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 educational/certification/licensure completion requirements may be referred & tentatively selected but can't be hired until all requirements are met

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship Must be US citizen Non-citizens only appointed when it's not possible to recruit qualified US citizens English Language Proficiency Must be proficient in spoken &
• written English Education Have doctoral degree in psychology from graduate program in psychology accredited by American Psychological Association, Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System or Canadian Psychological Association when program was completed Specialty in which applicant is retrained must be consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area Term "specialty area"
• refers to specific specialty areas recognized by accrediting body &
• not to specific job duties that may require special skills Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or 2 or more combination specialty areas PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science
• CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, &
• school psychology
• VHA doesn't have any jobs that require a school psychologist skills so applicants w/ school psychology degrees aren't eligible for appointments
• Strictly for purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas, w/ exception of school psychology OR Have doctoral degree in any area of psychology &
• successfully complete a re-specialization program (including documentation of approved internship completed as part of re-specialization program), that meet following conditions: re-specialization program must be completed in APA or CPA accredited doctoral program
• &
• specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area OR Have doctoral degree awarded between 1951 &
• 1978 from regionally accredited institution, w/ dissertation primarily psychological in nature AND Internships Have successfully completed professional psychology internship training program accredited by APA or CPA at time program was completed &
• specialty which applicant is retrained must be consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area OR New VHA psychology internship programs in process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable to fulfill internship requirements, provided such programs were sanctioned by VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology &
• VHA Office of Academic Affiliations when individual was intern OR VHA facilities that offered full-time, 1 year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96-151, pre-1979 are considered acceptable to fulfill internship requirement OR Applicants who completed internship not accredited by APA or CPA when program was completed can only be considered eligible for hire if they are currently board certified by American Board of Professional Psychology in specialty area consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area NOTE Employee is required to maintain board certification once board certified OR Applicants who have doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from regionally accredited institution w/ a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill internship requirement by having equivalent of 1 year supervised internship experience in site specifically acceptable to candidate's doctoral program If internship experience isn't noted on applicant's official transcript, applicant must provide statement from doctoral program verifying equivalent of 1 year supervised internship experience was completed at site acceptable to doctoral program NOTE Psychologists who meet revision requirements &
• who were employed by Department of VA prior to implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met qualification standard requirements Licensure Hold full, current &
• unrestricted license to practice psychology at doctoral level in State, Territory or Commonwealth of U S or District of Columbia Exception Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet eligibility requirements may be given temporary appointment as "graduate psychologist"
• at GS11 or GS12 grade for period not to exceed 2 years from employment date on condition psychologist provides care only under supervision of psychologist who's licensed Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination temporary appointment Loss of Credential Psychologists who fail to maintain required licensure must be removed from occupation, which may result in employment termination Employees may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified &
• if opportunity placement exists at appointing officials'
• discretion Board Certification Persons hired to psychology positions in VHA who completed internship not accredited at time program was completed must be board certified by American Board of Professional Psychology in specialty area consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area Board certificate must be current &
• applicant must abide by certifying body's requirement for continuing education Loss of Credential Once board certified, psychologist must maintain full, valid &
• unrestricted board certification to remain employment qualified Psychologists who fail to maintain required board certification must be removed from occupation, which may result in termination of employment Employees may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified &
• if opportunity placement exists at appointing officials'
• discretion Grade Determinations Candidates must possess following grade determination requirements in addition to basic requirements GS11 Experience None beyond basic requirements GS12 Experience At least 1 year professional psychologist experience equivalent to GS11 grade Unlicensed Psychologists must practice under supervision of licensed psychologist but w/ less intense supervision than at GS11 grade level Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills &
• Abilities KSAs Candidates must demonstrate following KSAs plus GS-12 experience 1) Knowledge &
• ability to apply range of professional psychological treatments/assessment methods to various patient populations 2) Ability to design/implement effective treatment strategies 3) Ability include new clinical procedures 4) Ability conduct research activities, eg design/implement clinical research projects, staff psychologists w/ specified research job duties 5) Ability perform scholarship &
• research basic research tasks &
• execute w/ established research team, including research participant relations &
• documentation, data acquisition, maintenance &
• collaboration GS-13 Experience At least 2 years professional psychologist experience w/ at least 1 year equivalent to GS-12 grade KSAs Candidates must demonstrate following KSAs in addition to experience 1) Knowledge/ability to apply professional psychological treatments to patient population ranges 2) Ability to provide professional advice/consult in psychology/behavioral health related areas 3) Clinical research literature knowledge Preferred Experience: Experience providing range of treatment services to patients w/ substance use &
• co-occurring disorders, including but not limited to: individual, family &
• group psychotherapy, experience using motivational interviewing skills &
• techniques &
• abstinence based interventions &
• harm reduction approaches to SUDs Reference please visit ttps://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ for qualification standards information Vacancy full performance level is GS-13
• Applicants may be selected for grades GS-11s-GS-13s for this vacancy Physical Requirements: Lift/carry <15 lbs, use computer equipment, sit, walk, stand, bend, carry papers, books, laptop/other items, rapid mental/muscular coordination, climb/descend stairs &
• complete, Pass &
• maintain Basic Life Support certification

Duties

• vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf The full performance level of the Psychologist Substance Use Disorder, SUD, duties include, but are not limited to the following: Provides a full range of psychological or diagnostic assessment services for those with potential substance use disorders and concurrent mental health disorders Provides SUD related education to patients, family members, and significant others Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g., CPT, PE, MET, CBT-SUD, BCT) Provides consultation to professional staff within the ECHCS and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patient diagnosed with SUD and concurrent mental health disorders Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients diagnosed with co-occurring SUD and mental health disorders, including prompt completion of clinical reminders Consistently utilizes systematic treatment response monitoring (e.g., BAM, PCL) for purposes of continuously evaluating treatment effectiveness for patients Functions independently as a member of the ECHCS Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges
• Assumes complete professional responsibility of their clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation May facilitate the design, development, and implementation of program evaluation for program development and quality improvement
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services Complies with all national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings (e.g., EBP Steering Committee, Recovery Workgroup) Attends required program, service, and facility level staff meetings and complies with the MHS peer review procedures Contributes to performance improvement activities within the Substance Use Disorders Clinic Staff Member may engage in research activities with the approval of the ACOS-MH Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology interns, psychology practicum students, postdoctoral residents, and unlicensed staff psychologists May provide training to staff through didactic presentations including psychology, social work, psychiatry, and other disciplines Assures compliance w/ Joint Commission standards Complies w/ national & local performance measures Complies w/ all documentation procedures, including timeliness standards according to policies Performs complex Care Management and has Consultation responsibilities Participates in educational activities, completes unit based in-services, & mandatory educational activities in a self-directed manner by deadlines Demonstrates positive, effective communication skills & professional behavior that promote cooperation & teamwork Practices good customer service & demonstrates VA I-CARE values Participates in unit-based quality of care performance improvement activities, unit based performance improvement measures & results Perform other duties as assigned Work Schedule: 7:30-4:00pm or similar schedule, can discuss during interview Compressed/Flexible: Available 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 VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@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: Available- as determined by the agency policy
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD54997A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized