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Popular New Program Trains
Pastoral Care Volunteers
Last February, 14 people from area churches took part in a Pastoral Care Volunteer Training Program sponsored by Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin. The goal of the program is to equip volunteers to give spiritual support to fellow congregation members at area hospitals.
The training course is the brainchild of Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin’s Peter M. Ruta, STL, PhD supervisor of Chaplaincy Services, John Pandl, director of SpecialProjects/Hospital Operations and Rev. Janis Blean-Katchigan, clinical pastoral care educator. This new initiative was patterned after a similar program in Brooklyn, New York. With her many years of experience as chaplain educator, Blean-Katchigan’s role was to develop the curriculum. She also led classroom sessions.
The program includes 27 hours of classroom instruction and discussion and 10 hours of mentored patient visits. The course helps volunteers develop one-on-one ministering skills and gives them structured training on hospital protocols.
“Our primary concern was to reach out to the community and provide training for people who have a ministry to the sick,” says John Pandl. He adds that patients react positively to pastoral care volunteers and notes that congregations in the community are also enthusiastic about the program.
The Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin Pastoral Care Training Program was made possible by a grant from the Theodore D. Batterman Foundation. Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin is currently soliciting funding to continue and expand this program.
Source: Froedtert Today Date: November 2004 |