Career Center

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Education. Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). OR Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re-specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and, the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature Internship. Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR New VHA psychology internship programs that are in the process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement, provided that such programs were sanctioned by the VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern; OR VHA facilities that offered full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96-151 (pre-1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement; OR Applicants who completed an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed may be considered eligible for hire only if they are currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification.) OR Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidate's doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicant's official transcript, the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program. Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Loss of Credential: A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists. Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education. Grade Determinations: GS-13 Experience: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Knowledge of clinical research literature. References: VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Sitting for long periods of time. Environmental Factors: Working alone ["Staff Psychologist's primary duties involve supervised psychological assessment and diagnosis, psychotherapy and counseling, consultation, and secondary/supplemental clinical supervision. Will be a member of the HBPC program that provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary primary care services in the homes of older adult (65+ years old) veterans with complex, chronic, and disabling medical conditions as well as palliative care, rehabilitation, disease management, and care coordination services. Outcomes expected of HBPC programs include effective management of chronic disease and reduction of inpatient days and total cost of care. Duties include assessment and diagnosis of a wide range of mental disorders, with emphasis on age-related health concerns, PTSD, depression, anxiety and substance use disorders; cognitive screening and triage of patients with dementia or other neurologic disorders; individual and family/couples psychotherapy; behavioral medicine interventions, care coordination with other services; consultation to the team on matters of diagnosis and psychotherapeutic interventions; and clinical program development. Should be well-versed in Geropsychology and behavioral medicine theories, interventions and evidence-based therapies, be comfortable working in home settings and have experience working on interdisciplinary healthcare teams. Duties will vary based on grade. At the GS-13 level, duties will include, but are not limited to: Clinical Provides comprehensive psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans. Demonstrates expertise in using and contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for mental disorders and/or behavioral health conditions. Provides education to patients and family members regarding mental disorders and best practices approaches to treatment. Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions. Provides consultation to providers about assessments and treatment plan for patients. Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients. Complies with all Service Line documentation requirements, including standards for timely completion of patient contact notes, use of required documentation templates, clinical reminders, treatment plans, and risk assessment protocols. Adheres to all Facility and Service Line policies and practices for delivering clinical care, including but not limited to risk assessment and reduction practices for potentially dangerous behavior, timeliness of care and access standards, professional conduct requirements, and health record documentation conventions. Achieves minimal clinical workload expectations as established by the Service Line. Administrative Assists the Team Leader and/or Program Director in the design, development, and implementation of clinical assessment and/or intervention programs. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the affiliated Team Leader, Program Director, and/or Service Line Leader. Assists the Team Leader and/or Program Director in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs to effectively coordinate services. Complies with national and local performance measures and facilitates organizational success on these measures. Complies with all Facility and Service Line policies and expectations concerning administrative practices. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Psychology Chief/Deputy Chief, Service Line Leader (or designee), Chief of Staff, and/or Facility Director. Attends monthly Psychology Service Staff Meetings; Psychology Training Faculty Meetings; and participates in the Psychology Service biannual competency review process (OPPE and FPPE), periodically serving on the Psychology Service Clinical Pertinence Review Committee. Maintains knowledge of, and practices according to, Joint Commission guidelines. Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with provisions of Federal privacy acts and confidentiality statutes. Follows regulations and instructions regarding release of sensitive or protected patient or employee information. Education and Training Provides guidance and consultation to unit staff in the area(s) assigned. Other teaching, training, or educational responsibilities: create instructional materials for HBPC team throughout VA Puget Sound Healthcare System Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Stacy Hermann at V20CompensationTeam@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

Return to Search Results