Hospital Chaplain

HCA Healthcare, Inc.; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

401(k) match

Education support

Paid time off

Job summary

HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital seeks a Spiritual Care Coordinator to lead the hospital’s spiritual care program, overseeing chaplains and staff while promoting whole-person care across patient and family encounters.

You will partner with interdisciplinary teams, prepare budgets, and respond to crises, ensuring compassionate end-to-life care and professional chaplaincy standards throughout the facility.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required with theological training.
• Minimum of five years of chaplaincy or pastoral care experience.
• Minimum of two years in a leadership or supervisory role preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide spiritual care for patients, families, and staff across hospital sites.
• Oversee daily operations of the spiritual care department.
• Supervise chaplains and chaplain contractors.
• Develop departmental goals and measure performance.
• Coordinate staffing, budgets, and reports.
• Lead staff debriefings after traumatic events.

Skills

Spiritual care leadership

Staff supervision & coaching

Crisis response planning

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Operations and budgeting support

Education

Master's Degree in Divinity/Theology

Board Certification (APC/NACC/ACPE) or eligible

ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) 4 units

Job description

Last year our HCA Healthcare colleagues invested over 156,000 hours volunteering in our communities. As a Pastoral Care Coordinator (also known as Chaplain) with HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital you can be a part of an organization that is devoted to giving back!

Job Summary and Qualifications

The Spiritual Care Coordinator (also known as Pastoral Care Coordinator or Chaplain) provides co-leadership, co-coordination, and oversight of the hospital's spiritual care program. This position ensures compassionate, patient-centered spiritual and emotional support for patients, families, visitors, and staff, provides leadership to the Medical Ethics Committee while promoting the organization's mission, values, and commitment to whole-person care. The Coordinator supervises chaplains, Chaplain Contractors and spiritual care staff, co-develops departmental goals, manages daily operations, and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient experience.

What you will do:

• Provide spiritual care and support for Physicians, staff, patients, and families.
• Assist the Director of Spiritual Care and Outreach in providing leadership and oversight for the daily operations of the department at all hospital sites including the free-standing Emergency rooms.
• Supervise, coach, mentor, and evaluate chaplains.
• Assist Director in developing departmental goals, strategic initiatives, and performance metrics aligned with organizational objectives.
• Manage staffing schedules to ensure adequate spiritual care coverage, including weekends, holidays, and on-call services.
• Assist the Director in preparing and managing departmental budgets, resources, and operational reports.
• Assist the Director in compiling monthly payroll, Chaplain schedules and monthly reports.
• Participate in leadership meetings, committees, and organizational initiatives.
• Respond to crisis situations, trauma activations, end-of-life situations, and critical incidents.
• Facilitate spiritual assessments and interventions consistent with professional chaplaincy standards.
• Assist in developing programs that support employee resilience, wellness, and emotional well-being.
• Lead or coordinate staff debriefings following traumatic events, patient deaths, and critical incidents
• Develop and maintain relationships with community clergy, faith-based organizations, and local religious leaders.
• Coordinate community outreach programs and faith partnerships that support hospital initiatives.
• Represent the hospital at community events, memorial services, and interfaith gatherings
• Monitor quality indicators and patient experience metrics related to spiritual care.
• Maintain accurate documentation in the electronic medical record for every patient encounter

What qualifications you will need:

• Master's Degree in Divinity, Theology, Pastoral Care, Religious Studies, or related field required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of chaplaincy or pastoral care experience.
• Minimum of two (2) years of leadership or supervisory experience preferred. Healthcare chaplaincy experience strongly preferred.
• Certification Board Certification(or Board Eligible) through a recognized chaplaincy organization preferred, such as: Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) Ecclesiastical endorsement, when applicable.
• Must have completed 4 units of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) with ACPE (Association of Clinical Pastoral Education)

Benefits

HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital, offers a total rewards package that supports the health, life, career and retirement of our colleagues. The available plans and programs include:

• Comprehensive benefitsfor medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health and telemedicine services
• Wellbeing support,including free counseling and referral services
• Time away from workprograms for paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage and leaves of absence
• Savings and retirement resources, including a 401(k) Plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay (based on years of service), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, flexible spending accounts, preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support and financial wellbeing counseling
• Education supportthrough tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing
• Additional benefitsfor fertility and family building, adoption assistance, life insurance, supplemental health protection plans, auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection and consumer discounts

Learn more about Employee Benefits

Note: Eligibility for benefits may vary by location.

Founded in 1975, HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital has been serving patients and families throughout Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties for 50 years. As a 320+ bed Level II Trauma Center, HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital provides comprehensive healthcare services, advanced specialty care, and 24/7 emergency treatment, earning recognition as the #1 Trauma Center in the Lowcountry.

Key Highlights

• Award-winning Heart Center
• Home to the South Carolina Institute for Robotic Surgery
• Comprehensive breast health services through the Trident Breast Care Center
• Features the Joseph M. Still Burn Clinic, the region’s only outpatient burn clinic for patients of all ages
• Provides 24/7 Hospitalist and Intensivist coverage
• Healthgrades Five-Star recipient for cardiovascular care, neurosciences, critical care, and patient safety outcomes

Expanded Emergency Access

In addition to emergency departments at Trident Medical Center and Summerville Medical Center, the health system operates four freestanding emergency rooms (FSERs) offering 24/7 emergency care:

• Brighton Park Emergency (Summerville)
• Centre Pointe Emergency (North Charleston)
• James Island Emergency (Charleston)
• Moncks Corner Medical Center (Berkeley County)
• Long Point Free Standing ED coming soon!

Together, these facilities provide convenient, around-the-clock access to emergency services across the greater Charleston region.

\"There is so much good to do in the world and so many different ways to do it.\"- Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr.
HCA Healthcare Co-Founder

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.