The incumbent serves as a Chaplain Clinical Pastoral Educator (CPE) performing senior-level clinical assignments for the VHA. 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 services.

Duties

Serves as a certified Chaplain (CPE) providing comprehensive, religious ministry services and training to Veteran patients and students according to their specific needs. Carries out an education ministry with the CPE Center, which is highly integrated into VHA's Chaplain program. Provides thorough guidance and advice to Chaplain Service management staff, students, other Chaplains, and stakeholders. Manages the daily operations of the CPE Center and develops and implements program policies and procedures. Serves as a certified educator of record for all CPE students for an assigned designated area. Provides administrative oversight and programmatic resources and monitors educational outcomes. Offers students an opportunity to develop and expand professional caring skills in a clinical setting to address a person's spiritual, emotional, and physical needs; and offers students experience with hands-on spiritual care for hospitalized patients. Maintains records for all educator evaluations, student records, center portfolio, and CPE accreditation requirements, which may include off-site CPE satellite and placement contracts. Seeks approval for allied health trainee positions through the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). Conducts recruitment and interviews and selects students for the CPE program. Ensures all documentation is completed for compliance. Develops educational curricula that are measurable, outcome-oriented, and evidence-based and designed to meet board certification competencies. Develops relationships with key staff related to the CPE program, e.g., clinical preceptors, Advisory Group members, and OAA staff. Provides extended and intensive pastoral counseling as an integral part of the treatment program with patients facing complex, ethical, moral, and/or spiritual issues. Monitors the CPE Center's program effectiveness and modification of service pattern, which includes research and leadership of clinical teams. Develops and implements methods to measure the effectiveness of the Chaplain educational program. Uses outcome evaluations to improve educational services and to design education system changes. Seeks best practices, primary research, and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice. Provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs. Serves as a primary senior Chaplain education resource, spiritual advisor, and liaison for the spiritual needs of Veterans patients, students, caregivers, and staff. Conducts comprehensive religious services and worship, pastoral ministry, and administration of Chaplain services. Addresses the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff through educational means. Completes various complex educational projects, task groups, and assignments to obtain pertinent high-level information needed for Chaplain Service senior management officials. Ensures various complex educational training assignments are carried out in a pluralistic environment, which encompasses sensitivity to the religious needs of many separate religious denominations and faith groups. Serves as a Chaplain senior representative and a fully recognized member of an interdisciplinary treatment team (IDT). Advises and collaborates with other senior members of the treatment team to provide comprehensive healthcare services to Veterans. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm with occational Sundays Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Title/Functional Statement #:Chaplain (Clinical Pastoral Educator)/PD000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• 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 Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

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 ®. 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. English Language Proficiency. Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grandfathering Provision. All chaplains employed in VHA, in this occupational series, performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date 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 (Clinical Pastoral Educator), GS-12 Experience. At this level, the candidate must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey level (GS-11) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Experience such as: 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 and 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. Certification: To provide educational supervision for CPE Level 1 and Level 2 students, the Chaplain CPE Educator must be a Certified Educator. To provide educational supervision for students seeking to become Certified Educators, the Chaplain CPE Educator must be a CPE national faculty from an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i. Ability to independently educate all levels of CPE students and plan, organize, and implement all levels of the CPE program. ii. Skill in adhering to all accreditation standards, processes and practices including, but not limited to, timely and professional submission of all required program reports, center portfolio, fees and dues. iii. Skill in written and verbal communication that are articulate, professional and cohesive. iv. Ability to recruit, interview and select students for the CPE program. v. Knowledge of professional ethics for certified educators and history of CPE. vi. Ability to apply theoretical understanding for and competence in administering and conducting all levels of CPE programs. vii. Knowledge of emerging trends and research in the area of pastoral education. viii. Knowledge of diverse conceptual frameworks for developing educational curriculum. Preferred Experience: Experience overseeing an Educator in Training Experience Providing Education within Federal Setting National Faculty ACPE References: VA Handbook 5005/135 Part Ii Appendix G67 Chaplain Qualification Standard GS-0060 Veterans Health Administration September 24, 2020. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Accreditation Information: The master's or other education, must be fully accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the https://www.chea.org/ or https://www.ats.edu/ website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

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 Dallas VA Medical Center 4500 South Lancaster Road Dallas, TX 75216 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]