Psychologist - Home Based Primary Care

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. 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 3.g - this part. 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program and - the specialty 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 AND 3 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 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 1-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 1-year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard Licensure: Holds 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 2 years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment (A Memo of Understanding (MOU) is required for this exception to be approved) 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 Physical Requirements: In accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 5019 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 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: Creditable Experience: Quality of Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level Part-time Experience: Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full- time workweek For example - a psychologist employed 20 hours per week - or on a half time basis - would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships: Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice Training as a fellow or resident is creditable experience on a year-for-year basis 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 Additional Requirements: Valid Drivers License 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. Duties The Home Based Primary Care Psychologist position is located under the Mental Health ICC - with primary assignment to the Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) program. The HBPC program provides comprehensive - interdisciplinary primary care services in the homes of veterans with complex and chronic - disabling disease, and includes palliative care, rehabilitation, disease management, and care coordination services. HBPC targets veterans in advanced stages of chronic disease, particularly those at high risk of recurrent hospitalization or nursing home placement. At the full performance (GS-13) level, duties include: providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders with time-limited, evidence-based approaches; assessing and treating subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety; providing services to families of veterans with cognitive decline when related to the treatment plan; assessing for cognitive deficits and determining referrals as needed; performing capacity assessments; providing individual interventions to support coping with grief and loss; providing psychoeducational and supportive interventions to family members/caregivers; providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, sleep problems, weight management, smoking cessation, and medical compliance; serving on committees and participating in educational and performance improvement activities; supervising psychology interns and post-doctoral fellows; providing staff education and consultation; participating in educational development through meetings; and maintaining professional development through literature review. Work Schedule: Full Time - Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Contact: EDRP Coordinator and related inquiries as applicable. #J-18808-Ljbffr