Interfaith Chaplain

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital; St. Johnsbury (VT); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury, VT seeks an Interfaith Chaplain to provide spiritual counseling and compassionate presence to patients, families, and staff.

You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, participate in ethics discussions, and support end-of-life care and grief processes. Reporting to the CEO, this role advances holistic, patient-centered care across faith traditions and communities, with on-call coverage and opportunities to lead services and faith

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in chaplaincy or healthcare ministry.
• Strong interpersonal, counseling, and communication skills.
• Commitment to serving diverse faith traditions.

Responsibilities

• Provide spiritual counseling, support, and guidance to patients, families, and staff, including advance care planning and crisis intervention.
• Visit newly admitted patients and provide ongoing spiritual care in collaboration with healthcare teams.
• Lead or coordinate religious services, sacraments, and connections with clergy from diverse traditions.
• Support chaplaincy programs and community initiatives, including volunteer programs and on-call coverage.
• Participate in a shared on-call rotation with evening, overnight, and weekend duties.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Counseling

Communication

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Bachelor's degree

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)

Job description

Interfaith Chaplain

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital St. Johnsbury, Vermont, United States

About this position

Provide comfort, guidance, and hope when patients and families need it most.

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) is seeking an Interfaith Chaplain to join our healthcare team in Vermont's beautiful Northeast Kingdom. This meaningful role provides spiritual care, emotional support, and compassionate presence for patients, families, and staff during some of life's most significant moments. The Chaplain serves as a trusted resource across the organization, supporting individuals of all faith traditions and beliefs while helping foster an environment of dignity, healing, and respect.

About This Role

As the Interfaith Chaplain at NVRH, you will provide spiritual counseling, guidance, and support to patients, families, and staff throughout the hospital. You will play a vital role in helping individuals navigate illness, grief, end-of-life decisions, and periods of crisis while collaborating closely with multidisciplinary care teams. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Chaplain is also an active member of the Ethics Committee and serves as a bridge between patients, families, healthcare providers, and community faith leaders. This position offers an opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of others while helping advance NVRH's commitment to holistic, patient-centered care.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide spiritual counseling, support, and guidance to patients, families, and staff, including assistance with advance care planning, end-of-life decision-making, grief support, and crisis intervention.
• Visit newly admitted patients and provide ongoing spiritual care while collaborating with healthcare teams to support individual needs and promote healing.
• Lead or coordinate religious services, sacraments, religious rites, and connections with clergy and faith leaders from diverse traditions.
• Support and coordinate chaplaincy-related programs and community initiatives, including volunteer programs, remembrance services, community interfaith events, and on-call chaplain coverage.
• Participation in a shared on-call rotation is required. The schedule will be developed collaboratively with the chaplain team and will include evening coverage, overnight call, and weekend responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Previous experience in chaplaincy, spiritual care, pastoral ministry, healthcare ministry, or a related role.
• Strong interpersonal, counseling, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively with patients, families, staff, and community members.
• Commitment to serving individuals from diverse faith traditions, cultural backgrounds, and belief systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• One unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or equivalent pastoral care training preferred.
• Knowledge of healthcare environments, medical terminology, and hospital operations.
• Experience supporting individuals and families through grief, loss, serious illness, and end-of-life care.

About NVRH

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital is located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom. We are a community, not-for-profit, acute care, critical access hospital dedicated to providing exceptional care close to home. The organization offers primary and preventive care, surgical and specialty services, inpatient and outpatient care, as well as 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency services. NVRH serves more than 33,000 residents throughout Caledonia and southern Essex Counties and employs over 700 dedicated staff members. Aligned with community partners, NVRH values and invests in efforts to address social conditions that support well-nourished, well-housed, physically healthy, mentally healthy, and financially secure communities.

Why Join Our Team?

Join a healthcare team dedicated to caring for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. NVRH offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Student loan repayment and tuition reimbursement
• Generous paid time off
• Complimentary gym membership
• Affordable and comprehensive health, dental, and vision plan choices
• 401(k) with employer match
• Additional employee perks

Build a meaningful career where your presence, compassion, and guidance make a lasting difference for patients, families, and colleagues every day.