Staff Psychologist - Home Based Primary Care

Summary

The psychologist will be a key member of the Home Based Primary Care interdisciplinary team providing outpatient psychological assessment and evidence-based psychotherapy to Veterans presenting with a broad spectrum of mental health diagnoses - including depressive disorders - anxiety/trauma-related conditions - and personality disorders. Care is delivered to homebound Veterans with complicated medical diagnoses either in the Veteran's residence or using video telehealth (VVC) when appropriate.

Qualifications

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:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3g - this part.) 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
• 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:(a) the re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program
• and (b) 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
• Internships
• 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
• 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
• Exception
• Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed
• Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment
• 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: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level) Experience
• At least 1 year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11)
• Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations
• Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies
• Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures
• Ability to conduct research activities - such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)
• Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team - including research participant relations - research documentation - data acquisition - maintenance - and collaboration
• GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) Experience
• At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate 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
• Preferred Experience: Training and/or prior work experience on an integrated care team within a medical setting
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13
• Physical Requirements: The position is primarily sedentary - with some bending - walking - and stooping required
• This position requires the ability to read printed material and distinguish colors - such as reading computer screens and the ability to accurately perceive depth so as to move around workspace safely and to appropriately make contact with patients and staff
• The incumbent may be required to use a government assigned vehicle.

Duties

• VA Careers - Psychologist: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Functions Ability to diagnose mental health disorders by conducting psychological assessments to include clinical interviewing - objective and projective testing
• Ability to treat mental health disorders through a variety of evidence-based psychotherapies and employ measurement-based care
• Performs evaluations for Veterans with a variety of mood - anxiety - SMI and/or substance use issues - including the dually diagnosed
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions (i.e. - group and individual psychotherapy) and demonstrates competency in a least one evidence-based psychotherapy (e.g. - Motivational Interviewing - Motivational Enhancement Therapy - CBT for Relapse - IPT - CBT and/or ACT for Depression)
• Provides prevention services/education to patients at significant risk for psychological problems
• Provides services to the families of Veterans with dementia being served by HBPC - when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the Veteran and will allow better care for the Veteran and allow the family to sustain the Veteran in the home environment
• Provides behavioral interventions to manage pain - disability - address sleep problems - facilitate weight loss - promote smoking cessation - and enhance medical compliance
• Consults with HBPC and other medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues
• Academic/Teaching/Training May hold faculty appointment at an affiliated university
• May provide training opportunities to various disciplines (PA students - Psychiatry Residents - Family Practice Residents - Nursing Students)
• May be asked to participate in the Psychology Training Program and Training Committee
• May serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients (mostly in Mental Health)
• Research/Program Evaluation Assists in establishing program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance processes
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the ACC - as appropriate
• If applicable - plans and oversees the completion of personal research programs - designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches
• Presents outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings
• Assists in preparation of RFP's and grant proposals - as assigned
• Other Significant Responsibilities May serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System - VISN - and/or National VA committees or task forces
• May represents psychology on decision-making committees at the Medical Center or Healthcare System
• Attend required meetings in MH/BSS
• Attend treatment team meetings as assigned up to 5% of time
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact View email address on careers.biausa.org - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Available (Ad-hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 93673-A/93674-A/93675-A

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.