Amended-Chaplain

Veterans Health Administration • Gainesville, FL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Serve as a Chaplain for the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. The Chaplain will provide 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 Chaplain 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 service.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• 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.
• 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.
• Must be a Board-Certified Chaplain certified by BCCI ® or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI ®.
• Board Certification that requires 4 units of CPE is qualifying.
• Non-Board-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements, may be given a temporary appointment as a Chaplain under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2) not to exceed 2 years.
• Non-Board-Certified Chaplains must provide proof of completion of 4 units of CPE as required by an approved board certifying body.
• 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 health care 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.
• 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 health care 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.
• Non-Board-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified Chaplain at or above the FPL.
• Non-Board-Certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.

Responsibilities

• Provide religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires.
• Engage as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener and counselor, especially during times of crisis.
• Lead and offer prayers and religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community.
• Address the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff.
• Minister to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned veteran patients.
• Provide pastoral ministry to patients of his/her faith group, including conscientious attention during emergencies and crises.
• Serve as a fully recognized member of an integrated multi-professional treatment team such as serving as a liaison between physicians, medical officers, psychologist, nurses, therapists, social workers and other medical staff.
• Provide regular and routine personal visits, special visits, and new patient interviews based on requests and referrals/consults.
• Conduct spiritual assessments to identify patients' strengths and needs and create plans for care in response to the moral injuries and spiritual distress of patients that enhance the Holistic Treatment of veteran patients.
• Collaborate with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level