with the supervision of pastoral care volunteers within service.
- Offers time and instruction to CPE students assigned to clinical areas and communicates directly with the CPE Educator regarding student performance and behaviors.
- Welcomes and supports local clergy in the care of those within their spiritual and/or faith community.
- Provides education and ethical consultation for patients, family, staff and volunteers.
- Contributes to ethical consultation and family conferences in coordination with VMFH ethics, referring when appropriate.
- Assists in presenting instruction to healthcare groups, CPE students and spiritual care volunteers.
- Assists in presenting instruction to spiritual care staff resulting from chaplain performance measurement initiatives.
- Evaluates religious art and literature utilized within the health care settings.
- Participates on committees as assigned.
Job Requirements
Education/Experience/Certifications
- Bachelors Other and successful completion of four units of Clinical Pastoral education or be in their fourth unit, upon hire and
- Masters Other Enrollment in a Master’s degree in theology or associated discipline that is recognized by a chaplaincy certifying body, upon hire
- Catholic Chaplain, within 36 - months or
- Board Certified Chaplain APC, within 36 - months or
- Certified Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education, within 36 - months or
- BCC - JEWISH CHAPLAIN, within 36 - months or
- BCC - CANADIAN SPIRITUAL, within 36 - months
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has a rich history of providing exceptional healthcare, dating back to 1891. Building upon a legacy of compassionate care and innovation, our organization has evolved over the years through strategic partnerships and integrations to expand our reach and services across the Puget Sound area.
Today, as Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, we remain deeply committed to healing the whole person – body, mind, and spirit – in the communities we serve. This commitment is strengthened by the diverse expertise and shared values brought together through our growth.
Our dedicated providers offer a full spectrum of health care services, from routine wellness to complex disease management, all grounded in rigorous research and education. Our comprehensive network of 10 hospitals and nearly 300 care sites strategically located across the greater Puget Sound region reflects our ongoing commitment to accessibility and comprehensive care.
We are proud of our pioneering medical advances and numerous awards and accreditations that reflect our dedication to excellence. When you join Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, you become part of a team that delivers top-quality, professional healthcare in modern, well-equipped facilities, and contributes to a legacy of service built on collaboration and shared purpose.
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Frequently asked questions
Tacoma's healthcare environment values culturally sensitive spiritual care, especially within diverse communities. Chaplain Non Cert professionals here often engage with multifaceted spiritual needs influenced by the Pacific Northwest's unique demographic, requiring adaptive approaches that may contrast with chaplaincy roles in more homogeneous regions.
Employers in Tacoma typically seek chaplains who have completed at least four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or are progressing through these units. Certifications like board-certified chaplain (BCC) or enrollment in a master's theology program enhance candidacy given regional healthcare standards emphasizing formal spiritual care training.
At Catholic Health Initiatives, chaplains navigate a faith-driven care model that integrates Catholic values while honoring diverse beliefs. This setting demands balancing institutional spiritual traditions with personalized, inclusive support, often requiring diplomacy and deep empathy to address complex emotional and ethical situations.
By offering spiritual insights during rounds and care planning, Chaplain Non Certs enrich holistic patient care. Their collaboration with nurses, social workers, and physicians fosters a shared understanding of patients’ emotional and spiritual needs, ultimately enhancing treatment outcomes and staff resilience within a high-quality healthcare network.
Catholic Health Initiatives invests in spiritual care professionals by facilitating access to advanced Clinical Pastoral Education, mentorship programs, and participation in ethics consultations. This support system nurtures chaplains’ competencies, promotes certification attainment, and encourages leadership in pastoral care within a faith-informed healthcare setting.
Chaplain Non Cert roles in Tacoma generally offer annual salaries between $50,000 and $65,000, reflecting regional healthcare market trends and the specialized nature of spiritual care. Compensation often aligns with experience, education level, and certification progress, ensuring competitive pay for pastoral care professionals.
Tacoma's urban layout and traffic patterns can influence commute times, potentially impacting punctuality for critical care interventions like crisis response or code blue participation. Chaplains often plan schedules to accommodate local transit variability, ensuring consistent presence during essential spiritual care moments.
Tacoma exhibits steady demand for chaplains due to a robust healthcare infrastructure and diverse patient populations requiring spiritual support. Compared to larger metropolitan areas, competition may be moderate, with opportunities often influenced by hospital expansions and community health initiatives emphasizing holistic care.
Chaplain Non Certs uniquely blend clinical pastoral education progress with practical spiritual caregiving without full certification yet. Their adaptability, crisis intervention aptitude, and ability to serve diverse faith backgrounds while working under supervision set them apart from fully board-certified chaplains.
The organization embeds chaplains as essential contributors to holistic healing, encouraging active roles in spiritual assessments, interdisciplinary meetings, and ethical consultations. This integration underscores the commitment to addressing patients’ spiritual well-being alongside physical health within its care delivery model.