Author Faculty (Discipline)

Nursing

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2023

Early Online Version

11-19-2022

JOURNAL

Journal of Religion and Health

VOLUME NUMBER

62

ISSUE NUMBER

1

PAGE NUMBERS

98-116

ISSN

1573-6571

Embargo Period

12-1-2022

ANZSRC / FoR Code

4203 Health services and systems| 5004 Religious studies

Avondale Research Centre

Scripture, Spirituality and Society Research Centre

Avondale Research Centre

Lifestyle Medicine and Health Research Centre

Reportable Items (HERDC/ERA)

C1

Abstract

Chaplains are embedded in several ambulance services across Australia, however as Australia’s religiosity is currently in decline and questions are being asked about retaining chaplains, little is actually known about their role and value within Ambulance services. The aim of this paper is to present the key findings from interviews with chaplains about their role and value of being ambulance chaplains. These findings are then compared with those of paramedics derived from an earlier phase of this study. Thirteen chaplains participated in semi-structured interviews, and data were analysed using framework analysis. The results indicated that ambulance chaplains provided paramedic-centred emotional and spiritual care through proactively and reactively supporting paramedics in their work. Chaplains saw value in their relational approach which facilitated trust and access, did not seek to ‘fix’ or diagnose but instead offered physical and emotional presence, and promoted supportive conversations. Chaplains and paramedics valued operationally trained and equipped ambulance chaplains who provided a relational, around the clock, ‘frontline’ staff support presence in paramedic workplaces, regardless of the paramedic’s personal religious/spiritual beliefs.

Link to publisher version (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01685-4

Peer Review

Before publication

Comments

Used by permission: the author(s).

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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