This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Gainesville Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC), Chaplain Service (CS). The position provides services within various settings, including Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), Inpatient Clinics, Outpatient Clinics, and domiciliaries throughout the United States.

Duties

The position 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 Service. Duties include, but are not limited to the following: - Serves as a primary Chaplain resource, spiritual advisor, and liaison for the spiritual needs of Veteran patients, caregivers, and staff. - Provides extended and intensive pastoral counseling in a specialized clinic/program area as an integral part of the treatment program with patients facing complex, ethical, moral, and spiritual issues. - Administers ordinances/sacraments or coordinates resources to meet specific faith needs of Veteran patients, and partners with community clergy when requested support is beyond ecclesiastical endorsement agreement. - Conducts comprehensive religious services, pastoral ministry, facility observances, and administration of Chaplain services. - Offers spiritual assessments and addresses any religious, ethical, spiritual, or moral injury issues of Veteran patients when ministering to pre/post-operative, seriously ill, mental health, hospice, palliative care patients and their families. - Advises and collaborates with other members of the IDT to provide comprehensive healthcare services, ensure holistic care, and better meet the needs of Veteran patients. - Uses appropriate therapeutic models, empathy and strong interpersonal skills when providing individual or group counseling with Veteran patients of all ages and employs VA Video Connect or other authorized virtual technology when necessary. - Provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, continuing education programs and performs additional duties as assigned. - Conducts regular rounds of hospital wards, accepts nightly on-call responsibilities, ensures all assignments are completed, and demonstrates excellent customer service. - Responds in a timely manner to emergencies/crises when spiritual care is appropriate and engages as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener, and pastoral counselor. This will sometimes require travel to other medical facilities. - Ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to Veterans and provides the highest quality of care. Work Schedule: Rotation of Weekends: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD06195F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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: All Chaplains must meet the following basic requirements: UNITED STATES CITIZESHIP: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. o 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 is acceptable such as the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) or a 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. 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. https://acpe.edu/ ENDORSEMENT: Applicants must possess a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement, 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 (Note: Current VA Chaplains do not need 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 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. https://www.apchaplains.org/bcci-site/ Note: Current Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Chaplains who were employed in the position as of September 24, 2020 that were grandfathered are considered to have met the positive education, CPE, and certification requirements. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Chaplain - To qualify at the GS-12 level you must also meet both of the following grade level requirements. Specialty Certification: You must have a Specialty Certification from a professional chaplain certifying body that is be directly related to the position being filled. Specialty certifications directly related and required for this position include Mental Health, PTSD, Suicide Prevention, Substance Use Disorder or Moral Injury.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 Experience: At least year of creditable experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level that is directly related to the position to be filled such as independently serving as a primary resource for the spiritual needs of patients, caregivers, and staff; providing advance care planning education, information and counsel or patients and their families, providing pastoral counseling on medical and ethical matters, coordinating with community organizations and engaging community resources to meet religious needs of patients. Your experience must demonstrate that you meet the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): o Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty. o Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care. o Skill to seek out primary research and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice. o 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. o Ability to mediate conflict, hold various emotions and diffuse moral distress among staff and complex crisis situations. o Ability to provide specialized consultation, teaching and mentoring to colleagues and students on advanced spiritual care interventions in the service delivery area. o Ability to apply advanced clinical knowledge to write policies, procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G67, Chaplain Qualification Standard The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-12. Physical Requirements: This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving within the healthcare setting or with the incumbent using an assistive device. The Chaplain is required to speak, hear (hearing aid permitted) and work closely with others.

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 Malcom Randall Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1601 Southwest Archer Road Gainesville, FL 32608 US
• Name: Melissa Noble
• Phone: 602-831-6709
• Email: [email protected]