Pastoral (Spiritual) Carer

**Pastoral (Spiritual) Carer - Werribee Mercy Hospital**
- Emotional and spiritual care for patients at all stages in life
- Active engagement in providing spiritual care in a culturally diverse community
- Be part of an expanding health care service at Werribee Mercy Hospital

**ABOUT THE ROLE**:
Werribee Mercy Hospital is a public hospital servicing the growing community of the West. Our community is culturally diverse with 1 in 2 families born overseas. Our service is growing and we have an opportunity for a Pastoral Carer who can provide respectful person-centred care to meet the spiritual needs of our patients and families. Our service provides spiritual and emotional care in a variety of clinical settings including Intensive Care, Emergency Department, Inpatient wards, Mental Health and Maternity Services.

Providing Pastoral Care you will:

- Be flexible, adaptable, with well-developed interpersonal skills.
- Have strong communication skills to engage patients and families
- Ability to assess, triage and respond to diverse pastoral, spiritual and religious needs.
- Capacity to be flexible in providing pastoral care within different clinical settings including maternity
- Be competent to provide pastoral care to bereaved families, including creation and undertaking rituals when needed.
- Engage with all members of the multi-disciplinary team to provide holistic care and making referrals as needed.
- Capacity to engage with innovation, change and quality improvement initiatives.
- Permanent part time and casual employment available.

**ABOUT YOU:
- Completed at least two units of Clinical Pastoral Education or equivalent supervised pastoral care training.
- Completed a Bachelor of Theology or relevant graduate qualifications and eligible for membership of Spiritual Care Australia.
- Previous experience providing spiritual care in a health setting (desirable)
- Understanding of bereavement care, particularly perinatal loss
- Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills to work within a pastoral care team and a multi-disciplinary team.
- Evidence of commitment to ongoing professional development and spiritual growth as a pastoral carer.

**ABOUT US**:
Werribee Mercy Hospital is a General Public Hospital located in the rapidly growing Western suburbs of Melbourne. Our services include surgical, medical, maternity, newborn, renal dialysis, emergency, mental health, rehabilitation, aged and palliative care. The hospital has undergone significant service expansion including Hospital in the Home/Hospital Care at Home programs, a new intensive care unit, additional operating theatres and the opening of two new wards, taking the total number of beds to 298. Join us now and be part of our team as we expand to serve our community.

Werribee Mercy Hospital is a perfectly positioned hospital with easy access on and off the M1 Princes Freeway 30 minutes from Melbourne CBD and 45 minutes from Geelong and the gateway to the surf coast. We are walking distance to Hoppers Crossing train station, café and shops, and is co-located adjacent to a privately operated childcare facility that delivers childcare to pre-school age children.

Mercy Health is a Catholic organisation grounded in a 2,000-year tradition of caring for others. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Health is made up of more than 9,500 people who provide acute and subacute hospital care, aged care, mental health programs, maternity and specialist women's health services, early parenting services, home care services and health worker training and development.

Mercy Health is proud to be recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the WGEA.

**WHAT WE OFFER**:
Mercy Health recognises that people are searching for meaning in their work life and finding a workplace that connects with their values is a key motivation when choosing an employer. As a not-for-profit healthcare provider, Mercy Health has a strong mission and clear values that guide us in everything we do. We pride ourselves on:

- caring for our people and those important to them with generous employee assistance available for employees and their families
- protecting children and vulnerable people in all our services, by listening to them and having zero tolerance of any form of abuse and neglect
- taking a stand against climate change, which is one of the biggest threats to the health of the world and all humanity, and committing to action that will help make our world fairer and more sustainable
- offering benefits such as generous salary packaging, purchased leave, career progression and development opportunities, access to health and wellbeing programs and a range of discounts across a diverse portfolio of financial, healthcare, travel and other services.

**WHAT YOU WILL NEED**:

- Proof of vaccination status consistent with public health orders and with Mercy Health’s policy (includes but is not limited to COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccination compliance req