Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application.

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.

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 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 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
• 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
• 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
• Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist - GS-13 (Full Performance - Level) Experience
• At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of - and ability to apply - professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional Knowledge of clinical research literature
• Preferred Experience: Completion of a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology preferable and/or receive board certification in neuropsychology
• 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: Requirements established for individual positions in occupations that do not have Medical Standards as defined above
• Physical requirements are those physical - mental and emotional capabilities and characteristics that are essential for successful job performance
• Physical requirements must be clearly supported by the actual duties of the position and documented in the position description or functional statement - and supported by a study(ies) or evaluation(s) establishing physical requirement(s) is job-related to the occupation(s)
• An applicant or employee may not be disqualified arbitrarily on the basis of physical requirements or other criteria that do not relate specifically to performance of the duties of a specific position
• Education: IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education
• Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges - universities - schools - or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment
• You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/
• If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements - you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education
• For further information - visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Duties

• Duties may include but are not limited to: Develops and provides neuropsychological evaluations for a range of referral sources including neurology - primary care - and psychiatry - and for patients with a wide range of diagnoses and a wide range of cognitive and memory deficits Provides tailored neuropsychological assessments - specific to referral questions and treatment team needs - to determine functional strengths - limitations - or capacity to help interdisciplinary teams make informed decisions regarding care decisions
• Provides education to patients - family members - caregivers - and significant others
• Provides consultation to professional staff within the DC VAMC and to community providers - concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients
• Functions independently as a member of the DC VA Medical Center Medical Staff - with full clinical privileges
• Assumes complete professional responsibility for their clinical assessment findings - patient care decisions - and documentation
• Demonstrates and implements culturally competent practices
• Provides clinical supervision for psychology interns - postdoctoral fellows - and practicum students
• Assists the Chief of Psychology and ACOS MHS in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program
• May serve on one or more Psychology - Mental Health - or Facility Committees as subject matter expert in the areas of: clinical assessment - clinical neuropsychological assessment - and corresponding documentation
• Provides didactic instruction for psychology interns - postdoctoral fellows - and practicum students
• Assists the Neuropsychology Training Director and Psychology Director of Training Programs in programmatic and educational activities as part of neuropsychology training with the psychology training program
• May serve as member of the Psychology Training Committee Key skills for this position include: Knowledge of - and ability to apply - a wide range of professional psychological theories and assessment methods to a variety of patient populations
• Ability to develop effective treatment strategies
• Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures
• Ability to develop effective treatment strategies
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health with patients suffering from mental illness
• Ability to diagnose mental disorders and conduct psychological and comprehensive neuropsychological assessments
• Ability to treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities - and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.