The 3rd Cohort of the Certificate course with faculty and guests during their in-person capstone seminar.
The Transforming Chaplaincy Certificate Program in Spiritual Care Management and Leadership, a distinctive educational offering at Rush University College of Health Sciences, is a beacon for those aspiring to lead spiritual care programs in healthcare. This program, born from a unique partnership between the Department of Health Systems Management and the Department of Religion, Health, and Human Values, provides a comprehensive approach to the complex challenges of spiritual care leadership.
We welcome applications for the 2024-2025 cohort of 30 participants for the Transforming Chaplaincy Certificate Program. It will not just be an educational experience; it will be a journey towards becoming a more effective, compassionate, and skilled leader in spiritual care. If you are committed to making a meaningful impact in this field, we invite you to explore this transformative opportunity. (The application link is below.)
Understanding leadership principles is crucial, but it is only part of the equation. Our program places a strong emphasis on the practical application of these principles. Through a blend of classroom and collaborative learning, real-world case studies, and experiential learning activities, participants can apply what they learn in various contexts. Case studies are drawn from a range of sources - the participants' own experiences, hypothetical scenarios, and real-world situations presented by faculty and guest speakers. This approach ensures that learning is not only comprehensive but also directly applicable to the challenges and opportunities participants face in their workplaces.
In the demanding field of healthcare, providing leadership for spiritual care programs is a multifaceted task. It involves integrating spiritual care into outpatient care and population health, enhancing the quality of spiritual care, and demonstrating its value in a landscape marked by diverse religious and spiritual beliefs, including those who identify as spiritual but not religious. This challenge is heightened in a financial climate that may not always appreciate the fundamental role of spiritual care in health and resiliency.
Our program addresses these challenges by equipping participants with the necessary tools for creativity, flexibility, strategic thinking, and effective health and business literacy. Emphasizing practical application, the program enables participants to apply their learning in various contexts, from managing day-to-day operations to navigating complex ethical dilemmas.
In addition to developing leadership skills, our program is deeply committed to fostering a lifelong learning mindset. The healthcare landscape is continually evolving, and agile leaders who can adapt, innovate, and grow with these changes are invaluable. We encourage this mindset through reflective practices, and small group activities carried out in a community of practice – a smaller group of learners where they can share experiences and insights, providing a rich and supportive learning environment.
The program also incorporates systems and design thinking principles, which are increasingly important in today's complex healthcare environment. These methodologies help participants to think more holistically, consider a variety of perspectives, and develop sustainable solutions to challenges they may encounter.
The curriculum is grounded in the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) Competency Model 3.0, which outlines key competencies for successful leadership in healthcare. Enabling competencies, as defined NCHL model, refer to the foundational skills and attributes that support effective leadership. Topics for developing these competencies include self-development (emotional intelligence, effective leadership characteristics, career stages; self-awareness and executive presence); values and mission orientation (aligning personal and organizational values; mission-driven leadership; and organizational ethics and ethical decision-making); and health system awareness and business literacy (finance and payment systems, managerial accounting practices, health policy; staffing and performance metrics, and performance management).
Action competencies, on the other hand, are the skills and behaviors related to the execution of tasks and achieving goals that are essential for implementing strategies and driving organizational success. This includes topics such as relationship building (managing up, down, and sideways); boundary spanning (collaboration and team building, spiritual care for staff, care coordination, population health, and fundraising); executive functioning (decision-making, and process and quality improvement processes); and transformation strategies (innovation, design thinking and user experience models, implementation science and strategies management, transformation and change models, systems thinking, and leadership in diversity, equity, inclusion global health and climate change).
By understanding these competencies and learning to apply them in their work environments, participants are better prepared to lead in the multifaceted world of spiritual care.
The program is led by LaVera Crawley, MD, MPH, OFS, a graduate of the Certificate Program and System Vice President of Spiritual and Pastoral Care for CommonSpirit Health.
Her leadership is complemented by the insights of Andy Garman, PsyD, Professor in the Department of Health Systems Management and past CEO of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the program.
Guest speakers include spiritual care leaders and healthcare leaders from across the nation.
Consisting of 65 total contact hours, the Transforming Chaplaincy Certificate Program also requires participants to dedicate additional time each week for preparation and applied learning activities. This immersive approach ensures a deep and practical understanding of both the theoretical and applied aspects of spiritual care management and leadership.