The Chaplain has full responsibility for providing a complete religious ministry to Roman Catholic 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.
Tour of Duty: To be determined by the Selectee and the Chief of Chaplain Service
Summary
The Chaplain has full responsibility for providing a complete religious ministry to Roman Catholic 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.
Tour of Duty: To be determined by the Selectee and the Chief of Chaplain Service
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.
Performing Roman Catholic worship services, provide all sacraments, rites and ordinances to Roman Catholic Veterans; setting up the chapel for Roman Catholic worship services and returning the chapel to religiously neutral condition after services.
Maintaining appropriately sacred items in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel; praying with Roman Catholic patients at their request; Providing Roman Catholic literature at patients? request and providing sacraments at bedside.
Providing ward services for those Roman Catholic Veteran patients 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 program evaluation components.
Selecting religious materials that will be used therapeutically for assigned Veteran populations in collaboration of Chief Chaplain and Chaplain Department staff.
Coordinating religious club meetings, religious awareness 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 pastoral care classes concerning outpatient ministry and telehealth chaplaincy for the chaplain staff, residents and students.
Advancing positive community relations through the development of relationships with local pastors, church 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.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
You may be required to serve a probationary period
Subject to background/security investigation
Must be proficient in written and spoken English
Ecclesiastical Endorsement
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/11/2019.
1. Ecclesiastical Endorsement: An ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within 12 months prior to the closing date of the announcement, from dated within 12 months prior to the closing date of the announcement, from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services USA?
An ecclesiastical endorsement is the written official statement by the endorsing body certifying that you are in good standing with the faith group or denomination and that you, in the opinion of the endorsing body, are qualified to provide the full range of ministry required in the VA's pluralistic setting.
2. Education: A Master of Divinity from an accredited institution or the equivalent. Equivalent education is a bachelor's degree (of at least 120 semester hours) from an accredited institution plus at least 70 graduate semester hours which included all of the following: at least 20 semester hours in pastoral ministry; 20 semester hours in any combination of theology, ethics, and philosophy of religion; 20 semester hours in the study of sacred writings, including the study of languages in which sacred writings are written; and 10 semester hours in religious history and/or world religions.
3. Clinical Pastoral Education: In addition to the education requirement, applicants must have completed at least 2 units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) [as defined by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)]. 800 hours of supervised ministry in a formal training program which incorporated both ministry formation and pastoral care skills development will be considered for equivalency to the required CPE.
4. Experience: 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work can help 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.
A minimum of two years of ministry experience. At least one year of this experience must have followed completion of the Master of Divinity or equivalent education. Experience during graduate education may count for up to one year of the two years of required experience.
5. English Language Proficiency: All applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English.
Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Education
Transcripts must be submitted with your application (student copies are acceptable.) Transcripts must indicate the degree(s) awarded and the date(s). A copy of the certificate or diploma must be submitted if no completion date is indicated on the transcript. Transcripts must show the name of the institution.
PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements. You must show proof that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
Additional information
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated by the Board of Excepted Service Examiners to determine the degree to which the documents provided demonstrate that the applicant has the following competencies:
Determining patients' pastoral, religious, spiritual, situational, moral and ethical issues/needs by active listening, ministry of presence, and pastoral support
Communicating health care information to individuals, groups, patients, treatment teams
Displaying initiative, organizing and planning work
Developing and maintaining effective relationships with individuals.
Working effectively with chaplains of other faiths.
Performing liaison between the health care facility and religious and civic communities
Relating well to people from varied backgrounds and religious faiths; demonstrating sensitivity to diversities of race, gender, age, color, national origin, disabilities and culture
Assuring that all patients have opportunities for free exercise of religion.
Demonstrating flexibility and innovation in finding ways to accommodate patients' religious needs.
Protecting patients from proselytizing.
Demonstrating by example that the organization does not favor any faith group, or religion as opposed to non-religion.
Providing pastoral care and support for patients, relatives and significant others in a health care facility who have a wide variety of mental/social/spiritual/physical needs, including providing care in emergencies.
Performing sacraments, rituals, ordinances, and worship services as appropriate to meet the needs of patients of the faith group by which the individual is endorsed
Documenting care in medical records
Applicants will be given a numerical score between 70 and 100. The numerical score is based on the totality of relevant competencies. It is not determined by summing scores on each competency.
Those Veterans who are entitled to preference will get either 5 or 10 points added. Applicants will be referred to the medical center for final consideration in score order. The medical center must select from among the highest three applicants.
Applicants who have completed a Clinical Pastoral Education residency (4 units of CPE) or fellowship in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center within the past year; and who meet the minimum qualification requirements, may be referred to the selecting official for consideration without a numerical rating. This is called "non-competitive consideration." Applicants with eligibility for Veteran preference will be referred first from lists of applicants eligible for non-competitive consideration.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume, (List all jobs held whether paid or unpaid. You must indicate whether each job held was full time or part time. For part time jobs indicate the average number of hours you worked per week). 2.Assessment Questionnaire, You must complete online through www.usajobs.gov 3.Ecclesiastical Endorsement, dated within the past 12 months signed by the designated endorsing official of the faith group. 4.Clinical Pastoral Education or equivalent training, Certificates or evaluations showing completion of Clinical Pastoral Education. Only documented units of Clinical Pastoral Education completed in programs accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) automatically count toward the CPE requirement. You must provide a detailed narrative description of any other training you would like considered toward the CPE requirement. Your description must include the following information:
The beginning and ending dates of training
The name and location of the institution(s) in which the supervised ministry was performed;
The name(s) and title(s) of the educational supervisor(s)/instructor(s);
The total number of hours of performance of ministry in a health care setting; The total number of hours of classroom or didactics, and individual meetings with the supervisor/instructor;
The learning objectives, the method(s) of reporting on and evaluation of the practice of ministry, and how feedback from peers and teachers was obtained.
5. College transcript(s). Copies are acceptable. Transcripts must indicate the degree awarded, if any, and the date awarded or conferred. A copy of the certificate or diploma must be submitted, if no completion date is indicated on the transcript. Transcripts must show the name of the institution. If you have a Master of Divinity Degree you do not need to submit undergraduate transcripts.
Required documents if you are claiming 5 points, and/or 10 points Veteran's preference.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/11/2019 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10334493.
To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Incomplete applications, application documents received after the closing date, or applications submitted to the National Chaplain Center at the address above will not be considered.
Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
2215 Fuller Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
US
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume, (List all jobs held whether paid or unpaid. You must indicate whether each job held was full time or part time. For part time jobs indicate the average number of hours you worked per week). 2.Assessment Questionnaire, You must complete online through www.usajobs.gov 3.Ecclesiastical Endorsement, dated within the past 12 months signed by the designated endorsing official of the faith group. 4.Clinical Pastoral Education or equivalent training, Certificates or evaluations showing completion of Clinical Pastoral Education. Only documented units of Clinical Pastoral Education completed in programs accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) automatically count toward the CPE requirement. You must provide a detailed narrative description of any other training you would like considered toward the CPE requirement. Your description must include the following information:
The beginning and ending dates of training
The name and location of the institution(s) in which the supervised ministry was performed;
The name(s) and title(s) of the educational supervisor(s)/instructor(s);
The total number of hours of performance of ministry in a health care setting; The total number of hours of classroom or didactics, and individual meetings with the supervisor/instructor;
The learning objectives, the method(s) of reporting on and evaluation of the practice of ministry, and how feedback from peers and teachers was obtained.
5. College transcript(s). Copies are acceptable. Transcripts must indicate the degree awarded, if any, and the date awarded or conferred. A copy of the certificate or diploma must be submitted, if no completion date is indicated on the transcript. Transcripts must show the name of the institution. If you have a Master of Divinity Degree you do not need to submit undergraduate transcripts.
Required documents if you are claiming 5 points, and/or 10 points Veteran's preference.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/11/2019 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10334493.
To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Incomplete applications, application documents received after the closing date, or applications submitted to the National Chaplain Center at the address above will not be considered.
Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
2215 Fuller Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
US
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
