Chaplain (Clinical Pastoral Education) Job Opening

Certificates or evaluations showing completion of Clinical Pastoral Education . Only documented units of Clinical Pastoral Education completed in programs accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) automatically count toward the CPE requirement. You must provide a detailed narrative description of any other training you would like considered toward the CPE requirement. Your description must include the following information:

• The beginning and ending dates of training
• The name and location of the institution(s) in which the supervised ministry was performed;
• The name(s) and title(s) of the educational supervisor(s)/instructor(s);
• The total number of hours of performance of ministry in a health care setting; The total number of hours of classroom or didactics, and individual meetings with the supervisor/instructor;
• The learning objectives, the method(s) of reporting on and evaluation of the practice of ministry, and how feedback from peers and teachers was obtained.

Your resume should describe in detail your ministry in health care settings. List all jobs held whether paid or unpaid. You must indicate whether each job held was full time or part time. For part time jobs indicate the average number of hours you worked per week. Your resume must describe work you have performed and education you have completed that demonstrate that you meet the specialized requirement for this position.

To qualify for this position , applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/02/2019.

1. Ecclesiastical Endorsement: An ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within 12 months prior to the closing date of the announcement, from the official national endorsing authority of your faith group. An ecclesiastical endorsement is the written official statement by the endorsing body certifying that you are in good standing with the faith group and that you, in the opinion of the endorsing body, are qualified to provide the full range of ministry required in the VA's pluralistic setting . Only endorsements specifically for VA Chaplaincy are accepted. Note: Endorsements for military chaplaincy, for other Federal Chaplaincies, for Chaplain Cognate Groups, and endorsements to whom it may concern are not acceptable.

Ecclesiastical Endorsements must be signed by the endorsing official designated to VA by the religious organization/faith group. Please see the list on our website to assure that your endorsement is signed by the appropriate official. http://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/index.asp Choose "employment information" then scroll down to the list.

If your faith group is not on the list it must submit a Request to Designate an Ecclesiastical Endorsing Official to the National VA Chaplain Center on or before the closing date of this announcement. The request form, VHA Form 10-0389, is at the following web address: https://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-0379-fill.pdf Page 1 of the form gives instructions about documents that must accompany the request. The faith group must submit a document from the Internal Revenue Service showing that IRS has determined that the group/organization is tax-exempt as a religious organization under IRS Code 501(c)(3). The request form and supporting documents may be submitted by fax, email, or regular mail to:

National VA Chaplain Center
100 Emancipation Drive, Building 33
Hampton, VA 23667
Attention: National Chaplain Center
FAX: 757-728-3179
EMAIL: [email protected]
Do not submit application documents to the above address.
Do not submit the Request to Designate an Endorsing Official with your personal application documents.

2. Education: A Master of Divinity from an accredited institution or the equivalent. Equivalent education is a bachelor's degree (of at least 120 semester hours) from an accredited institution plus at least 70 graduate semester hours which included all of the following: at least 20 semester hours in pastoral ministry; 20 semester hours in any combination of theology, ethics, and philosophy of religion; 20 semester hours in the study of sacred writings, including the study of languages in which sacred writings are written; and 10 semester hours in religious history and/or world religions. Evidence of M.Div. or Letter of Equivalency for M.Div. from the National VA Chaplain Center must be uploaded in the application materials. To request Letter of Equivalency for M.Div., email transcripts to [email protected] . Any applicants without a M.Div. or Letter of Equivalency will be disqualified.

3. Clinical Pastoral Education: In addition to the education requirement, applicants must have completed at least 2 units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) [as defined by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)]. 800 hours of supervised ministry in a formal training program which incorporated both ministry formation and pastoral care skills development will be considered for equivalency to the required CPE. Evidence of two units of CPE or Letter of Equivalency for CPE from the National VA Chaplain Center must be uploaded in the application materials. To request Letter of Equivalency for CPE, email [email protected] . Any applicants without 2 units of CPE or Letter of Equivalency will be disqualified.

4. Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work can help build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

A minimum of three years of ministry experience. At least two years of this experience must have followed completion of the Master of Divinity or equivalent education. Experience during graduate education may count for up to one year of the three years of required experience. One year of the experience must have demonstrated all of the following:
(a) ability to serve as a consultant or expert to a multidisciplinary treatment team;
(b) in-depth knowledge of related professional fields, particularly in the behavioral sciences;
(c) understanding of, and ability to respond to, the particular concerns and issues pertaining to treatment of veterans;
(d) knowledge of the structure, regulations, practices, and programs of healthcare delivery systems;
(e) ability to interpret and apply a body of rules, regulations, policies, and procedures in professional practice;
(f) ability to develop and maintain liaisons with a variety of outside organizations.

• Completion of a doctoral degree directly related to pastoral ministry may be substituted for one year of this experience, unless the doctoral degree is used to satisfy the "equivalent education" as described above. Part time experience is prorated in comparison to 40 hours per week to determine its length.

5. English Language Proficiency: All applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English.

6. Selective Factor: Certified as an Educator of CPE, or an Associate Educator of CPE, by Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC)

Note : A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated by the Board of Excepted Service Examiners to determine the degree to which the documents provided demonstrate that the applicant has the following competencies:

• Assessing patients' spiritual needs and planning care in various care settings
• Communicating health care information to individuals, groups, patients, treatment teams
• Acquiring new pertinent knowledge and skills through on-going professional self-development
• Organizing work, setting goals, measuring and documenting outcomes
• Providing information and assistance to internal and external stakeholders including patients, families, staff members, community organizations, Veterans organizations
• Providing pastoral care in a hospital setting to patients, relatives and significant others in accordance with standards of cognate groups such as the Association of Professional Chaplains, the Joint Commission
• Assuring that patients have opportunity for free exercise of religion and preventing proselytizing from any source
• Utilizing information technology including documenting care in electronic medical records
  Advising interdisciplinary teams about patient needs and incorporating spiritual care into holistic health care
• Providing care and advice on difficult and complex issues in accordance with principles and practices of clinical and moral ethics
• Performing sacraments, rituals, ordinances, and worship service as appropriate to meet the needs of patients of the faith group by which the individual is endorsed
• Dealing effectively with diversity. Providing culturally competent care
• Taking initiative to seek methods to improve care and to lead workgroups, committees, and teams

Applicants will be given a numerical score between 70 and 100. The numerical score is based on the totality of relevant competencies. It is not determined by summing scores on each competency. Those Veterans who are entitled to preference will get either 5 or 10 points added. Applicants will be referred to the medical center for final consideration in score order. The medical center must select from among the highest three applicants.

Applicants who have completed a Clinical Pastoral Education residency (4 units of CPE) or fellowship in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center within the past year; and who meet the minimum qualification requirements, may be referred to the selecting official for consideration without a numerical rating. This is called "non-competitive consideration." Applicants with eligibility for Veteran preference will be referred first from lists of applicants eligible for non-competitive consideration.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.