An Interview with Rev. Angelika Zollfrank

April 16, 2010

At Mass General, chaplains work alongside healthcare providers striving to create, sustain and renew a compassionate and caring environment. Reverend Angelika Zollfrank, the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) supervisor, talks to about how healthcare chaplains influence patient care and the Mass General Clinical Pastoral Education program

Why do you believe spiritual care is important?
Patients come to the hospital to get medical care. They don’t come for spiritual care. However, we are guided by the needs of our patients, and it is important for many patients that their spiritual needs are met. At Mass General we are committed to care for the whole person: body, mind and spirit. Any hospitalization reminds us that we are human, vulnerable and finite. Chaplains are a listening ear and a reassuring voice. We create a space to reflect on what is happening always with an eye on what is spiritually and emotionally meaningful to patients.

How do you decide which chaplain visits which patient?
Chaplains are assigned to specific clinical service areas. We also have specialized chaplains. We have an oncology chaplain and a pediatric chaplain, etc. Our job is not to superimpose any religious or spiritual beliefs on anyone. Rather we are here to support patients’ belief systems. We are a very diverse group of chaplains, and we do our best to accommodate faith-specific requests. But generally, our experience is that patients appreciate our interfaith ministry.

How does this pastoral work impact patient care?
As chaplains we have time to sit and listen. We help patients draw on their inner resources to cope. We enter into patients’ worry and sorrow and help families reconnect with hope. Many patients are grateful that someone prays with them. We also offer faith-specific rituals or sacraments. We guide patients in meditation or simply read a poem. We also provide 24/7 on-call coverage. So when something awful happens in the night, we are here. We don’t want people to be alone when bad things happen.
One of my students visited a patient who despite medication was in terrible pain. After checking in with the nurse, the chaplain intern spent about an hour simply holding her hand, listening as she cried, praying with her and helping her relax. At the end of this time, the patient said, “You are my angel. I am so glad you came.”

What does training in chaplaincy involve?
Chaplains are ordained leaders of their religious communities. They also have extensive training in the hospital. Mass General offers a rich and exciting learning environment. Our chaplains are by-and-large board certified. This is a standard that some smaller hospitals and agencies still strive to achieve. In our CPE program, students learn counseling skills. They learn about clinical ethics. But most importantly, they learn to be versatile in using effectively the resources of multiple religious and cultural beliefs. I often compare religious beliefs with languages. As chaplains, we need to be able to speak many different languages.

What is unique about the Mass General CPE training program?
At Mass General we train three groups. Theological students and future clergy of a variety of faith traditions fulfill their denomination’s requirement for training in pastoral care. The second group consists of students who work towards board certification as healthcare chaplains. The third group is made up of physicians, nurses, social workers and other clinicians, who want to integrate spiritual care-giving skills into their clinical practice. It is the spirit of caring that is so unique at Mass General and connects all of us. Also, Mass General was the first general hospital in the U.S. to offer clinical pastoral education in 1934. As is true in many other clinical areas, Mass General has been one of the leaders in this area.

What is your vision for Mass General chaplaincy training?
My vision is that we create a blue ribbon program that trains the future leaders in healthcare chaplaincy. Such a program must be interdisciplinary, so that interdisciplinary teamwork and communication are practiced from the get-go. For chaplains, it has become even more important to be effective team players and to understand the ins and outs of the medical world. Healthcare providers, on the other hand, can learn valuable lessons about patients’ experiences of illness, which is different from the disease process.
The program would be a year-long, full-time training opportunity, which would make participants eligible for board certification. In addition to their daily hospital pastoral care, the chaplain students will be on call to provide patients and families with interfaith services 24/7. A chaplaincy residency program of the 21st century also needs to include a research component and a module on clinical ethics.