August 24, 2008
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Religious Help in Time of Need
Volunteer Chaplains will begin riding on ambulance rides to help those in need in one community.
The chaplains will be there to help the medical technicians, the patients and the families during the crisis. Here is the link: Link
If you were in an ambulance, would you want a chaplain in the ambulance with you?
Comments (88)
It would be nice. I had a chaplain come to my bedside just before surgery once. No one else saw him. My friend did not see him. It was a calming presence.
Yes – as long as he was there for support and not to proselytize me with his world views.
absolutely…
I’m a Christian, how can he really do anything to help me? He can’t heal me any better than Christ Himself could. But I guess it would be nice to have someone to talk to.
I suppose it depends on your perspective.
I think some people who appreciate it more than others, but I don’t think he needs to preach to people who aren’t of his religion. It would just be even more stresfful for that person.
@flann00 - Yeah, I can imagine someone shaking him by the collar, “LEAVE ME ALONE! Let me outta this ambulance, I’m better now!” Hearing some people preach actually gets on my nerves, even though I’m a Christian.
his presence would most likely be calming, but may be alarming if he began to preach to those not of his religion.
i suppose it would be nice to help sooth all alarmed feelings at the time, though.
As long as he is it taking up the space of some life saving technology it is no problem for me.
..:: dr. dante
This type would be like a pastor in Las Vegas.. I could say a lot more but.. to each their own. Either way, I only want the skilled professional medical help in the ambulance with me.
No, that would seem so final.
I wouldnt mind since he means well. However..I would stop him if he starts with anything religious.
I just think that everything that is personal is getting out of hand and isnt so personal anymore..
LOL maybe it’s my Catholicness but if I saw a chaplain there I’d be thinking “Oh God, the Last Rites!”
Depending on what the chaplain does, it could definitely be comforting. I agree with some other commenters that it would be nice and helpful as long as they don’t evangelize or preach at you or try to convert you like some more aggressive types might do.
if he/she wants to share a smoke and a beer,,, ok,,, if they want to convert me to something,,, hahahahahaha,,, they are better useful somewhere else,,,
i made up my own religion that seems more logical than theirs,,, so,,,, ive made my peace whatever the outcome.
That helps…
If he realized his place as a third part only there for prayer or comfort, yes.
as long as they know what they’re doing and don’t try to use the opportunity for something else (preaching).
my dad worked as a police chaplain and all that they are supposed to do is be a calming, helpful presence. if someone is looking for the religious aspect of a chaplain, great, but if they’re not a good chaplain knows other ways to approach the situation and make the people around them relax. if it was that kind of chaplain i would want them there.
@WomanOfLight - hear hear!
But it also depends on the faith of the patient. Not everyone will follow that Judeo-Christian faith and it’s very inappropriate to be praying to a god that the patient doesn’t worship. If it’s me, they better recognize my Goddess.
No.
Hell No. They would only serve as a distraction.
And the article said they were “to minister to the providers as well as the patients.” That’s an even worse distraction. I think the only person benefiting from this is the ego of the volunteer. This is one of those “Let go and let God” situations.
I’m not religious at all but after the last ambulance ride I had, I would have welcomed someone to help me through a crisis. As long as they were more of a comfort system, rather than pushing a religion that I am not, then I am ok with that.
No way – this is a clear violation of my Hippa rights. I only want medical people knowing about my medical issues.
Nope. No way.
No. You don’t need extra folks in the way. And, who wants a critic to be hanging out with you all day? You’ll never be able to let loose and share your junk with your coworkers if you have His Holiness always chiming in.
Good question…..I have no idea, since I’m an atheist.
Fuck no!
I’d make them leave him at the site, rather than riding over with me.
sure why not…
Wouldn’t mind a bit. He can hold my hand, say a prayer for me, get in touch with my family..the only thing I would ask, is NO Peeking under the sheet.
No. It would feel like he’s intruding.
I am an EMT, and I can give this question a 100% NO. There’s not enough room in the back for a patient and a tech as it is, and sometimes the things that have to be done in an emergency don’t warrant a bystander, not to mention that I know the shit me and my partner discuss when we aren’t patient loaded, and there’s NO WAY we could make it 12 hours on our best behavior.. the Chaplain would have a heart attack! … I wouldn’t want one there as a patient, either. It’s got to be some sort of HIPPA violation to have a medically unnecessary person show up to call scenes.
Yes, of course.
Isn’t Xanga kinda slow today?
I guess it would be rather nice.
Are they going to be in mental institutions too? Or are they just going to think that all mental patients are nuts?
No. I hope that person gets out of the vehicle if requested by the victim or a family/friend.
No, it’s just another person to add to an already crowded vehicle.
What does a chaplain have to do with stopping the blood squirting out of your shredded body?
That is a really idealistic foolish idea. I don’t want someone to hold my hand, I want someone to put my guts back in.
If there is room for another person, I’m all for it. Medical types aren’t always the most comforting people. It would be good to have people there to help look after both my physical and my emotional needs. (But I do get claustrophobic, so I’m not keen on having a lot of people back there with me.)
Yes. I think it would be nice to have a calming presence there.
No, I’ll take the medical tech guys instead.
First, wouldn’t he get in the way? There’s barely enough room for one person who is not an EMT, isn’t there. Second, that would feel too much like they are giving you no hope. The chaplain usually comes in when you are right on the verge of death, and that would not be a comforting sight in such a situation….
Hmm… I don’t know. To be honest.
It’s always nice to have someone praying for you when things aren’t going well… but roddymccorley is right about not wanting just anyone to know their medical issues.
I think that would be nice.
I guess, if nobody else was there to be with me.
Actually, no. If I didn’t have family there, I’d prefer to keep the presence of strangers down to the medics.
I’m already a Christian.
I was in an ambulance once, and come to think of it, I think there was a man and a woman but the only one who talked to me was the lady. I wonder if there’s some sort of policy about that. Since I’m a girl, it might be awkward to have a man I didn’t know “comforting” me, even if he’s a chaplain.
If I’m half-dead in an ambulance, the last thing I want is some Jesus-freak preachy-speaching at me.
That said, if the chaplains were there to offer emotional support and not evangelize, I guess that’d be cool. But I have too much pride to really like anyone seeing me half-dead, so I wouldn’t be too happy either way.
@GhostBenjimon - Well said.
No.
Not really…
Yes and no. Yes because hey if I’m jacked up I’m sure the support would be nice but no because the last thing I wanna hear before I die is a lie.
Plus theres a chance the guy could get in the way so probably not.
NO, wtf, I need a bandaid not a prayer
If it was a my own pastor that would be fine. That would be comforting since he is a good friend, but someone I didn’t know, prolly not.It really depends on the persons faith, I would be just fine with the paramedics myself. If a family member, like my wife wanted to ride it would be fine if it made her feel better.
I wouldn’t really care either way.
Whatever. If he’s not getting in the way, I don’t care. I can tell him to shut the fuck up whenever I want.
Yes.
I’d kick his ass out.
If she’s hot . . .
mm no its okayy I’ll pass on that
No, I’d like a DOCTOR by my side in times of a medical crisis. In fact, the presence of a chaplain in any medical situation would lead me to automatically assume they’re trying to give me my last rights…which would definitely be more alarming than calming.
i think many here misunderstand the role of a chaplain. their job is not at all to push reliogion so your fears are unfounded. they are purely there for comfort and support.
i would be glad to have a chaplain along.
I don’t think I’d care either way.
No, I’d want my mommy and a teddy bear!!! haha!
If I wanted a chaplain in the ambulance I would ask for one, otherwise no. Give the EMTs the spacce to do their job.
A loved one would be the most comfort to me.
IDK, if I’m dying maybe. But then they could just end up being in the way in such a small space. Let them meet me at the hospital.
I just found this for you, Dan!
(Ignore the text.)
Not really – it wouldn’t do me any good.
In times of crisis, I’ve never met anyone who asked me not to pray for them! It seems that when you’re the one on the stretcher, your perspectives change!
What fucking religion will these chaplains hail from? We going to have buddhist monks or priests of Islam on board as well?
Why do you idiots who say that you believe that god is always with you need a religious figure with you for “extra help”?
And what are the implications of having a particular religious figure incorporated into a public service on the issue of Church/State separation?
The amount if ignorance in this weblog is staggering.
@IssyMae - That’s so fucking asinine I don’t know where to begin. It’s almost as dumb as “no atheists in foxholes.”
@logicalemu - Good point. I may actually want one on board just for the sake of the opportunity to tell one to shut the fuck up and gtfo.
@Yohsiph - Sorry if you were offended. I am just stating things from my perspective. In times of crisis, a person has never told me NOT to pray for them. People are almost always very open to prayer when they are in a crisis situation. Just my 2 cents from my experience.
I rather think that if I am in an ambulance, I would not care one way or another if a chaplain was there with me.
eh i wouldn’t mind
no way
I don’t think they’d be there to preach, just to be there to support the patient and family if they want it. I think that would have been very calming and supportive when we came home and found my husband dead and I had two little boys and had to call 911. It was all so cold and technical, and the EMT’s didn’t even talk to me or tell me anything.
no, too crowded.
and yet another reason to never call for an ambulance.
If he was medically trained and not in the way, sure.
If he’s just a douche there to feel superior by “praying” for my “soul”, then hell no.
Nope. Don’t need one.
Please, no..
just get me to the hospital ! if a chaplian should be there, he should be praying that we get there safely.
So long as they weren’t all preachy then I’d be fine. It can be a really scarey time and some people do well with faith or even just some one to calm their nerves.
I think that’s pretty cool
I would not have a problem as long as they did not try to preach to me and as long as they did not try to push their religious beliefs on me or my “passengers” that are were not Christian.
I think it’s great. If someone’s being transported in an ambulance, that likely means he’s in a potentially life-threatening condition. Medics, trying to save his life, cannot be distracted by personal issues. Friends or relatives at the scene may well be distraught themselves. A person is often left to make his peace with God on his own… and that person is likely in mental turmoil and physical pain already.
This is what chaplains are FOR. How many times have we seen that famous film clip of the chaplain aboard USS Bunker Hill praying over a fallen sailor after the kamikaze attack? At such times of ultimate crisis, people need more than medical attention. Their souls need attention as well. And that personal touch- with its vital connection to God- is all-important. It can restore the will to live or, if nothing else, ease one’s departure to the realm of his Creator.
God bless those volunteer chaplains. May we see many more such across the nation.
NO. Absolutely not.
As long as he was being helpful in some way and not shoving a Bible down my throat, sure. Most chaplains are probably really nice guys who know when and when not to witness.
I used to volunteer as a EMT-B during my college days. I believe he wouldn’t do the patients any good. One thing I have to keep in mind is I’m there for them medically and not there to judge or gossip about their personal life details to the whole world.
No because they would only get in the way. The Ambulance is not a place for ministry or any other type of religious efforts. It is a small, cramped space where the few EMTs that can fit in there with the patient can help them survive the drive to the hospital. Their job is to keep people alive, not preach to them all day.
Now, once at the hospital and after the doctors have done what they can for the patient (and if the patient is still alive, can hear, etc) then the patient’s family can allow a Chaplian, Priest, Rabbi, etc into the room and do his/her thing (obviously, depends on the person’s faith).
The problem with this is that not everyone in the United States is a Christian. There are those who are Muslim, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. No one ever thinks about the others. I am always hearing/reading about how some Christian minister is allowed to do this/that but I never hear about any other religious figure being allowed the same perks within the community. Now, don’t get me wrong I am a Christian-was raised Catholic in the Bible belt but I still feel that equality should count for everyone, not just those of my faith.
So, no. Leave the Chaplain at the Church and let the Medics do their job.