Summary

This position is located in the Mental Health Service at the Albany VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. The Staff Psychologist functions as part of the outpatient general mental health clinic (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program - BHIP). The Psychologist provides a variety of treatment modalities in an Outpatient Clinic that meets the diverse needs of Veterans including management of Post­ Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following:

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
• 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 (2) 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
• 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 (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.] AND (4) Internships (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 (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: 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
• Grade Determinations
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) (a) Experience
• At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level
• (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1
• Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations
• 2
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health
• 3
• Knowledge of clinical research literature
• (c) Assignment
• This is the full performance level for staff psychologists
• At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate
• They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development
• Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders
• Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions
• Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues
• Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities 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 13
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• English Language Proficiency: Ability to communicate in spoken and written English with patients and other health care personnel with sufficient fluency to satisfactorily carry out assigned responsibilities, in accordance with Public Law 95-201
• Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

Duties

• CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES At the GS-13 level, the following clinical activities are expected in the assignment: Provides a full range of psychological services including use of the most appropriate psychodiagnostics assessment and psychotherapeutic techniques in providing high quality clinical care Performs evaluation (specific to patient population) Provides a full range of psychological interventions specific to clinical area and specialty Provides clinical supervision for non-licensed psychology providers May serve in a supervisory or program manager role and assume appropriate ancillary duties May provide collateral supervisory duties primarily for non-professional staff although a small number of professional staff may be supervised as well (e.g., less than three) May be assigned to any program area and may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities Independently provides psychological services at all levels of complexity and consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate Clinical care and supervision must meet the standards for psychology licensure and ethics Academic/Teaching/Training: May hold faculty appointments at affiliated university Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training Participates in psychology training program Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staff of units to which assigned Participates in training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students, fellows and other graduate and post-graduate trainees as appropriate Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in conceptualization and formulation of psychological components and appropriate treatment expectations for patient care Research/Program Evaluation May oversee the establishment of program monitors, measurements, and outcomes within areas assigned or as requested using data driven quality assurance processes May plan and oversee completion of personal research projects/programs designed to provide information regarding programs, systems, and treatments May present research or other data at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings May assist in preparation of RFPs and grant proposals as assigned Serves on medical center or healthcare system, VISN, and/or national VA committees or taskforces Represents psychology on decision making committees for the medical center or health care system Actively participates in leadership roles with local, state, and national professional organizations Represents the medical center at professional community-based group events and committees VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf Recruitment & Relocation Incentive: May be available to highly qualified applicants
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm 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: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 21P14-A Recruitment & Relocation Incentive: May be available to highly qualified applicants.