Experiences of Chaplains Assisting and Evaluating Employee Requests for Religious Exemptions for COVID-19 Vaccine

Have you provided support to co-workers requesting a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine or been involved in reviewing exemption requests? If so, you are eligible to participate in a new research study. If not, but you know a chaplain who was, please forward this invitation to them.

Title of Research Study: Religious Exemptions for COVID-19 Vaccine: Survey of Healthcare Chaplains: The Experiences of Chaplains Assisting and Evaluating Employee Requests

The study aims to learn more about the experiences of chaplains who played this role – what kind of preparation they received, their unique contributions as “religious experts,” whether this work caused them moral or emotional distress, and how it may have impacted their relationships with co-workers and organizational leaders.

The study has two parts: an online survey and an optional follow-up interview. If you are interested in participating, please click on this survey link or here: https://forms.office.com/r/vytVcnQbhL by July 31, 2022.

The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete; your responses are completely confidential. No identifying information will be collected unless, at the end of the survey, you indicate a willingness to participate in a one-on-one interview with a research team member. This research study (NU STU 00216997) has been evaluated through the Northwestern University IRB and ruled exempt.

If you have any questions about this research, please contact the Principal Investigator for the study: M. Jeanne Wirpsa at jwirpsa@nm.org or 312.694.2577.

Thank you for helping to advance the field of chaplaincy through your participation and by sharing the invitation with chaplains who may wish to contribute.