Some of my friends ask me how I decide which patients and visitors to visit at the hospital.  There are many factors that can bring me into a specific area.  If I am paged a visit is guaranteed.  I also have units that I am assigned to visit and I can be found there frequently.  I also do what we call “general rounding” where I can be anywhere in the hospital and look for people who appear to have concern.

The picture I have borrowed for this post shows a man who by facial expression and body language gives me a clue that I should approach him to see if I can help him cope.  These visits often take place in waiting areas as family and/or friends are waiting before they can see the patient they came to see.

The visits are often rich in content as I learn what the patient is having done and I learn how much the person waiting cares for the patient.  Often as people wait they feel helpless or they reimagine what brought them to this point and think, “If only we had ___________, then we might not be here now.”  Offering affirmation and a break from the act of waiting while you are alone is one ministry a chaplain can offer that visitors really value.  While they don’t think to ask for a chaplain they express they are glad I took the time to visit and spend some time with them on their journey.  Some visitors as me to pray with them right there in the waiting area.  Other times people don’t want a prayer at the moment but invite me to come see the patient and pray when the patient is back in their assigned room.  I do what the visitor desires because my goal is to be of comfort to them in that moment and not follow a predetermined list of actions based on my needs.  Anxiety is a part of the waiting process, but it can be lessened by meaningful conversations and the display of empathy and concern.