Associate Chaplain

Ascension
Nashville, TN

Your future role at a glance

Location: Nashville, TN

Facility: Saint Thomas West

Department: Pastoral Spiritual Care

Schedule: PRN

Life at Ascension: Where purpose meets opportunity

Ascension is a leading nonprofit Catholic health system with a culture and associate experience grounded in service, growth, care and connection. We empower our 99,000+ associates to bring their skills and expertise every day to reimagining healthcare, together. Recognized as one of the Best 150+ Places to Work in Healthcare and a Military-Friendly Gold Employer, you’ll find an inclusive and supportive environment where your contributions truly matter.

Benefits that help you thrive
  • Retirement: 403(b) plan
  • Well-being support: Employee Assistance Program, counseling and peer support, spiritual care and stress management resources

Benefit options and eligibility vary by position, scheduled hours and location. Benefits are subject to change at any time. Your recruiter will provide the most up-to-date details during the hiring process.

How you’ll make an impact in this role
  • Provide compassionate spiritual and emotional counsel to patients and families of all faiths, ensuring no one faces a medical crisis or loss alone.
  • Assess the spiritual needs of patients and staff to deliver personalized interventions that reduce distress and promote holistic healing.

  • Support medical teams and families through complex ethical decision-making, offering a values-based perspective during difficult moments of care.

  • Facilitate prayer, blessings, and sacred rituals within the hospital and local community to maintain a culture of connection and spiritual well-being.

  • Document pastoral encounters with precision to ensure the entire care team understands the patient’s emotional and spiritual roadmap.

What minimum requirements you’ll need

Education:

  • Bachelor's degree required.
  • Master's degree in Theology, Religious Studies, Human Behavior or a related field preferred.
  • One unit of Clinical Pastoral Education accredited by the ACPE required.
  • Two units of Clinical Pastoral Education accredited by the ACPE preferred.

Work Experience:

  • 2 years of healthcare experience is preferred.

Equal employment opportunity employer

Ascension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.

Fraud prevention notice

Prospective applicants should be vigilant against fraudulent job offers and interview requests. Scammers may use sophisticated tactics to impersonate Ascension employees. To ensure your safety, please remember: Ascension will never ask for payment or to provide banking or financial information as part of the job application or hiring process. Our legitimate email communications will always come from an @ascension.org email address; do not trust other domains, and an official offer will only be extended to candidates who have completed a job application through our authorized applicant tracking system.

E-Verify statement

Employer participates in the Electronic Employment Verification Program. Please click here for more information.

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