Chaplain (Roman Catholic)
Location: West Haven Connecticut
Description: Department Of Veterans Affairs is looking of Chaplain (Roman Catholic) right now, this job will be placed in Connecticut. More details about this job opportunity kindly see the descriptions. Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 731930 (Please include on all documents)
Our mission: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ .
VA Connecticut Healthcare System was officially formed in 1995 with the integration of the VA medical centers in West Haven and Newington. We serve veterans in Connecticut and southern New England. The West Haven facility is a tertiary care facility classified as a Clinical Referral Level I Facility. It is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology and a renowned research program. Comprehensive health care is provided through primary, acute, tertiary and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. A WomenÂ's Health Center is located at the West Haven campus.
Newington is an ambulatory care center that provides primary and specialty care. VA Connecticut is part of the VA New England Healthcare System, which includes facilities in Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In addition to our main campuses, VA Connecticut operates six community-based primary care centers in Danbury, New London, Stamford, Waterbury, Winsted and Windham.
This is a full time position for a Roman Catholic Staff Chaplain. The Chaplain provides spiritual and pastoral care to Veterans and family members at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Haven CT. For information about the medical center use the following link: http://www.connecticut.va.gov/
This position may be filled at either grade GS-12, or at grade GS-11 with promotion potential to GS-12. If filled at GS-11, the selected person may be promoted without further competition to grade GS-12 upon meeting all administrative requirements and demonstrating competence. Promotion to GS-12 is not guaranteed.
The salary range for GS-11 is $64,729 to $84,146
The salary range for GS-12 is $77,585 to $100,859
KEY REQUIREMENTS
You must be a US citizen to apply for this job
Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
Pre-employment Physical may be required
DUTIES:
WORK SCHEDULE: 40 to 48 hours per week (Will include 2 afternoon/evenings and alternating weekends)
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: This position is open to VA Chaplains Only
DUTY
The chaplain has full responsibility for providing a complete religious ministry to veteran patients. The chaplain assesses religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and plans and provides appropriate ministration, including individual in-depth pastoral ministry. The Chaplain provides extensive and intensive pastoral counseling to meet the expressed needs and desires of individual patients. The chaplain also provides counsel and pastoral support to relatives of patients in difficult and trying situations to alleviate their anxieties, to foster effective cooperation of these relatives with the treatment regimen of the medical center, and to help them deal with grief. The chaplain responds to emergencies or crises when pastoral care is appropriate. The chaplain will determine the need for and provide Roman Catholic worship services, at times and locations such that patients will have access. The incumbent will be creative and innovative in the use of resources to foster ministry, and where appropriate, participate in Interfaith Prayer Services. The chaplain will perform sacraments and/or rituals to meet the unique needs of Roman Catholic patients. The chaplain will facilitate for the needs of patients of all faith groups and will locate other staff chaplains or clergy persons from the community to meet specific religious needs that he cannot meet. When requested by patients, the chaplain provides counsel on medical ethical issues, such as advance directives, in the context of the patient's particular faith background. As the Roman Catholic Staff Chaplain, he will meet/coordinate the sacramental needs of clients located in different venues, including, but not limited to: inpatients and outpatients, the newly admitted, pre-and post-operative patients, the critically ill, traumatic brain injured, the terminally ill, homeless, nursing home, substance abuse, spinal cord injured, ambulatory care, psychiatric, and the families/significant others concerned. He is responsible to serve Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. As a Clinical chaplain, this chaplain is also assigned to the Medical/Surgical floor of the facility, comprising both acutely and chronically ill patients with a wide variety of diagnosis which are at times compounded by psychiatric, emotional, and substance abuse problems, patients with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and patients with Alzheimer's' Disease. The work requires specialized knowledge of ministry to this patient population. As appropriate within a therapeutic milieu, each VA chaplain is responsible for assuring that the right of each and every patient to free exercise (or non-exercise) of religion is upheld; and that patients are protected from proselytizing by staff, other patients, or visitors, regardless of faith group. The incumbent contributes to the formulation and accomplishment of chaplaincy objectives and activities by cooperating closely with colleagues and the supervisory chaplain in an ecumenical/interfaith, team approach to assignments. All chaplains will demonstrate sensitivity to the religious needs and requirements of each other and each individual patient and family members. The Chaplain will develop and conduct a well-rounded program of religious ministry for veteran patients and family members that is fully integrated into the overall treatment program of the medical center, documenting same for the individual client in the patient's (electronic) chart. He participates actively on interdisciplinary teams/committees to assure that the religious and spiritual dimensions of health and wellness are addressed in all aspects of the medical center's holistic patient care. The chaplain assists health care providers and treatment teams in recognizing and addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of veteran patients, using specialized knowledge and abilities in pastoral care of the sick. He assists patients, providers and teams in translating religious and spiritual values into effective living. He cooperates with and participates in community organizations and activities in order to assist in integrating the functions of the medical center into the larger community. The chaplain fosters community support for the medical center and encourages individuals to volunteer in support of the religious program. He orients, trains and supervises Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister volunteers, and provides them with an interpretation of the relationship of religious devotion and faith to the problems of illness and wellness. The chaplain must communicate effectively with persons of diverse races, cultures, religions, nationalities, ages, and persons having varying types and degrees of disability, in order to understand and address their specific needs. The chaplain will document patient assessments, treatment, and ministry in paper and/or electronic records systems as assigned. The Chaplain will also collect Significant data on which to base original contributions to the literature of spiritual care and to provide for future research projects. He will also provide, in a timely manner, an accounting of his overall ministry for entry into the Event Capture System. On-call responsibilities: The incumbent will carry a pager while on duty. Additionally, there will be a regularly scheduled for on-call duty outside of the regularly scheduled work-week for in-house patients/families. While on-call, the individual will carry a pager and will immediately respond to calls from medical center staff. The individual will determine whether the specific situation requires a chaplain to return to the medical center; and, if so, whether an individual of a specific faith group/denomination is needed. Responsible for other duties assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
To be considered for this position applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
Ecclesiastical Endorsement: An ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months, from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Service USA. An ecclesiastical endorsement is the written official statement by the endorsing body certifying that you are in good standing with the faith group or denomination 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. Endorsements must be specifically for VA Chaplaincy. Endorsements for the military or Federal prisons Chaplaincy are not acceptable.
Education: A Master of Divinity from an accredited institution or the equivalent. Equivalent education is a bachelor's degree 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.
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), the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), or the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP)]. 800 hours of supervised ministry in a formal training program which incorporated both ministry formation and pastoral care skills development may be substituted for the required CPE. Diaconal study during and after seminary may be creditable.
Experience : For GS-11 : At least two years of professional ministry experience. At least one year of this experience must be after completion of the Master of Divinity or equivalent education. Experience during graduate education may count for up to one year of the two years of required experience. Completion of a doctoral degree directly related to pastoral ministry may be substituted for one year of experience. For GS-12 : In addition to the requirement for GS-11, a year of ministry experience following completion of the Master of Divinity or equivalent education. This experience must have demonstrated all of the following: Your application or resume must indicate whether each job held was part-time or full-time. You must indicate how many hours per week you worked in jobs that were less than full-time. Part-time experience will be pro-rated by its proportion of a 40 hour work week.
English Language Competency: All applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English.
Selective Service Registration: By law, all males born after December 31, 1959 must have registered with the Selective Service (the military draft) or have a valid exemption.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements. You must show proof that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.
You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs) as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
1. Assess, develop and implement spiritual care plans, conduct patient groups and participate in multidisciplinary teams. 2. Facilitate family meetings, negotiate reconciliation between families and work with multidisciplinary teams. 3. Minister and provide spiritual support to patients with a variety of religious backgrounds and value traditions. Work with chaplains of other faith backgrounds. 4. Write progress notes, speak in public and conduct chapel services. 5. Understanding stages of grief end of life issues, provide bereavement counseling, conduct funerals and memorial services.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications .
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. *** 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. ***
Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation .
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
Your résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
BENEFITS:
Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional "dollars and cents" benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life. For more information please visit us at http://www4.va.gov/JOBS/Job_Benefits/benefits.asp .
OTHER INFORMATION:
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.
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If you were eligible to this job, please email us your resume, with salary requirements and a resume to Department Of Veterans Affairs.
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This job starts available on: Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:35:43 GMT