This is a picture of the morgue from the TV show NCIS.  In the picture the Medical Examiner, Dr. Donald Mallard, is examining a corpse.

Today I conducted a tour of our hospital for a new volunteer chaplain who will be assisting in covering the pager schedule.  I had to show him our morgue because from time-to-time the Chaplain along with a Nurse and a Security Officer has to accompany family members to the morgue to view a body.  This takes place when the family member arrives after the patient is moved from their hospital room to the morgue.  Our preferred location to let the family view the body is in the hospital room.  We extend flexibility in how long we wait to move the body. But in some instances the family is going to be too long in arriving and the body has to be sent to the morgue.

I was asked how I feel about taking family members to the morgue.  I was honest and said it was not my favorite way to serve the needs of family members.  But I feel the presence of a Chaplain in that situation makes the viewing a lot less stressful for the family than it would be without the Chaplain.  So while it is not my favorite task, I do not shirk the responsibility when the need arises.  For me ministry is not about my convenience, it is about what best meets the needs of the patient and/or their family members.