Clarification from the agency

Area of consideration is for All Veteran Healthcare (VHA) employees. Open to VA Healthcare System Employees and CBOC employees, Canteen Service (VCS) employees who have completed 90 days of continuous service in the VCS, Health Professional Trainees (HPTs) and all permanent IT employees who are assigned to the Office of Information and Technology(OI&T).

Videos

The Chaplain has full responsibility for providing a complete religious ministry to Veteran patients and their families. The Chaplain assesses religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems and plans and provides appropriate ministration, including individual in-depth pastoral ministry to Veteran patients and their families.

-Interviewing Veterans to conduct spiritual assessments.
-Providing in-depth pastoral counseling to individual Veteran and family members and demonstrating sensitivity to the religious needs and requirements of each other and each individual Veteran.
-Arranging needed special services, including rites and sacraments and providing bereavement support when needed.
-Conducting regularly scheduled services.
-Preparing and delivering sermons or formal worship services.
-Providing ward services for those individuals who are unable to attend regularly scheduled services.
-Conducting periodic needs assessments of assigned populations served by the facility.
-Developing programs of spiritual care that include spiritual assessment, direct pastoral care and counseling, and program evaluation components.
-Selecting religious materials that will be used therapeutically for assigned Veteran populations in collaboration of Chief Chaplain and Chaplain Service staff.
-Coordinating support groups, and interfaith meetings as called for by population served.
-Evaluating the need for volunteer assistance in the religious program and to exercise appropriate supervision of volunteers utilized in the program.
-Serving as a mentor/preceptor for new chaplains, chaplain residents, and chaplain students.
-Providing counsel on medical ethical issues, such as Advance Directives, in the context of the Veteran's religious faith perspective.
-Communicating effectively with persons of diverse races, cultures, religions, nationalities, ages, and persons having varying types and degrees of disability to understand and address their specific needs.
-Providing support and encouragement to primary family members and friends to be present and supportive as they are able in response to regular and emergent needs of the Veteran.
-Participating actively on interdisciplinary teams, groups and committees to assure that the religious and spiritual dimensions of health and wellness are addressed in all aspects of the Medical Center's holistic Veteran care.
-Developing and conducting outpatient ministry (including individual and group counseling) and telehealth chaplaincy for patients in the assigned area.
-Advancing positive community relations through the development of relationships with local clergy, faith groups and community organizations.
-Seeking other clinical staff chaplains or clergy person in the community for religious/pastoral care service that he or she cannot provide.
-Documenting care in electronic medical records and protecting sensitive information from loss, disclosure, or alteration.

Work schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May provide emergency on-call night, holiday and weekend patient care coverage.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/07/2021.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. To qualify for appointment as a chaplain, all applicants must possess the following:
a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
b. Education. Applicants must possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational qualifications as evidenced by a graduate-level theological degree from a college, university or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
NOTE: For applicants who do not possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational degree, an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains.
c. Foreign Education. To be creditable, theological or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) listed at https://www.naces.org/members.
d. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Final Evaluation of CPE Residency
e. Ecclesiastical Endorsement. In accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 17.655, ecclesiastical endorsement is a condition of employment as a VA chaplain. An individual must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement to be employed as a VA chaplain.
f. Board Certification. Applicants must be a Board Certified Chaplain certified by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) ® or nationally recognized certification body that utilizes the BCCI ® Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy or a certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI ®.

Physical Requirements. Walking, standing, and occasional travel.
English Language Proficiency. Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Do not submit the Request to Designate an Endorsing Official with your personal application documents.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

GS-11
Experience. At this level, the candidate must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-9 level that is directly related to the position to be filled.

In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-9 grade level, the candidate must meet the experience above and demonstrate the following KSAs: i. Knowledge of advance care planning to educate, inform, and counsel patients and families.
ii. Skill in guiding patients in verbalizing and expressing values through life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation.
iii. Ability to develop pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven and evidenced based within the department guidelines.
iv. Skill in counseling on medical and ethical issues, terminal diagnoses or crises, moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties and justice or confinement matters. v. Ability to support the development of staff resiliency and develop programs for staff development and wellness by providing spiritual and emotional support.
vi. Ability to educate and equip healthcare staff and trainees screening for spiritual and religious needs of patients and the importance of appropriate referrals to chaplains for complex spiritual distress.
vii. Knowledge of community needs to coordinate with community organizations to provide comprehensive spiritual care, utilizing outside community resources to meet the religious needs of patients that cannot be met by chaplain staff.

GS-12:
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i. Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty.
ii. Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care.
iii. Skill to seek out primary research and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice.
iv. Skill in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of chaplain practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
v. Ability to mediate conflict, hold various emotions and diffuse moral distress among staff and complex crisis situations.
vi. Ability to provide specialized consultation, teaching and mentoring to colleagues and students on advanced spiritual care interventions in the service delivery area.
vii. Ability to apply advanced clinical knowledge to write policies, procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.


IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.