This position is located within the Chaplain Service at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. A Chaplain professional provides 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.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Provides emotional support and counseling using empathy and strong interpersonal skills to effectively connect with people of all ages. Engages as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener and counselor, especially during times of crisis. Ensures assignments are carried out in a pluralistic environment, which encompasses sensitivity to the religious needs of many separate religious denominations and faith groups. 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, Women's Health Clinics, Pain clinic, etc. Coordinates and assist with the planning of memorial services. 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. Provides pastoral care involving initial interviews, visits to the various units of the institution, and bedside ministry. Serves as a spiritual advisor on moral and religious problems for patients and their families in times of crisis. Maintains contacts with staff members of the other professional disciplines of the institution, usually for exchange of information relative to the background and current condition of the patient. Work Schedule: M-F 7:00AM - 3:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00057F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

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. 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 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. 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 .https://www.professionalchaplains.org/content.asp?pl=198&sl=254&contentid=254 **NOTE** Board certification is required with the exception that 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. For the journey level and above, the candidate must have board certification. GS-09 Grade Determinations: At the GS-9 entry level, chaplains serve in a career development position practicing under close supervision of a supervisor or qualified individual who reviews and ensures the employee meets competency requirements. The chaplain conducts spiritual assessments to identify patient strengths and needs and creates plans for care in response to the moral injuries and spiritual distress of patients. The candidate provides crisis intervention and stabilization as required. The chaplain collaborates with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care. The chaplain ensures free exercise of religion and protects Veterans from proselytization and coercion from any source. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to meeting the basic experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSA's: Knowledge of spiritual assessments to identify patient strengths and needs and documenting services provided. Ability to use the information of the spiritual assessment to create care plans in all dimensions of pastoral care. Ability to provide crisis intervention and stabilization. Skill in healthcare team collaboration to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual issues. Ability to ensure free exercise of religion for patients and staff. Knowledge of individual and group interventions to address spiritual and emotional needs of patients and families; providing referrals for continuity of spiritual care. Skill in the coordination of religious services respecting the faith tradition of individual patients. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with persons of varied backgrounds. GS-11 Grade Determination: At this level, the candidate must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-09 level that is directly related to the position to be filled. At the GS-11 journey level, the chaplain independently serves as a primary resource and point of contact for the spiritual needs of patients, caregivers and staff. The chaplain provides advance care planning education, information, and counsel for patients and their families. The chaplain 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. The chaplain develops pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven, and evidence-based in coordination with the department guidelines. The chaplain provides pastoral counseling on medical and ethical matters, including but not limited to, moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties, justice or confinement matters, terminal diagnoses, or crisis. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSA's for the GS-09 grade level, the candidate must meet the experience above and demonstrate the following KSA's: Knowledge of advance care planning to educate, inform, and counsel patients and families. Skill in guiding patients in verbalizing and expressing values through life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation. Ability to develop pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven and evidenced based within the department guidelines. 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. Ability to support the development of staff resiliency and develop programs for staff development and wellness by providing spiritual and emotional support. 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. 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary, there can be demands for standing, walking, bending and long periods of sitting at the computer, answering the telephone, and transferring calls frequently. Lifts, bends, pulls, stoops, moves bags, boxes, and charts.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 820 South Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60612 US
• Name: Joyce Ruffin
• Phone: 414-384-2000 X40575
• Email: [email protected]