News

Please join us in congratulating Colby Phillips, BCC, who recently became the first Home Health & Hospice chaplain to earn board certification from the national Association of Professional Chaplains.

He joins a small cadre of board-certified chaplains within UVM Health Network. Board certification entails, among other requirements, multiple essays, 2,000 hours in the field, letters of recommendation, endorsement from a governing faith body and an interview with a competency review panel, “usually in person; mine was via Zoom,” Colby said.

Colby, a native Oregonian, started with the agency in October 2018. He is the father of two boys, Joachim (age 3) and Isaac (age 1). His wife, Priscilla, is also a board-certified chaplain, “so we have a very pastoral family,” he said.

Gretchen Bates, vice president of Clinical Operations, lauded Colby’s accomplishment.

“Thank you for pursuing excellence in your career,” she said. “I believe it is powerful for an organization to have people who strive to deliver the best they can offer, and nationally recognized certifications is an outstanding way to do this.”