Chaplains are a Part of the Interdisciplinary Team

All great recipes have a number of ingredients. Moffitt Cancer Center is similar with a multifaceted team of trained health professionals to walk with patients and families through the physical, emotional, and spiritual hills and valleys of their journey as they seek to understand their options and make informed decisions about their health and lives.

Combining these ingredients of doctors, nurses, techs, dietitians, physical therapists, social workers and chaplains creates a strong interdisciplinary care team. Each discipline possesses a unique set of skills that integrate and complement one another. As part of the interdisciplinary team, chaplains work side-by-side with other team members. Chaplains bring to the table a nonclinical perspective, active listening, spiritual insights and religious resources. They are important to the overall team effort to create a safe space for patients and families from diverse backgrounds to come together to discuss treatment options, goals of care and at times end-of-life wishes.

As one of the ingredients in the interdisciplinary team, chaplains are there to help bring about a sense of inner peace and spiritual strength, which like your favorite dish, can be very satisfying.

To reach an interfaith chaplain, please call 813-745-8407.

This story was originally published in the PARTNERS newsletter. Visit Moffitt.org/PARTNERS for more stories and to learn more.