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

***This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until June 30th - 2026 The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be January 19th - 20205 with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.***

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
• 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
• [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.] - OR - Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.] AND 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
• (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
• 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
• 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
• 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: Senior Psychologist- Service Chief Mental Health - GS-15 Experience
• At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level
• GS 14 Assignment- For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity (difficulty) - and range of variety - and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• The Psychologist Service Chief manages a stand-alone Service - Product Line or Service Line
• Senior Psychologist- Service Chief Mental Health - GS-15 Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1
• Ability to supervise and manage a large group of professional staff effectively
• 2
• Skill in interpersonal relationships - including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with supervisors from other units
• 3
• Ability to accurately apply the qualification standards - assesses the potential of current and prospective employees - and promotes their professional development
• 4
• Ability to develop appropriate productivity standards for professional staff - often across multiple program lines
• 5
• Knowledge of the goals and objectives of the medical center and VISN and ability to communicate these to subordinates
• Preferred Experience: 5 or more years of supervisory experience
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Duties are performed in an office setting and/or on hospital wards and clinics where there is exposure to communicable diseases common of the client population.

Duties

• VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Provides broad program management responsibilities for several programs - including leadership in the development - implementation - evaluation - and oversight of complex programs responsible for comprehensive clinical care of Veterans
• Leads several multidisciplinary teams
• Responsible for development - implementation - and oversight of operational policies and procedures for the programs
• Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects
• Organizes and leads leadership team meetings to facilitate case disposition - care management - effective delivery of clinical interventions - and adherence to administrative demands
• Monitors and distributes provider-specific workload reports to team leaders and ensures provider adherence to workload standards
• Plans work to be accomplished by team leaders and Program Managers
• Ensures timely access to care of patients assigned to each team in accordance with local and national policies
• Monitors compliance of team leaders and members with VA performance measures and effectively shapes provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures
• Provides clinical supervision regarding adherence to WCHCS clinical and legal standards and policies
• Provides leadership in hiring new staff for each program
• Resolves conflicts among staff and adjudicates complaints and problems of employees in a timely and effective manner
• Ensures appropriate coverage and approves leave for employees directly under their supervision
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs to effectively coordinate services
• Serves as voting member of Clinical Executive Board - Medical Executive Committee - Peer Review and Medical Records Committee
• Allocates resources within Programs - based on a data-driven decision-making process with consideration given to the overall needs
• Responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations
• Functions as the supervisor of record for management area team leaders/program managers
• Coordinates with the assigned administrative partner to ensure section administrative support - human resource - strategic planning - space and budget needs are met
• Psychological Assessment and Diagnosis: The practice of psychological assessment and diagnosis
• Psychotherapy treatment delivered to individuals - groups - and couples/families using education - supportive therapy - behavioral interventions - and evidence-based psychotherapies
• Assess - stabilize - & determine disposition of patients with emergent mental health conditions consistent with medical staff policy
• Conduct & document suicide & homicide risk evaluations & assessments & implement safety planning
• Administer & interpret standardized measures to assess patient outcomes & progress
• Provide counseling & education to patients - families & caregivers on mental health
• Provide ongoing consultation & education to staff nurses - medical team & student trainees
• Admit patients to the Mental Health Inpatient Unit & residential unit - including evaluation for admission & initiation of inpatient orders
• Manage behavioral treatment of patients on the Mental Health inpatient & residential units
• Serve as on-call clinician for Mental Health Service - providing mental health consultation to the Emergency Department & medicine wards
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be Authorized EDRP Authorized: Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP - Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program
• Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov for questions/assistance
• Pay: Competitive salary & regular salary increases 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) 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) & 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 is authorized for telework - situational (ad hoc) and has NOT been authorized as virtual or remote
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 54577-O Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Authorized