Bob Dawson has been humbled, saddened and uplifted by his experiences with patients, families and staff during the 15 years he's been volunteering as an assistant chaplain at Waikato Hospital.
Kindly and soft-spoken, Bob says no two experiences are the same for a chaplain. But he considers every interaction with patients and their families a privilege.
"We are there on the patients' terms. We aren't there to preach. We are just there to be supportive, to figuratively hold people's hands." Or literally, when need be.
Waikato Hospital has four full-time and three part-time chaplains and 24 assistant chaplains. This number will be boosted to over 30 with several new chaplains in training. However, that training comes at a cost.
The emphasis is now on having chaplaincy services available to all patients, families and staff, regardless of faith.