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The Spiritual Care & Education department at MD Anderson Cancer Center provides compassionate, patient-centered support that addresses the spiritual and emotional needs of patients and their families throughout the cancer journey. This team plays a vital role in holistic care, working alongside interdisciplinary teams to ensure patients receive support that honors their beliefs, values, and experiences.
This Chaplain position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by providing direct spiritual and pastoral care to oncology patients, families, and staff. You will serve as a supportive presence during critical moments, responding to referrals, patient needs, and urgent situations such as code blue events, end-of-life care, and advance directive requests with compassion and professionalism.
In this role, you will assess and address spiritual distress and needs, develop care plans, and document interventions in the medical record. You will provide a welcoming, non-judgmental presence while supporting individuals from varied cultural, spiritual, and religious backgrounds. You may also provide chapel leadership, sacramental ministry, and coordinate with specialized chaplain services as appropriate.
You will collaborate closely with the interdisciplinary care team, serving as a resource on spiritual care needs and contributing to overall patient care planning. This includes supporting staff, engaging with community faith leaders, and providing education or guidance related to spiritual and interfaith care in an oncology setting.
Success in this role requires strong interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate complex and sensitive situations with empathy and professionalism. A commitment to continuous learning and participation in professional development and process improvement initiatives is also essential.
MD Anderson offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including paid medical benefits, generous paid time off, retirement plans, and additional benefits, along with the opportunity to serve in a mission-driven environment focused on delivering compassionate, whole-person care.
JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
Direct Spiritual and Pastoral Care/Documentation
Provides direct spiritual care and education; participates in spiritual care coverage including response team functions, and documents all encounters in OneConnect/Epic. Responds to all referrals, consults, patient needs screening, deaths, code blue, emergency advance directive requests according to department triage guidelines for acute care and ambulatory services. Provides a non-anxious (open), non- judgmental (welcoming) presence to all care recipients, their caregivers, and employees. Demonstrates the ability to relate to the patient at a significant cultural, theological, spiritual, philosophical level. Effectively evaluates and documents spiritual needs, interventions, outcomes, and creates a plan of care based on assessments. Provides chapel leadership and sacramental ministry as appropriate and authorized. Refers specialized service line requests to Sr. Chaplain or assigned service line specialists.
Subject Matter Expert/Education
Builds relationships and collaborates with the interdisciplinary care team. Works closely with and supports achieving common goals. Demonstrates general knowledge of oncology, and the spiritual needs of persons living with cancer, and oncology treatment modalities. Provides relevant, timely and accurate spiritual/religious/interfaith information to care team and care recipients. Follow the guidelines, policies, and procedures, and standard of care as enumerated in institutional policy and department standards of practice. Participates in department initiatives. Collaborates with and provides support to community faith group leaders.
Professional Development
Demonstrates an attitude of discovery in one’s personal and professional development. Participates in continuing education events that relate to and are pertinent to the chaplain’s role, and/or the further development of core competencies. Participates in department and institutional process improvement projects.
Other duties as assigned
Education
Required:
• Master's Degree: Graduate-level theological degree from a college, university or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Equivalencies for graduate level theological degree will be granted by the individual professional organization according to their own established guidelines
Work Experience
Required:
• Four (4) units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC); National Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) or the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC)
Preferred:
• 1 year of pastoral or spiritual care experience
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.
This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.
It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state, or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html
