VHA Chaplains: challenges, roles, rewards, and frustrations of the work

Chaplains working in the Veterans Health Administration have numerous roles and challenges. They work closely with other behavioral health professionals, especially social workers, to address the multiplicity of needs of the Veteran population. They are essentially an understudied subset of the military Chaplaincy service (most studies focus on those engaged in combat areas). In this exploratory qualitative study, VHA Chaplains responded to a survey to determine how they defined their role and professional challenges, what they felt were the rewards and frustrations of their work and their unique function within the VHA system. Findings showed that role differences between Chaplains and social workers and other behavioral health providers are clearly defined; rewards and challenges were diverse and frustrations were common to those working in a bureaucratic structure.