This position serves as the Roman Catholic Chaplain at the James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center and provides services within various settings, including Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN), inpatient clinics, outpatient clinics. Services include, pastoral counseling and treatment to Veteran patients, patient's families, and staff in various inpatient and outpatient settings.

Duties

Position Title: Chaplain Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Requirements

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 as a chaplain, all applicants must possess the following: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 USC 7407(a).) 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. 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 CFR 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. 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 USC 7405(c)(2) for a period not to exceed two years. This exception only applies at the entry level (GS-9). For the journey level (GS-11) and above, the candidate must have board certification. English Language Proficiency. Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 USC 7403(f). 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Chaplain, GS-9 a. Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. b. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). 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 a. 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. b. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). 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. 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.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard Altoona, PA 16602 US
• Name: Stephanie Lane
• Phone: 4236462698
• Email: [email protected]