Associate Chaplain PRN

Marion County Public Health Department; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Part time

Job summary

Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis seeks a PRN Chaplain to provide relief and coverage for the hospital's chaplaincy staff. The role involves ministerial services across spiritual traditions, post‑mortem care, and crisis spiritual care coordination.

Responsibilities include supervising volunteers, assisting with advanced directives, organ, tissue and eye donation matters, and advocating for patients. A Bachelor of Divinity or equivalent, 1 unit of CPE, and ordination are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Divinity or equivalent required.
• One unit of CPE required from a recognized provider.
• Minimum ministerial experience; health-care background preferred.

Responsibilities

• Proactively contributes to mission; advocate, care, teach and serve.
• Provide general coverage for health system chaplaincy as needed.
• Offer spiritual counseling across traditions.
• Coordinate/implement spiritual care in crisis situations.
• Supervise volunteers and students in the department.
• Assist with advanced directives, organ, tissue, and eye donation matters.

Skills

Compassionate care

Crisis intervention

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Spiritual counseling

Cultural sensitivity

Education

Bachelor of Divinity or equivalent

Clinical Pastoral Education (1 unit)

Ordination/endorsement

Tools

None

Job description

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We asked Dawn, CEO - Eskenazi Health Center:

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What do you enjoy most about your role with Eskenazi Health Primary Care and working with the community?

We asked Dawn, CEO - Eskenazi Health Center: Q What do you enjoy most about your role with Eskenazi Health Primary Care and working with the community? Employee Q&A

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Why Eskenazi Health?

We asked Christia , Chief Human Resources Officer: Q Why Eskenazi Health? Employee Q&A

Date: Aug 27, 2026

Location: Indianapolis, IN, US, 46202

Organization: HHC

Sub-Division:Hospital

Shift:Varied

Eskenazi Health serves as the public hospital division of the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. Physicians provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty care services at the 333-bed hospital and outpatient facilities both on and off of the Eskenazi Health downtown campus including at a network of Eskenazi Health Center sites located throughout Indianapolis.

JOB SUMMARY:

The PRN Chaplain provides relief and coverage for the principal chaplaincy staff at Eskenazi Health. In the course of their duties, they provide ministerial services, commensurate with incumbent’s own spiritual traditions. This position provides respectful post-mortem care for decedents and their families, and conducts other morgue-related tasks including body releases and routine post-mortem paperwork.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Proactively contributes to Eskenazi Health mission: Advocate, Care, Teach and Serve with special emphasis on the vulnerable population of Marion County. Models Eskenazi Health valuesof Professionalism, Respect, Innovation, Development, and Excellence.
• Provides general coverage for the health system as needed or assigned.
• Provides spiritual counseling to those in need
• Provides ministerial services, commensurate with incumbent’s own spiritual tradition
• Secures provision of ministerial services for those with differing spiritual traditions
• Provides religious programming as needed in the Sanctuary.
• Provides respectful post-mortem care for decedents and their families, and conducts other morgue-related tasks including body releases and routine post-mortem paperwork
• Coordinates/implements Spiritual Care response in crisis situations
• Assists, as needed, with management of 'Haven of Hope' family respite rooms
• Supervises volunteers and students operating within the department
• Provides assistance in matters related to Advanced Directives
• Provides assistance in matters related to organ, tissue, and eye donation
• Advocates on behalf of patients in the absence of a Patient Advocate

ASSOCIATED JOB DUTIES:

• Performs other job related duties as assigned

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Successful completion of a Bachelor of Divinity, Ministry, or similar degree, or other denominationally approved/mandated educational program. Equivalency shall be determined by the Spiritual Care Manager and shall recognize the diversity of education required by various faith traditions.
• Minimum of one units of Clinical Pastoral Education from any CPE provider recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
• Minimum of one year of previous ministerial experience (health care background preferred)
• Must be ordained/commissioned/endorsed (or equivalent), and in good standing with their ecclesiastical body

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Positive professional service provision to patients, families, visitors, and staff
• Good professional judgment
• Appropriate display of initiative
• Ability to function unsupervised
• Ability to direct efforts in crisis situation when on-duty
• Knowledge of multiple modalities of ministry
• Demonstrates positive professional interaction with interdisciplinary team and community representatives
• Demonstrates flexibility to meet needs of the department
• Demonstrates personal integrity
• Ability to remain true to self without imposing views on others (proselytism will not be tolerated)

RESPONSIBILITY:

• Must take an equitable load of offered PRN shifts, both those scheduled in advance and emergent needs, on a regular basis, and across all shifts. Exceptions must be discussed and approved on a case-by-case basis.
• Maintains patient and family confidentiality
• Maintains protected health information in accordance with HIPAA privacy guidelines and regulations
• Directly supervises volunteers and students

JUDGMENT:

• Employee may work independently under the general direction of their leader

CONTACTS – INTERNAL/EXTERNAL :

• Patients, families, visitors, staff, general public, clergy and community and religious groups

SPECIAL EFFORT REQUIRED:

• Flexibility and availability is required to ensure coverage of shifts
• Must attend scheduled staff meetings
• Spiritual Care errors are not easily identified. Chief consequence of error would be the inappropriate provision of spiritual care resulting in negative effects for patients
• Work entails a broad range of pastoral services. Judgment required in identifying appropriate services to meet needs. Discretion allowed in determining methodology
• Continuing studies needed to meet the needs for individuals of various faiths
• Incumbent exposed to communicable illness and disease due to direct patient contact
• Travel required, exposing incumbent to hazards inherent to vehicular travel
• Must be able to move morgue carts from the cooler and remove the shroud cage from cart to facilitate removal (under no circumstances shall the employee assist in the physical transfer of a body from a bed, cart or other surface)

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Patient care areas, clinics, nursing offices, secured unit for prisoner-patients, external facilities in exceptional circumstances

Morgue environment, including requirement to prepare a body for viewing in exceptional circumstances per departmental policy

May be required to attend meetings or perform work remote from clinic or hospital campus

Accredited by The Joint Commission and named as one of Indiana’s best employers by Forbes magazine for two consecutive years and the top hospital in the state for community benefit by the Lown Institute , Eskenazi Health’s programs have received national recognition while also offering new health care opportunities to the local community. As the sponsoring hospital for Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services, the city’s primary EMS provider, Eskenazi Health is also home to the first adult Level I trauma center in Indiana, the first verified adult burn center in Indiana and Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, the first community mental health center in Indiana, just to name a few.