Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum [ISPEC©] (VIRTUAL)
July 11-12, 2024
The ISPEC© training course provides a unique opportunity for clinicians and chaplain pairs from the same health setting to learn how to integrate spiritual care into patient care throughout their organization.
For Clinicians: Learn how to skillfully integrate spiritual care into your clinical practice and how to teach your colleagues basic concepts so they can offer this type of care, too.
For Chaplains: Work together with your clinician partner to teach and bring spiritual care to multiple touchpoints across your organization, so the ability to recognize and address spiritual distress becomes a standard part of patient care.
The ISPEC© course is designed around the Generalist Specialist model of professional spiritual care, in which clinicians (generalists) collaborate with spiritual care specialists (e.g., board-certified chaplains). The ability to integrate spiritual care into health settings as a standard part of whole person care necessarily involves a collaborative effort by clinicians and chaplains working together to provide spiritual care to patients and families.
If you feel that addressing spiritual health is an important part of treating the patients you serve, join us at ISPEC© 2024. One clinician, one chaplain at a time, we can impact organizations and healthcare systems to offer this deeply beneficial care to the patients who need it most.
We are grateful to The John Templeton Foundation for their generous support of ISPEC 2024 and our ability to offer significantly reduced course fees. Valued at over $500, the July 2024 ISPEC is being offered at $260 per person.
ISPEC 2024 will be held via Zoom on July 11th & 12th
Application deadline June 26th
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is Covered in the ISPEC© Course?
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The purpose of this course is to educate clinician/chaplain pairs from the same health setting: for clinicians, skills to integrate spiritual care into their clinical practice and teach concepts to others in the organization, for chaplains, the opportunity to partner with a clinician to achieve a broader, more systemic reach across the institution.
Topics include:
- Guidelines and models
- Spiritual Distress
- Compassionate Presence Communication about Spiritual Issues and Spiritual Assessment
- Whole Person Assessment and Treatment Plan
- Ethics and Professional Development
- Skills to teach others
- What is the Schedule for the ISPEC© Course?
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ISPEC will be held virtually on July 11-12, 2024:
July 11: 11:00AM-5:30PM EDT, U.S.
July 12: 11:00AM-6:30PM EDT, U.S. - Who Should Apply?
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- Clinicians from different professions (Medicine, Nursing, PAs, NPs, Social work, Psychology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, etc.) who work with patients with chronic and/or serious illness are eligible to apply.
- Each organization’s team should include one clinician and one chaplain.*
- We are excited to announce pediatric content is now integrated in ISPEC modules. We encourage pediatric clinician/chaplains to apply.
*We realize that not all settings have board certified chaplains. On a case-by-case basis, we will consider applicants who apply without a partner, but their goals must include a plan to return to their organization and collaborate with others. For more information, please contact Cherron Gardner Thomas at gwish@gwu.edu
- Who is on the ISPEC© FACULTY?
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Christina Puchalski, MD, MS, OCDS, FACP, FAAHPM, George Washington University's Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish) 
Betty Ferrell, PhD, RN, MA, FAAN, FPCN, CHPN, City of Hope National Medical Center 
Trace Haythorn, PhD, MDiv, Haythorn Coaching & Consulting, LLC 
Tracy Balboni MD, MPH, FAAHPM, Harvard Medical School 
Rev. Richard W. Bauer, MM, BCC, MSW, George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish); Children's National Hospital and GWU Hospital 
Benjamin "Jim" Blatt, MD, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences 
Noreen Chan, MD, FAMS, National University Cancer Institute (NCIS), Singapore 
Marvin Delgado, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 
Paul Galchutt, MPH, MDiv, BCC, Transforming Chaplaincy at Rush University Medical Center 
Carolyn Jacobs, PhD, MSW, Smith College School for Social Work 
Anne Vandenhoeck, PhD, KU Leuven University, Belgium 
Elisha Waldman, MD, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK - What is Included in My Registration?
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- 2-day training course delivered through lectures, case studies, panel discussions, small group sessions/role-play.
- Free one-year individual access to the ISPEC© online self-study course.
- Attendees receive a one-year post-course mentorship from leading faculty to help with goal development and implementation.
- Certificate of completion, continuing education credits: The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACGME) to provide continuing education credits to physicians, nurses, and physician assistants. Other attendees receive a certificate of completion to submit to their accrediting bodies for consideration of credits.
- Course syllabus and resources.
- What is My Commitment as a Participant?
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- Attendance is required for both days. No partial CE credits will be given.
- Commit to teaching ISPEC modules to colleagues at your institution (using the online self-study course) and teaching skills learned in the ISPEC© course.
- Commit to implementing goals in your organization.
- Agree to attend one-hour webinar every other month for one-year post-course to share success stories, get help with obstacles, and strengthen your skills.
- Your field experience helps us keep ISPEC© relevant and impactful. Participation in this course requires the completion of follow-up evaluations at three-, six-, and twelve-months post-course.
- Will I Get CE Credits for Completing the ISPEC© Course?
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The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACGME) to provide continuing education credits to physicians and nurses. Other attendees receive a certificate of completion to submit to their accrediting bodies for consideration of credits.
- Fees
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Due to a generous grant from The John Templeton Foundation, the regular course fees have been significantly reduced. Valued at over $500, the July 2024 ISPEC is being offered at $260 per person. Fees are as follows and are due upon acceptance and registration for the course:
- Regular Attendees (per Individual): $260
- Are Scholarships Available?
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Thanks to generous donor support, we are pleased to offer scholarships to the July 2024 virtual course to qualified participants practicing in underserved communities or clinical settings. Scholarships cover the ISPEC registration fee; funds are limited and not guaranteed.
Questions? Please contact Cherron Gardner Thomas at gwish@gwu.edu
©Copyright GWish and The George Washington University, 2018, updated 2022. All rights reserved. No excerpts, translations, or adaptations may be created without written permission.