Chaplain

Summary

The Chaplain Service provides pastoral counseling and treatment to Veteran patients, patient's families and staff in various inpatient and outpatient settings.

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Duties

The incumbent 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. Duties will include:

• 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.
• Ensures assignments are carried out in a pluralistic environment, which encompasses sensitivity to the religious needs of many separate religious denominations and faith groups.
• Leads and offers prayers and religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community.
• Conduct rituals in front of groups of people, which requires effective leadership and public speaking skills. Uses leadership skills to lead prayer and religious services.
• Addresses the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff.
• Provides counseling services to 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, including conscientious attention during emergencies and crises.
• 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. Maintains liaison with physicians, medical officers, psychologists, nurses, therapists, social workers, or others involved to exchange information relative to the background and current condition of patients.
• Supervises, trains and coaches volunteer groups who offer their services as assistants as needed.
• 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. Collaborates with treatment team professionals to discuss the recommended course of action, and other informed advice.
• Locates other Chaplains and/or persons from the community to provide patients' religious needs if necessary. Uses knowledge of different faiths to perform various religious rituals, lead prayers, and answer spiritual questions.
• 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 in the Electronic Health Record Management (EHRM) system/Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
• 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. 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 and the importance of appropriate referrals to chaplains for complex spiritual distress.
• Administers ordinances, rites or sacraments; prepares and delivers sermons; arranges for the atmosphere and symbolism of worship; and conducts funeral services when needed.
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 07:30am-4:00pm

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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Requirements

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. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

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  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: 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. COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED.
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  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.
• 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. PROOF OF CPEs Required.
• 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 --COPY OF ENDORSEMENT REQUIRED DATED WITHIN 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 ®.
• Loss of Endorsement or Certification. Chaplains must maintain ecclesiastical endorsement and board certification. Loss of endorsement or board certification will result in removal from the GS-0060 Chaplain occupation and may result in termination of employment.

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-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.

Certification Required

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.



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.



Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs), hearing (aid may be permitted), working alone, protracted or irregular work hours.

Education



Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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