Psychologist (Assistant Chief/Training Director of Psychology)
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Application
Details
Posted: 20-Nov-24
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida, Florida
Categories:
Psychology
Internal Number: 819505200
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. 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. 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. 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. -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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; -AND-, 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. 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 meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-14 Psychologist (Assistant Chief) candidates must have the following: Experience: At least three (3) years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position: Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines. Ability to supervise and manage subordinate employees effectively. Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. Preferred Experience: Psychology training programs 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-14. Physical Requirements: Occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less). Expected to successfully negotiate various functional requirements (i.e., lifting, ambulating, reaching above their shoulder(s), the use of hands or fingers, sitting, standing, repeated bending, using stairs or elevators, functional vision, clear speech, hearing, and emotional stability) and environmental factors (i.e., working independently and at times closely with others, moving about the campus for appointments and/or meetings) for the position, with or without adaptive devices. ["*****Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be offered to highly qualified candidate(s).***** Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Providing a full range of psychodiagnostic services including psychological evaluations and diagnoses of mental disorders for patients presenting with complex mental and medical problems in Acute Care Mental Health. Providing psychological assessments as needed to include cognitive screening and personality assessments to aid in treatment planning. Completing Suicide Risk Identification to include CSREs, Safety Plans, and consultation with Suicide Prevention Team as needed. Providing evidence-based psychological services including individual, family, couples, or group psychotherapy and behavioral modification for addressing behavioral and psychological symptoms. Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of the full range of psychiatric disorders and co-morbid conditions, with an emphasis on the application of evidence-based approaches. Performing capacity evaluations when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently. Providing education to patients, family members, and significant others related to psychological and emotional conditions. Functioning as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team and providing consultation and treatment recommendations to professional staff within the medical units, inpatient psychiatric unit, ED, and community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for the patients in his/her care. Completing MH Suite treatment planning audits as needed. Assisting in the design, development, and implementation of clinical activities within the MH&BS service, to include program development. Adhering to operational policies and procedures established for the MH&BS and Psychology Section. Assisting in the execution of on-going program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. Program management responsibilities for the Psychology Training Programs. The programs consist of an APA (American Psychological Association) accredited pre-doctoral internship program with four interns and the training of pre-doctoral graduate students completing externship. Conducting oversight of administrative and programmatic resources of the Psychology Training Program are highly specialized and complex, offering 10 fully developed internship rotations. The trainees and clinical supervisors that participate in the programs significantly impact the delivery of health care service to Veterans in a wide range of settings across a large healthcare system. Provide coverage to the Chief, Psychology in the event of absence. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate subject to approval, available funding, and in accordance with agency policy. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V8_EDRP_WPB@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: Yes - as determined by agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.