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  Health Care Chaplaincy in Norway

2002 ENHCC Standards Document in Norwegian

Rev Eirik Os

I am a hospital chaplain at Lovisenberg Deaconal Hospital in Oslo, working in the psychiatricivision. I have been an ordained minister in the Church of Norway (Lutheran) for 30 years and has been a hospital chaplain for the last 20 years.
I have participated in ENHCC consultations since Oirschot 1994 as the official representative from Norway as chairman of the Hospital Chaplaincy Committee in the Association of Ministers in the Church of Norway. At the consultation in Dublin 2004, I ended my position in our national Association. That was also the end of my position as the official representative from Norway.
Since then I have been invited to the Consultations as an elected “Honorable Member” of ENHCC.
My participation at the Consultation London 2010 is supported by our National Association and I therefore also participate representing the Norwegian Association.

[August 2010]


Health Care Chaplaincy in Norway

The chaplains are almost exclusively ordained pastors in the Church of Norway (Lutheran). They are employed by the hospitals and are regarded as one of the hospitals many professional services to the patients, their families and the hospital staff. As ordained pastors in our church they deliver pastoral care to the spiritual needs within the hospital setting. Employed by the hospital, they also work within the hospital organization with the same rights and duties as other employees. There are approximately 130 chaplains, full-time or part-time, working in hospitals. There are also some healthcare chaplains employed outside the hospitals serving patients in nursing centres or in the home-care sector. To be a chaplain you must fill the requirements for ordination in the Church of Norway. One must also have participated in at least one unit of CPE (3 months clinical training and education under supervision).

An important focus for our hospital chaplaincy committee is the issues relating to concepts of professional formation. We use CPE as our main educational program. We run other educational units to meet other aspects of the professional challenges. Hospital chaplains in Norway meet every year for conference and consultation. Every 3 years chaplains from the Nordic countries meet.

Relevant issues:

Our hospitals seem to recognize the importance of pastoral care. There is, however, a variety in how the hospitals provide this care. Some hospitals have only part-time chaplains, or they use ministers from the local church, while on the other hand there are medium-sized hospitals with several ministers employed.

Recently, a growing number of hospitals have established palliative teams. These teams are required to be thoroughly interdisciplinary, including a hospital chaplain, and the financial reimbursements connected to the services of these teams are higher than normal. Thus, there is a financial benefit for the hospital owners to establish such teams.

Our association supports local initiatives to establish and widen the spiritual services in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. We also support educational programs for professional updates. One specific goal is to start a certification process for hospital chaplains, aiming to confirm and document a specialty in clinical work. This may include CPE, counselling, interdisciplinary courses and supervision. The goal is to establish an educational platform equal to the psychologists. We see this as strengthening our position in the healthcare system, improving the professional level of our services, and so being able to better reach and serve people.

[May 2008]

 


 

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