Ticked off a Chaplin today

[pielęgniarka, RN]

Ok, here's the scenario. I work as charge nurse in a LTC center. Had a resident pass away today at 100+ years old, the resident had been on comfort cares so it was rather expected. Notified the MD, funeral home, & extended family. I asked the family if they would like me to call the Chaplin (part of our protocol being a Catholic based organization) and they stated they did not need me to do that. So I let the funeral home remove the body. The family said that over the weekend, they prayed said their good-byes, had some good closure.

Then at the end of my shift, a very P.O'd Chaplin comes storming through the doors, wondering why no one called him to let him know the resident was actively dying OR when the resident passed away. I told him the family declined Chaplin services when I asked at the T.O.D; and then Chaplin interrupted my explanation and said I should have called anyway so he could at least bless the body before it was removed. The family declined though!! I tried to tell the Chaplin that there was nothing in her chart to indicate I needed to do this, but he was not interested in listening and he turned around and left.

No wonder I stopped going to church. What are the protocols at the nursing homes and hospitals you work at? Does the Chaplin come visit all the deceased whether they want it or not, or only if family and or resident wishes? Is the Chaplin obligated or something to bless a body?

[birdgardner]

Had the chaplain been seeing the pt and providing spiritual care during his/her stay in the LTC? Then he would have an obligation to the pt and the body regardless of the family's wishes. If so he could have explained that to you without anger.

Does the facility have a protocol that the chaplain comes to all dead Catholic residents, Christian residents, residents? You can find out from admin. If it bothers the family, he doesn't have to do it when they are there.

You are right; it doesn't help when representatives of the Church treat you with anger or discourtesy. I'm sorry you ran into that.

[RNfromMN, BSN, RN]

I don't know what our policy is (I also work in LTC), but all I would need to hear is that the family didn't want the chaplain there & that would have been the end of the story for me. Assuming, of course, there wasn't anything indicated in pt's chart about wanting a member of the clergy there in there last moments.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

When I worked in the LTC area we were a Methodist facility and we had a chaplain like this. I was told upfront when I started employment there that even if the family did not need the chaplain that we were to call him anyway and tell him the families wishes.

This isn't to say I think you did anything wrong at all. I was probably told that upfront because some other nurse had gone through a similar situation to yours.

[CHATSDALE]

if you did not know the patient wishes then you could not have done otherwise

if the patient and the clergyman had been seeing each other then it would probably have been a good thing to call him when it was apparent patient was in last hours..i am not a catholic but i believe that they have a 'last rites' which should have been available to patient

priest should not have taken his anger out on you

[justme1972]

if you did not know the patient wishes then you could not have done otherwise

if the patient and the clergyman had been seeing each other then it would probably have been a good thing to call him when it was apparent patient was in last hours..i am not a catholic but i believe that they have a 'last rites' which should have been available to patient

priest should not have taken his anger out on you

I'm Catholic, and they do. They don't call it "last rites" anymore (and in my sleep deprived state the new name just flew out my head).

In the event that a priest is not available to do so, the church permits anyone who knows the prayer to perform it.

It is also not for the dying anymore. The church will permit a priest to do it (or other Catholic), if the patient is gravely ill.

[Jolie, BSN]

chatsdale mentions the Catholic Sacrament of the Sick. If a Catholic patient was dying and had an on-going relationship with a priest, in all likelihood, he had already received this sacrament.

The OP followed the family's wishes, and has done nothing wrong.

I'm sorry that the chaplain acted out. He was in the wrong.

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

I had to opposite thing s happen once. I called the priest on call to give a dying pt the Sacrament of the Sick. He was really nasty with me on the phone. He said "I just took a shower and got ready for bed. Now, I have to get dressed and go out again!"

And then- he never showed up!

This guy was on call and agreed to this. I hate to call a priest a jerk, but he was.

[Jolie, BSN]

On a lighter note, the mention of the Sacrament of the Sick reminds me of a funny story.

Hubby's Aunt was a non-practicing Catholic. Other than our wedding 20 years ago, I don't think she could recall the last time she went to church. When her hubby died, leaving her in poor health, she was admitted to a nursing home. For reasons none of us could understand, she insisted on a Catholic home. As part of their practice of the faith, they would have a priest come on a regular basis and administer the Sacrament of the Sick. Auntie lived in the nursing home for almost 7 years, and we had long since lost count of how many times she had received the sacrament. We often joked that she was on the fast track to the pearly gates. She died about a year and a half ago, and it makes me chuckle to think that she had some kind of secret pass to the head of the line due to the number of times she was anointed.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Of course, the chaplain was wrong. Is there a nursing supervisor that can intervene and explain to him what the scenerio was? I would not have done anything different, either, especially if I never saw in notes or witnessed any clergyman visiting the patient privately.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

So, they do not call it the Act of Extreme Unction anymore? Sorry, I'm Church of Christ, lapsed at that. Just wondering.

I am so sorry you went through that. Happens a lot, though. I stopped attending at 15 when my Sunday school teacher (an elder) told me that my sainted Grandmother and my best friend were both going to Hell because they were Methodist! I got up and walked out then and there.

Some people have no business in certain positions if they are not going to uphold the values that those positions represent. Sorry for the hijack.

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

I'm Catholic, and they do. They don't call it "last rites" anymore (and in my sleep deprived state the new name just flew out my head).

In the event that a priest is not available to do so, the church permits anyone who knows the prayer to perform it.

It is also not for the dying anymore. The church will permit a priest to do it (or other Catholic), if the patient is gravely ill.

They call it "The Sacrament of the Sick" I work LTC. In my company all the residents recieve this whether they are dieing or not every 6 months. I had a pt, actively passing, the family requested the blessing. I called around for 4 hours until I finally found a priest (from a church over 30 minutes away from us) who came right over. While he was there I requested the blessing for another pt who was also dieing. He was kind enought to do so. Believe it or not, Activities became irrate when they heard I had both women blessed. It was thier job to have this done and the pt's were both given the sacrament 3 months earlier! They tried to get me written up for overstepping my bounds. Once I explained the family requested the priest, the DON stood up for me. But, now we have to look up a list to see when the priest was there last before we call them.