Veterans Affairs
Summary
This Staff Chaplain position is located at the VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury VA Medical Center in Massachusetts. It is full-time (40 hours per week). This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Responsibilities
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.
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.
Conducts 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.
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.
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 to attain the necessary therapeutic goals for the patient.
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 religious instruction for patients through various means, such as individual or group discussion, faith based classes, instructional classes, and tutoring for courses completed by correspondence.
Collaborates with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care.
Performs a variety of intervention methods, including individual and group intervention, to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families.
Provides crisis intervention and stabilization as required.
Provides support for individual(s) or unit emergencies, natural disasters, man-made disasters or planned special events.
Spends minimally 70% of time in patient care.
Work Schedule 40 hours per week, Tuesday - Saturday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Requirements U.S. citizen, selective service registration (males born after 12/31/1959), proficiency in written and spoken English, subject to background/security investigation, completion of online onboarding process, driver license or state identification card compliant with REAL ID, participation in seasonal influenza vaccination program, and completion of all required documents.
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: Master of Divinity degree or equivalent graduate-level theological degree from an accredited college, university or theological school recognized by CHEA or ATS.
Foreign Education: Theological or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of NACES.
Ecclesiastical Endorsement: Full and active ecclesiastical endorsement dated within the past 12 months from the official national endorsing authority of the faith group or denomination.
Board Certification: Board Certified Chaplain by BCCI or a nationally recognized certification body with BCCI Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy.
Grade Requirements
Experience: None beyond the basic requirements for entry level. At the GS‑11 level, at least one year of creditable experience equivalent to GS‑09.
Assignment: At entry level, supervised. At GS‑11, independent primary resource for spiritual needs.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of spiritual assessments, ability to create care plans, crisis intervention, healthcare team collaboration, respect for free exercise of religion, individual and group interventions, coordination of religious services, and verbal and written communication.
Physical Requirements See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. 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.
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Responsibilities
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.
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.
Conducts 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.
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.
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 to attain the necessary therapeutic goals for the patient.
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 religious instruction for patients through various means, such as individual or group discussion, faith based classes, instructional classes, and tutoring for courses completed by correspondence.
Collaborates with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care.
Performs a variety of intervention methods, including individual and group intervention, to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families.
Provides crisis intervention and stabilization as required.
Provides support for individual(s) or unit emergencies, natural disasters, man-made disasters or planned special events.
Spends minimally 70% of time in patient care.
Work Schedule 40 hours per week, Tuesday - Saturday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Requirements U.S. citizen, selective service registration (males born after 12/31/1959), proficiency in written and spoken English, subject to background/security investigation, completion of online onboarding process, driver license or state identification card compliant with REAL ID, participation in seasonal influenza vaccination program, and completion of all required documents.
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: Master of Divinity degree or equivalent graduate-level theological degree from an accredited college, university or theological school recognized by CHEA or ATS.
Foreign Education: Theological or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of NACES.
Ecclesiastical Endorsement: Full and active ecclesiastical endorsement dated within the past 12 months from the official national endorsing authority of the faith group or denomination.
Board Certification: Board Certified Chaplain by BCCI or a nationally recognized certification body with BCCI Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy.
Grade Requirements
Experience: None beyond the basic requirements for entry level. At the GS‑11 level, at least one year of creditable experience equivalent to GS‑09.
Assignment: At entry level, supervised. At GS‑11, independent primary resource for spiritual needs.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of spiritual assessments, ability to create care plans, crisis intervention, healthcare team collaboration, respect for free exercise of religion, individual and group interventions, coordination of religious services, and verbal and written communication.
Physical Requirements See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. 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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr