Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current, permanent VA Salt Lake City Health Care System Employees, VA Employees Nationwide, and all other Federal Employees. **** If you are NOT A current federal employees. please apply to vacancy announcement CBSU- 12534618-24-MD which is open to the public****

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Duties:

• Serves as a Chaplain professional providing complete religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires.
• Serves as a primary resource, spiritual advisor and point of contact for the spiritual needs of patients, caregivers, and staff.
• Conducts religious services and worship, pastoral ministry, and administration of Chaplain services.
• Engages as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener and counselor, especially during times of crisis.
• Provides emotional support and counseling using empathy and strong interpersonal skills to effectively connect with people of all ages.
• Leads and offers prayers and religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community.
• Conducts rituals in front of groups of people, which requires effective leadership and public speaking skills.
• Addresses the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff.
• Conducts regular rounds of hospital wards where patients are critically ill.
• Ministers to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned veteran patients.
• Provides advance care planning education, information, and counsel for patients and their families.
• Provides pastoral ministry to patients of his/her faith group.
• Ensures all patients are provided opportunities for the free exercise of religion and that Veterans are protected from proselytizing and coercing from any source.
• Serves as a fully recognized member of an integrated multi-professional treatment team.
• Serves as professional clinical chaplain in specialty clinics.
• Collaborates with treatment team professionals to attain the necessary therapeutic goals for the patient.
• 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.
• Maintains records and appropriately documents chaplaincy care services.
• Provides pastoral counseling on medical and ethical matters.
• Addresses fears that patients have when facing surgery and answers questions regarding the meaning of life when confronted with the reality of pain, illness, permanent disfigurement, crippling, or death.
• Counsels patients with long term health illness to aid in developing and maintaining patience, determination, and perseverance.
• Provides advice to mental health patients with deeply troubling concerns of anxiety, depression, obsession, and fear.
• Provides referrals for continuity of spiritual care.
• 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.
• Coordinates with the appropriate VHA Chaplain Service officials and adheres to the department's guidelines.
• Maintains cooperative relationships with Medical Center personnel and individuals and groups in the community.
• Coordinates with community organizations to ensure the provision of comprehensive spiritual care.
• Administers ordinances, rites or sacraments; prepares and delivers sermons; arranges for the atmosphere and symbolism of worship; and conducts funeral services.
• Maintains records, supplies, and religious equipment for the assigned program; and tracks and maintains the program's budget.
• 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.
• Provides crisis intervention and stabilization as required.
• Collaborates with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care.
• Communicates effectively both in writing and verbally with persons of varied backgrounds.
• Performs a variety of intervention methods, including individual and group intervention, to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families.

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

**This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until 12/27/2024. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be reviewed 09/25/2024 . Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.**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

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.
OR
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.

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

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 ®.
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.

Grandfathering Provision. All chaplains employed in VHA, in this occupational series, performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date 09/24/2020 of this qualification standard , are considered to have met all the qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. ???????

GRADE DETERMINATIONS:

Chaplain GS-9

Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's) . 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/135, Part II, Appendix G67

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

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 GS9 to GS11.

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.