Chaplain

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Chaplain professional performing clinical assignments for the VHA. The incumbent provides comprehensive 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 chaplain services.

Duties

The Chaplain serves as a professional spiritual care provider and member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, delivering comprehensive religious ministry and pastoral care services to Veteran patients, families, caregivers, and staff. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provide comprehensive spiritual assessments, pastoral counseling, crisis intervention, and religious ministry services to Veterans with complex spiritual, moral, ethical, and emotional concerns. Deliver specialized chaplaincy services in clinical settings, including mental health, substance use disorder, hospice and palliative care, women's health, cancer treatment, spinal cord injury, whole health, and other specialty programs. Serve as an active member of interdisciplinary treatment teams, collaborating with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to support holistic patient care. Conduct religious services, worship ceremonies, prayers, sacraments, rites, rituals, memorials, and other faith-based activities in accordance with Veterans' religious preferences and traditions. Provide bedside ministry and pastoral support to newly admitted patients, surgical patients, critically ill patients, patients facing end-of-life issues, and their families. Counsel patients and families regarding advance care planning, moral injury, grief, loss, suffering, life transitions, terminal illness, and other spiritual and ethical concerns. Ensure Veterans are afforded opportunities for the free exercise of religion while protecting patients from religious coercion, discrimination, or proselytization. Coordinate and facilitate access to religious resources by collaborating with community clergy, faith leaders, congregations, volunteers, and community organizations to meet identified spiritual care needs. Develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based pastoral care programs, spiritual wellness initiatives, staff resiliency programs, and educational activities that support patient and staff well-being. Provide consultation, guidance, training, and education to healthcare staff, trainees, volunteers, and chaplain colleagues regarding spiritual care, religious concerns, ethical issues, and appropriate referral processes. Lead and participate in complex projects, program initiatives, task groups, and quality improvement activities supporting Chaplain Service operations and organizational priorities. Document chaplaincy interventions, spiritual assessments, treatment recommendations, and patient encounters in the electronic health record in accordance with department and regulatory requirements. Maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and serve as a liaison between the medical center, patients, families, faith communities, and community organizations. Provide emergency, disaster, and crisis response support for patients, families, staff, and healthcare teams during critical incidents, emergencies, and special events. Assist with administrative functions, program management activities, volunteer coordination, resource management, scheduling, reporting, and other duties necessary to support Chaplain Service operations. Spend a minimum of 70% of work time providing direct patient care services. Work Schedule: Sunday - Thursday or Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 6:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 56481-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) Education: 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) (https://www.chea.org/) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) (https://www.ats.edu/) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For applicants who do not possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational degree may meet this requirement with an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains. This would include the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI. Endorsement: Applicants must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement and must be dated within the past 12 months. A complete list of Ecclesiastical Organizations that the Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes as Ecclesiastical Endorsing Organizations is available here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Ecclesiastical_Endorsement.asp Current VA Chaplains do not have to get updated endorsements after they are hired. Certification: Applicants must be a Board-Certified Chaplain by the Board of Chaplaincy Certifications Inc. (BCCI), or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI. Board Certification that requires four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is qualifying. https://www.apchaplains.org/bcci-site/ . Note: Provisional or Associate or other status as a candidate for board certification does not meet the board certification requirement for the FPL GS-11 or above. 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: Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify at the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Specialty Certification: Specialty certification is demonstrated advanced practice and/or specialization in chaplaincy beyond the board certification. You must possess a Specialty Certification from a professional chaplain certifying body that is directly related to the position being filled. The list of Board Certifying Chaplain Organizations and Specialty Certifying Organization is located here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience and specialty certification requirements above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty. Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care. Skill to seek out primary research and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice. 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. Ability to mediate conflict, hold various emotions