The incumbent serves as a Chaplain professional for the VHA. The incumbent provides religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff. The incumbent addresses the spiritual component of health and wellness in every patient care setting to ensure that pastoral care is fully integrated into all aspects of service.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: United States 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). English Language Proficiency. Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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 (see paragraph f) is acceptable. MUST PROVIDE TRANSCRIPT WITH GRADUATION DATE 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. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) - Applicants must have completed four units of CPE from a CPE center that is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. MUST PROVIDE VERIFICATION OF CPE CREDITS 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. Applicants must have an ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months. Ecclesiastical endorsements must be from the official national endorsing authority of the applicant's/employee's faith group or denomination. Ecclesiastical endorsement is a written official statement, by the official national endorsing body of the faith group or denomination, certifying that the applicant is in good standing with the applicant's faith group or denomination; and stating that the individual is, in the opinion of the endorsing body, qualified to perform the full range of ministry required in the VA pluralistic setting. Loss of endorsement will result in removal from the GS-0060 Chaplain series and may result in termination of employment. The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved endorsing organizations that can be found here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp. MUST PROVIDE COPY OF ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT DATED WITHIN THE PAST 12 MONTHS 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 ®. MUST PROVIDE COPY OF BOARD CERTIFICATION FOR GS-11 Exception: Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2) for a period not to exceed two years. This exception only applies at the entry level. For the journey level and above, the candidate must have board certification. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Chaplain, GS-9 Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the basic experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i. Knowledge of spiritual assessments to identify patient strengths and needs and documenting services provided. ii. Ability to use the information of the spiritual assessment to create care plans in all dimensions of pastoral care. iii. Ability to provide crisis intervention and stabilization. iv. Skill in healthcare team collaboration to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual issues. v. Ability to ensure free exercise of religion for patients and staff. vi. Knowledge of individual and group interventions to address spiritual and emotional needs of patients and families; providing referrals for continuity of spiritual care. vii. Skill in the coordination of religious services respecting the faith tradition of individual patients. viii. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with persons of varied backgrounds. Chaplain, 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. 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. Preferred Experience: Addiction or Mental Health experience is preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting/carrying (15-44 lbs.); Hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors include working alone and protracted or irregular hours of work.
Duties include, but are not limited to: Serves as a Chaplain professional providing complete religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires. Engages as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener and counselor, especially during times of crisis. Leads and offers prayers and religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community. Addresses the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff. Ministers to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned veteran patients. Provides pastoral ministry to patients of his/her faith group, including conscientious attention during emergencies and crises. Serves as a fully recognized member of an integrated multi-professional treatment team. Serves as professional clinical chaplain in specialty clinics such as Inpatient/Outpatient Mental Health, Inpatient/Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Clinics, Hospice and Palliative Care, Grief and Bereavement Clinics, Women's Health Clinics, Cancer Treatment Centers, Spinal Cord/Polytrauma units, Pain clinics, Infectious Disease Clinics, Whole Health Clinics/Programs, etc. Engages in group consultative discussions or conferences with these professionals to evaluate and review the patient's progress. Locates other Chaplains and/or persons from the community to provide patients' religious needs if necessary. Provides guidance and/or support for patients to express values through processes such as life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation. Provides pastoral counseling on medical and ethical matters, including moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties, justice or confinement matters, terminal diagnoses, or crisis. Counsels patients with long term health illness to aid in developing and maintaining patience, determination, and perseverance. Develops measurable, outcome-driven, and evidence-based pastoral care; and creates staff development and wellness programs. Provides appropriate education and training to other healthcare staff and trainees to screen for spiritual and religious needs and the importance of appropriate referrals to chaplains for complex spiritual distress. Provides guidance and religious instruction to individuals and groups. Maintains cooperative relationships with Medical Center personnel and individuals and groups in the community including local clubs, church groups, special agencies, business organizations and other stakeholders. Provides all necessary religious worship services and instruction on an individual or group basis for a major faith group. Administers ordinances, rites or sacraments; prepares and delivers sermons; arranges for the atmosphere and symbolism of worship; and conducts funeral services when needed. Provides pastoral care involving initial interviews, visits to the various units of the institution, and bedside ministry. Maintains contacts with staff members of the other professional disciplines of the institution. Maintains contacts with the family and/or local clergy, church groups and interested community organizations to sustain the necessary links with the outside community. Provides regular and routine personal visits, special visits, and new patient interviews based on requests and referrals/consults. Conducts spiritual assessments to identify patients' strengths and needs and creates plans for care in response to the moral injuries and spiritual distress of patients that enhance the Holistic Treatment of veteran patients. Collaborates with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care. Performs a variety of intervention methods, including individual and group intervention, to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families. Possesses knowledge of advance care planning to educate, inform, and counsel patients and families. Uses skills developing pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven and evidenced-based within the department guidelines; skills counseling on medical and ethical issues, terminal diagnoses or crises, moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties, and justice or confinement matters. Uses skills supporting the development of staff resiliency and developing programs for staff development and wellness by providing spiritual and emotional support. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday and Sundays, 0730-1600 (negotiable) Telework: Ad-hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized