Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?

Part I: In the foxhole: Patients facing crises Chapter 1: "Disappearing into clouds of smoke": Confronting threats to life Chapter 2: Asking 'Why me?' and second-guessing God Chapter 3: "Doctor, do you believe in God?": Physicians facing spiritual and religious questions Chapter 4: Amazing graces: How chaplains enter the room Part II: "Coming in with the religion they have": Aiding patients with particular beliefs Chapter 5: "Why has God let me down?": Helping religious patients Chapter 6: "I just look at sunsets and stars": Aiding patients who are spiritual but not religious Chapter 7: "The thousand kinds of atheism": Assisting atheist, agnostic and uncertain patients Part III: "Meeting patients wherever they are": Helping patients regardless of their beliefs Chapter 8: "The most important moment in our lives": Resetting priorities and further appreciating the present Chapter 9: "I pray to the God I don't believe in": Creating prayers Chapter 10 The voice of the voiceless": Aiding vulnerable patients Part IV: Approaching the end Chapter 11: "We sang my son into Heaven": Re-envisioning "heaven" and grief Chapter 12: "When should we pull the plug?": Aiding end-of-life decisions Chapter 13: "Mommy, when I die...": Helping parents and children Chapter 14: How close or distant to be: Balancing and ending relationships with patients Part V: Confronting tensions with staff Chapter 15: Seeing patients with fresh eyes Chapter 16: "Which ditch do you want to die in?": Chaplains vs. doctors Chapter 17: When doctors cry: Assisting staff with stress Part VI: God 2.0: Moving into the future Chapter 18: "Doctor, will you pray for me?": Improving doctors Chapter 19: "More than just smiling and saying Jesus": Improving chaplains Chapter 20: Finding meaning and hope in a rapidly changing world Appendix: Appendix A: List of Chaplains Appendix B: Methods References Acknowledgements