Chaplain

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair

Kansas City (MO)

On-site

USD 80,000 - 110,000

Full time

5 days ago

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Job summary

The Kansas City VA Medical Center is recruiting for one Chaplain who will serve in the Chaplain Service, providing religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to Veterans, caregivers, and staff in a pluralistic setting. Applicants must hold a Master of Divinity or equivalent, possess a valid ecclesiastical endorsement, and be Board Certified by BCCI or equivalent, with English proficiency.

U.S. citizenship required; grandfathering provisions may apply.

Qualifications

Must possess Master of Divinity or equivalent educational degree from CHEA/ATS-accredited institution, or an approved educational equivalency review.
Board Certification by BCCI or equivalent with 4 units of CPE is qualifying.
English language proficiency in spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

Provide religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to Veterans, family caregivers, and staff.
Support the Chaplain Service in a pluralistic, patient-centered care environment.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to address spiritual needs and well-being.

Skills

Pastoral care

Interpersonal skills

Crisis intervention

Education

Master of Divinity or equivalent

CHEA/ATS-accredited equivalent education

Job description

The Kansas City VA Medical Center is recruiting for one (1) Chaplain. The Chaplain will function in Chaplain Service. The incumbent provides religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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:

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.
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.
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: National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint
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 ®. Board Certification that requires 4 units of CPE is qualifying.
English Language Proficiency: Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).

GS-12 Experience:

At this level, the candidate must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-11 level that is directly related to the position to be filled.

AND in addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty.
Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care.
Skill to seek out primary research and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice.
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.
Ability to mediate conflict, hold various emotions and diffuse moral distress among staff and complex crisis situations.
Ability to provide specialized consultation, teaching and mentoring to colleagues and students on advanced spiritual care interventions in the service delivery area.
Ability to apply advanced clinical knowledge to write policies, procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Specialty Certification.

Specialty certification is demonstrated advanced practice and/or specialization in chaplaincy beyond the board certification and is required for the GS-12 grade level. Specialty certification from a professional chaplain certifying body that is directly related to the assignment is qualifying for a senior chaplain assignment. Proof of Certification required with application package.

Specialty Certifications Accepted: