Part of our job description for the summer entails being the On-Call Chaplain 7 times throughout the summer. It’s a 24-hr on-call, and after 5pm, the On-Call Chaplain is the only chaplain in the 600-bed hospital. So, it can be a little intimidating - especially your first time. It’s hard to describe what being On-Call for 24-hrs is like. And it’s also hard because each night is different at the hospital. Some evenings might be relatively quiet. Others might be much busier. If I had to pick a phrase to describe my first 24hr on-call experience, it would probably be trial by fire. When I walked into the Pastoral Care Office today, one of the staff chaplains was reading through the log-book. When I walked in, she stopped, looked up at me and said, “Are you okay? Do you need a hug?” Perhaps that gives you an idea of the intensity of my evening. I received a fairly steady stream of pages throughout the day, but things really kicked into high gear around 7.30pm.
I had just finished dinner, and was starting to make rounds when I received my second Code 40. A Code 40 is a trauma being brought to the hospital - they can come by ground or air, and a Trauma Team is called down to the Emergency Department (ED). The Trauma Team consists of doctors, nurses, radiologists and many other sorts of specialized doctors, hospital staff and the On-Call Chaplain. My first Code 40 of the evening was a motor vehicle accident (MVA) which ended up with the patient becoming paralyzed. This second Code 40 was a shooting - and a pretty high-profile case because it was a 22-yr old New Brunswick Police Officer who was shot (but in stable condition now). Because of the nature of the case, and the fact that it was a police officer who was shot, this brought out the “suit patrol” (President and Assnt. Vice-President of the hospital, among many other very important people in the hospital).
This must have gotten things going, because from 7.30pm - 8.30am the following morning, I only got 1 hour of sleep and I was on my feet in the ED for most of the on-call. We had 4 more Code 40s for MVAS, one for a pedestrian who was struck and one for a burn victim whose body was 90% covered with 2nd & 3rd degree burns. During all of these Codes, I also spent time providing Emotional/Spiritual Support (ESS is Chaplain lingo) to other patients who were in the ED, and to some other pages I received. One of those was for a young couple who were going to have to deliver a 22 week still-birth. I met with the couple both before and after the delivery and gave a blessing over the baby’s body once it was delivered.
There were some other visits throughout the evening but all of the Code 40s and the stillbirth were some of the hardest parts of the evening. Sometimes I was interacting with the trauma patients who came in, sometimes trying to provide ESS to their families and sometimes, we are told, our presence helps the staff feel better. For the most part, the doctors, nurses, EMTs and others on the Trauma Team work really well with the Chaplains and help us play an integral part in the care of patients that come into the ED.
I had a few conversations with some of the trauma patients, and the one thing that struck me the most was how in just a split second, their lives were dramatically altered. The burn victim was a young man in his early 20s, just about ready to head home after work when there was a chemical accident, and he was burned…90% of his body, burned extremely badly. And just like that - his life will never be the same. Plans are abruptly changed. And this was just in one hospital in one city in one state…you get the idea. It’s pretty sobering to think about how many people’s lives are dramatically changed just like that.
I was told that this was probably the most intense on-call experience I’ll have. In some ways, it was good to get it out of the way - perhaps it will make all the others seem easier. I’ve always wondered how people can do night-shifts. But it’s pretty easy in a hospital, specifically the Emergency Department; by around 2 or 3am, I was running on pure adrenaline. There were definitely parts of the evening when I was really enjoying the work I was doing, the chance to provide ESS to patients and families. Who knows - maybe hospital chaplaincy is in my future?
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As a night shift RN, I appreciate hospital chaplains because they come and can help keep the family informed when a code is going on. But I also appreciate the care and concern shown around Hospice patients. You definitely had a difficult night…but it sounds like you blessed a lot of people in the process. I hope the rest of your experience is a blessing.
i was on call at hartford hospital last night and luckily for me, it was a semi- quiet night. i was able to get three hours of sleep, but i have had nights like yours too. it is important to reflect back to see where god was in the midst of the traumas and in the ess you are providing. may god bless your summer cpe experience.
Good work, Adam! I will keep praying for you.
Sometimes it seems like it’s a long way from the seminary classroom to the trauma room, doesn’t it? :)
Well done.
Just think - college wasn’t even in session. That should at least provide some variety when they get started again in the fall.
Bro, i am proud of you. I know you’ll make a good chaplain this summer. I am sure you’ll be blessed as much as you can bless others. It’s good to be moved, but it’s not always comfortable… (is it ever?) anyway, i’ll pray for you. thanks for sharing your thoughts on this with us.
WOW! That’s an experience, About the worst I faced in my small town small hospital experience was a kid who accidentally ran over her mother’s foot while backing out of the garage. The foot had to amputated, pretty sobering when he found out what was the result of his accident.
Hi Adam,
Just came home from a day at Presbyterian Hospital in albuquerque. It sounds like
you had one incredible night. Wish I could have been in a break room somewhere
to give YOU a little “debriefing time”. I’m glad that you’re having this CPE Experience! And as you say, who knows where this might take you? I think I’m
glad that we’re not a TRAUMA 1 hospital, yet. I tend to like the atmosphere in the
hospital at night. It’s more quiet and on a lower key. I’ll continue to think about
you as you meet the experiences of the summer. Do you have IPR? or some
other abbreviation for Interpersonal Seminar? How are those going? Many blessings on you as you bless others and interact with them. Tu Tia Beth
Good work, bro. Proud of you. You are doing important work.
adam: what hospital are you doing this at? by any chance, is there someone named JP on your team?
Wow, that is one rough on-call. I imagine your IPR or ministry group will want to hear more about what that was like for you. I’m beginning a second year residency in CPE and I have to say that your on-call is probably one of the fullest, most challenging evenings I’ve heard of. I appreciate you sharing this experience… Oftentimes it’s so hard in conversation to share about chaplaincy experiences in conversation. Words are often inadequate. But I offer you well wishes as you continue in your work and learning. Shalom.
Its great that your being used in that capacity. My hands got a little sweaty and my stomach a little nervous just reading about it.
off topic: if you want a little theological distraction, a virtual acquaintance has a question re emergent church stuff here…and you’re our household source of emergent info…
What an intense on-call. I did my cpe residency at a Type I Trauma hospital, and my primary unit was high-risk pregnancies. The stillbirths and miscarriages were often the hardest. Many times my colleagues and I hated cpe, but we are all still so glad that we did it. Blessings on your ministry in the hospital.
May God give you strength for CPE! I’m sure that you have experienced even more craziness at the hospital since your entry. I finished my CPE at MCV Hospital in Richmond, VA. MCV is a level 5 trauma center and I remember the late nights buzzing on coffee and wading through blood in the trauma room. Hospital chaplaincy is a priviledge. It is a ministry only for those specifically called, and I think CPE really helps with that yay or nay kind of decision. I used to try to empty myself of myself before I entered a room or trauma room or code and ask God to take over. That was the only way I made it through the 10 weeks. It is really hard to give the weight of all the trauma to the Lord. God is with you and will carry that weight. His presence will go with you into each situation.