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
• Education (1) 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
• 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
• 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 (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
• d
• Board Certification and Loss of Credential (1) 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
• (2) Loss of Credential
• Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment
• A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment
• At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) (a) Experience
• At least one 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
• (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 a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations
• 2
• Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies
• 3
• Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures
• 4
• Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)
• 5
• 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
• 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
• The incumbent must have a current driver's license and the ability to operate GSA vehicles for community visitation and activities
• Preferred Experience: MH Crisis management, complex case management, psychotherapy and previous work with SMI, dual diagnosis MH/SUD, military/veteran populations
• 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
• 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: 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 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: Collaboration with the suicide prevention coordinator and inpatient treatment providers to support appropriate discharge planning following recommendations for treatment of patients at high risk for suicide
• Actively manages the High-Risk Patient Dashboard
• Ensuring that APU Veterans have a Safety plan within 7 days of the high-risk flag being established, coordinate Veteran access to care (i.e., 4 visits within 30 days) once a flag is established, and ensuring all high-risk flags are reviewed every 90 days
• Assuring that all APU high risk for suicide veterans is being followed for a time period not less than 30 days after discharge IAW PDE1 requirements and the following activities: Until a documented out-patient appointment is completed following hospitalization, facilitate face to face and/or telephone contact with the veteran to assess their safety and ongoing engagement with treatment
• This may include home visits, as clinically appropriate
• Until a documented out-patient appointment is completed following hospitalization, tracking all no show appointments by these patients, and following up with the patient as soon as possible to reschedule the appointment
• If the safety of a high-risk veteran is unable to be established, or it is determined that the veteran is at imminent risk for self-harm, initiating emergency interventions appropriate to the situation, including but not limited to, contacting veteran's identified emergency contact, and /or calling 911
• With patient's consent, contacting family members and/or other identified supports to provide education and involve in patient's treatment and safety planning
• Assist with coordination of care for APU Veterans who have discharged less than 30 days prior that call into the Veteran's Crisis line when appropriate
• To provide care to high-risk veterans based on Evidence Based Practice
• Maintaining awareness of suicide treatment options and making recommendations to the APU Team when new options become available
• Respond to consults and referrals to the APU from providers, the national suicide prevention hotline, and other sources
• Providing APU veterans with education, resources, support and when appropriate development of an outpatient \"Crisis Response Plan.\" Assuring that all high-risk APU patients have completed a Crisis Response Plan which documents crisis prevention strategies that the veteran agrees with
• Safety Plans are completed by the veteran in conjunction with his/her primary therapist or case manager, or an inpatient treatment team
• The Crisis Response Plan will include ways to access assistance if an immediate crisis should occur, and the veteran will be provided a copy of the safety plan
• When it is clinically determined that a veteran is no longer at high risk, the case manager collaborates with the suicide prevention coordinator and primary therapist to oversee the transition of care to assure that appropriate behavioral health follow up is in place Work Schedule: 8:00AM - 4:30PM, Monday - Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #:00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized