Psychologist

Summary 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. Program 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. 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. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy Education: 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; (b) The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program – which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution – with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature AND Internship: (a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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; once board certified the employee is required to maintain board certification OR (e) 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 licensed psychologist Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment 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 3 j 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 (Entry Level): Experience: None beyond the basic requirements GS‑12 (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 AND Demonstrated Knowledge‑Skills‑and‑Abilities: In addition to the experience above – the candidate must demonstrate all of 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 (Full Performance Level): Experience: At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist – with at least 1 year equivalent to the GS‑12 level AND 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 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Duties VA Careers – Psychologist: Total Rewards of an Allied Health Professional Provides a full range of psychodiagnostic services – including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care Ability to diagnose mental health disorders – conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments utilizing the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Provides psychological assessments and individual and group psychotherapy for patients in their assignment Responsible for completing current suicide awareness and prevention related training and demonstrating ability to implement associated suicide prevention screening, evaluation and safety planning as indicated Upon direction from BPVAHCS leadership – and in support of the VA patient care mission – conducts patient care services through face‑to‑face and telehealth mediums – to include – but not limited to video and telephonic means Functions independently as a member of the BPVAHCS Medical Staff – with full clinical privileges Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team – established by the Service Chief – MH&BSS Assists clinic and program managers in the design and execution of ongoing program evaluation and data‑driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program and specific interventions Complies with all Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) documentation procedures – and accuracy, timeliness and completeness standards for documentation and proper patient check‑out procedures (e.g. – returning Veteran telephone calls – making missed opportunity telephone calls and appropriate documentation – entering diagnostic and procedure codes – as well as completing encounters in a complete, accurate and timely manner) Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Service Chief and facility Director Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology students – to include those in post‑doctoral, internship and practicum programs Assists/advises other staff in processes and procedures related to VHA – BPVAHCS – or program specific performance measures and/or program outcome and evaluation Identifies performance improvement needs and solutions as requested – to include active contributions to improve performance measures Work Schedule: Monday‑Friday 8:00 am‑4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign‑on Bonus): Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive Contact View email address on click.appcast.io – the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Learn more 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: This position may be authorized for ad‑hoc telework Ad‑hoc telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 21802F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr