Career Center

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 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 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
• 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 (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
• 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 2 (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
• 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: Staff Psychologist - GS-11 (Entry Level) (a) 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
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 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: The physical demands of the work are generally minor
• The work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings
• Use of fingers may be required to operate computers
• There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another - equipment and room set-up - and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities.

Duties

• VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties: Clinical Responsibilities a
• Provides immediate access to clinical assessment and appropriate collaborative care and treatment for those experiencing mental health symptoms or behavioral health issues
• b
• Provides individual and group interventions to support patients that are coping with health psychology presentations (e.g. - sleep - pain - adherence to medical regimen adjustment to illness) - psychosocial stressors - grief or phase of life difficulties (e.g. - discrimination - stress management - coping with loss - transition to civilian life) - and mild-moderate mental health presentations
• c
• Practices collaborative - stepped and measurement-based care - including appropriate longitudinal follow-up - to address common mental health and behavioral health conditions for the primary care population
• d
• Functions successfully as a member of a multidisciplinary team of medical and mental health providers and provides consultation about mental health diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans to professionals representing a variety of disciplines
• e
• Provides cognitive screenings to address specific functional and/or cognitive ability questions as indicated
• f
• Provides education to patients - family members of patients - professional staff - and trainees
• In addition - engages families of Veterans in empirically supported treatment for caregiver burden when necessary
• g
• Completes thorough risk assessments and follows mental health crisis procedures as indicated
• h
• May have secondary duties in other outpatient or inpatient medical settings - and other duties as assigned
• Academic/Teaching/Training a
• Provides consultation and training to Primary Care Service Line staff in the identification and management of common mental and behavioral health disorders that present in a primary care setting
• b
• Develops programs together with other staff members for teaching and/or improving the PCP's core behavioral health skills
• c
• Develops and/or makes available relevant education and training programs for all Primary Core providers to ensure that culturally competent care is provided
• d
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff on issues related to the function of the team and may provide in-service in areas directly related to the mission of the team
• e
• Involved in Psychology Training Program and Training Committees as appropriate
• f
• May provide clinical supervision to Psychology trainees at all levels of training or unlicensed staff as needed
• g
• May be asked to prepare and teach seminars/workshops for Hampton VA trainees or staff on topics within interest or competency area
• h
• Assume responsibility for professional development by attending relevant training and regularly reviewing the literature to improve clinical competencies and meeting professional continuing education requirements to maintaining competence and licensure
• Program Evaluation/Research a
• Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance process
• b
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system - as appropriate
• c
• Plans and oversees the completion of personal research programs - designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches
• d
• Presents outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings
• e
• Assists in preparation of RFP's and grant proposals - as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm 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 vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more 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: Adhoc only Virtual-Position is not virtual