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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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(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. 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. 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. Loss of Credential. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure 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. 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. 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)(a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. 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.1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. (c) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. (3) 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. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS 11-13. References: Appendix G18. Psychologist Qualification Standard Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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. ["Clinical Responsibilities (90% of time) - Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and utilization of best practices in implementing psychotherapeutic techniques to provide quality care. - Provides psychotherapy as individual, group &/or family interventions are provided when clinically indicated/appropriate and when of therapeutic benefit to the recipients. The interventions are provided with emphasis on development of a positive and appropriate therapeutic relationship which is sensitive to the clinical, cultural, developmental and spiritual needs of patients. The interventions are empirically supported and/or are theoretically appropriate; and evidence-based treatment protocols are utilized to the extent feasible in all therapeutic interventions. Treatment is arranged in appropriate intervals of time over an appropriate span of time. - Emergency/crisis interventions are provided to patients in an effort to stabilize. Must demonstrate the ability to engage in rapid assessments and develop crisis management plans. Interventions are appropriate to the level of need and would involve a range of services including facilitation of transfer of care to the appropriate level based on patient need as well as referral to other VA resources or community agencies. - Develops person-centered and recovery-oriented treatment plans to address mental health needs of patients. - Conducts psychological evaluations to aid in the differential diagnosis and treatment planning of complex cases. - Provides consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues to include patient's decision-making capacity regarding health care. - Provides complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Administrative responsibilities: (5 -10% of time) - Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Chief of Service, Chief of Staff and Director (or duly appointed designees). - Attends monthly Psychological Service staff meetings and complies with Psychology Service peer review procedures. - Participates on selection panels for mental health service line position vacancies as assigned by Chief of MHSL. - Participates in program development and evaluation activities as assigned. - Attends Medical Center standing committee meetings as per MHSL Chief, Chief of Staff and/or Director, and completes all related task assignments. - Completes assigned Performance Improvement activities at the program, service line, and medical center level. 5. Case Management Responsibilities: (up to 5% of time) - Timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate. - Respond to patients request for release of records; return telephone calls, linking of services, and appropriate referrals as needed in a timely fashion. - With permission from patient, collateral consultation with significant others/ support systems to aid in the facilitation of patients' treatment. - Attend treatment team meetings with designated professionals involved in the service delivery of patient's treatment. Additional Responsibilities: (2% of time) - Attends annual training programs sponsored by the VISN, VAMC and other APA recognized training programs to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities in area of specialization. - Receive clinical supervision from a licensed Psychologist for all patient care in keeping with state licensing requirements until obtains independent licensure Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0800-1630 Telework: Adhoc: Some intermittent Adhoc telework may be made available as determined by the agency position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position EDRP Authorized: Contact cheryl.lahair@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance."]

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