Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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Certified Chaplain and CPE Educator Duties

• Provide comprehensive religious and spiritual care to Veterans, families, caregivers, and staff based on their individual needs.
• Provide at least 35% direct patient care, including supervision of students during patient care.
• Offer pastoral counseling to patients facing complex ethical, moral, emotional, or spiritual concerns.
• Support life review, oral history, advance care planning, end-of-life preparation, and expression of personal values.
• Conduct or arrange worship services, prayers, rituals, Bible studies, religious education, and other individual or group activities.
• Respect and address the needs of people from diverse faiths, denominations, and belief systems.
• Identify and coordinate with community clergy, faith leaders, and other resources when patients need services outside the Chaplain's role or expertise.
• Document chaplaincy services in the electronic health record using an approved template or SOAP note format.
• Serve as a senior spiritual-care resource, advisor, and liaison for Veterans, students, caregivers, staff, and healthcare professionals.
• Provide consultation, education, mentoring, and training on spiritual care and referrals for patients with complex spiritual needs.
• Support staff wellness and resiliency through emotional and spiritual care, education, and compassionate presence.
• Participate as a recognized member of interdisciplinary treatment teams.
• Collaborate with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, therapists, and other professionals to support comprehensive patient care.
• Provide chaplain-related input during treatment-team conferences and program reviews.
• Maintain effective working relationships with facility staff, families, community organizations, seminaries, clergy, and other stakeholders.
• Train and support volunteers who provide services to Veterans.

Clinical Pastoral Education Program Duties

• Manage the daily operations of the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Center.
• Develop, implement, and update CPE policies, procedures, curricula, and practice guidelines.
• Educate and supervise CPE students at all levels.
• Recruit, interview, and select students for the CPE program.
• Assess student strengths and needs, develop educational plans, supervise clinical work, and evaluate performance.
• Provide students with supervised clinical experience in spiritual care for hospitalized patients.
• Develop measurable, outcome-based, and evidence-informed curricula aligned with board-certification competencies.
• Develop internship programs and supervise interns.
• Coordinate clinical preceptors, Advisory Group members, Office of Academic Affiliations staff, seminaries, and other educational partners.
• Obtain approval for allied-health trainee positions through the Office of Academic Affiliations.
• Maintain accreditation records, educator evaluations, student files, center portfolios, contracts, reports, policies, and educational resources.
• Ensure required documentation and reports are completed and submitted on time.
• Monitor program effectiveness and use evaluations, research, and best practices to improve educational services.
• Measure educational outcomes and implement changes when needed.
• Participate in accredited CPE professional organizations, national events, and communities of practice.
• Serve as a liaison to seminaries, ordained persons, and other CPE partners.
• Provide guidance and consultation to Chaplain Service leaders, other chaplains, students, healthcare staff, and stakeholders.
• Lead orientations, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing-education activities.
• Complete complex educational projects, reports, task groups, and assignments for Chaplain Service leadership.
• Develop and implement programs that support student development, staff wellness, and professional growth.

Program Administration

• Plan schedules with other chaplains to maintain service coverage.
• Maintain program supplies, religious equipment, educational materials, and operating records.
• Track and manage the program budget.
• Develop and implement Chaplain Service programs and curricula independently.
• Communicate clearly in writing and verbally with people from varied backgrounds.
• Prepare professional policies, procedures, guidelines, reports, and accreditation materials.
• Maintain current knowledge of pastoral education, CPE standards, professional ethics, research, behavioral sciences, healthcare practices, and diverse religious traditions.
• Apply knowledge of clinical terminology, human behavior, and other healthcare disciplines to spiritual care and education.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; negotiable
Compressed/Flexible:Yes
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 512480
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized for a Highly Qualified Candidate

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must meet the following requirements:

Citizenship. Applicants must be citizens of the United States (U.S.). A non-citizen may be appointed only when it is not possible to recruit qualified U.S. citizens, as allowed under 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

Education. Applicants must have a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent education. The equivalent education must be a graduate-level theological degree from a college, university, or theological school that:

• Is accredited by an organization that is a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the Association of Theological Schools (ATS); and
• Is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

NOTE: Applicants who do not have a Master of Divinity degree or an equivalent educational degree may meet this requirement by providing an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board-certification organization for chaplains. See paragraph d.

Ecclesiastical Endorsement. Under 38 C.F.R. § 17.655, an ecclesiastical endorsement is a condition of employment as a VA chaplain. To work as a VA chaplain, an individual must have and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement.

Applicants must have an ecclesiastical endorsement dated within the past 12 months.

The endorsement must come from the official national endorsing authority of the applicant's or employee's faith group or denomination.

An ecclesiastical endorsement is an official written statement from the national endorsing body of the faith group or denomination. The statement must:

• Confirm that the applicant is in good standing with the applicant's faith group or denomination; and
• State that, in the opinion of the endorsing body, the individual is qualified to provide the full range of ministry required in VA's pluralistic setting.

If an individual loses the endorsement, the individual will be removed from the GS-0060 Chaplain series and may be terminated from employment.

The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved endorsing organizations. The list can be found on the National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint.

Board Certification.

(1) Certification. Applicants must be Board-Certified Chaplains certified by BCCI® or by a U.S. certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI®.

Board certification that requires four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) meets this requirement.

The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved certifications on the National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint.

NOTE: Provisional, Associate, or any other status as a candidate for board certification does not meet the board-certification requirement for the FPL GS-11 level or above.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at https://www.naces.org/members and be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program.

English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be able to speak and write English proficiently, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic employment requirements, candidates must meet the following requirements for placement at the specified grade level.

Chaplain (Clinical Pastoral Educator), GS-12

(1) Experience. The candidate must have one year of qualifying experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

(2) Certification. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Educators must be certified by an organization whose CPE training units are recognized by BCCI® or by a U.S. certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI®.

CPE Educators must be certified by the same accrediting organization as the CPE training program at the location where the position is being filled. This is required for the CPE training program to maintain its accreditation.

(3) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the required experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

(a) The ability to independently educate CPE students at all levels and to plan, organize, and implement the CPE program at all levels.
(b) The skill to follow all accreditation standards, processes, and practices. This includes, but is not limited to, submitting all required program reports, the center portfolio, fees, and dues in a timely and professional manner.
(c) The skill to communicate in writing and verbally in a clear, professional, organized, and connected manner.
(d) The ability to recruit, interview, and select students for the CPE program.
(e) Knowledge of professional ethics for certified educators and knowledge of the history of CPE.
(f) The ability to apply theoretical knowledge and demonstrate competence in administering and conducting CPE programs at all levels.
(g) Knowledge of new and developing trends and research in pastoral education.
(h) Knowledge of different conceptual frameworks for developing educational curricula.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

This vacancy is above the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veterans and their family members while walking and moving throughout the health care setting. The Chaplain may also work with individuals who use assistive devices. The Chaplain must be able to speak, hear (hearing aids permitted), and work closely with others.

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, resume, 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred based on Veterans' Preference.