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

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 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
• 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
• 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: Senior Psychologist - GS-15 (Service Chief): Experience: At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to supervise and manage a large group of professional staff effectively
• Skill in interpersonal relationships - including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with supervisors from other units
• Ability to accurately apply the qualification standards - assesses the potential of current and prospective employees - and promotes their professional development
• Ability to develop appropriate productivity standards for professional staff - often across multiple program lines
• Knowledge of the goals and objectives of the medical center and VISN and ability to communicate these to subordinates.
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-15
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-15
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• The Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Mental Health is responsible for all aspects of mental health services at VACIHCS and will maintain effective interdepartmental relationships demonstrating active problem resolution skills and close cooperation with other programs and services to accomplish the health care system mission and goals
• Major duties include - but are not limited to the following: Clinical Administrative/Supervisory Authority/Program Management 70% The incumbent participates in the strategic development and implementation of VAPAHCS's model of care
• Incumbent is responsible for establishing and maintaining high standards of excellence in all areas
• Incumbent has oversight responsibility for developing processes to meet performance metrics around the quality of care - access to care - safety - efficiency - and outpatient satisfaction
• Incumbent works collaboratively with other clinical dyads to ensure a seamless patient experience as patients move between venues and sites of care
• Incumbent is directly responsible for recruiting and retaining faculty and staff and initiating areas of programmatic development
• Responsibilities include - Performance Measures Program Development Resource Management Accreditation Quality Assurance Budgets Equipment (major and minor) Maintenance Contracts Personnel Evaluations Performance Reviews Credentialing Oversee Teaching - Clinical Care and Research Initiatives Design and Implementation of Goal-Sharing Initiatives Clinical Responsibilities 20% Examine - diagnose - and treat Veterans and their families - and maintain medical records
• Provide consultation within their discipline
• Provide clinical leadership and problem solving for clinical programs of which Mental health Service has direct responsibility
• The incumbent spends a majority of his/her clinical time on the following: Treat mentally ill patients in various settings as required
• participate in treatment planning and meetings as required for clinical functioning
• provide quality care based on current standards of practice
• Training and Education 10% The incumbent facilitates the training of medical students and residents/fellows - and incumbent promotes continuing education and professional competence for staff working in mental health settings - including cross-service educational programs
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and 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) 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: ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized