This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan reimbursement program. If selected for this position, you must meet specific individual eligibility requirements and submit your application within four months of appointment. The final award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact Eva.Gennara@va.gov and cc VISN12EDRP@va.gov for information. 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: CITIZENSHIP: Must be a United States Citizen. ENGLISH: Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English. EDUCATION: Must 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). (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Must 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: Must provide transcripts and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Must have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) INTERNSHIP: Must 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: Applicants must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a)(1)(D) for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. GRADE REQUIREMENTS: GS-12 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. AND In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).5. Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team, including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, and collaboration. GS-13 Experience: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. AND In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, but may require walking, bending, standing, and /or carrying of light items such as files and manuals. The work does not require any special physical effort or ability. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-12 to GS-13 REFERENCE: VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard ["***This announcement will remain open until the position is filled. Candidates will be referred to the hiring official every 2 weeks.*** A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive has been authorized. This position is located in the Mental Health Service, with primary assignment to the Home Based Primary Care Program for Danville/Champaign area/CBOCs. The HBPC MH Provider functions as the primary mental health provider of the HBPC team, providing mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. This individual may also provide coverage in other geriatrics and extended care settings. Danville VAMC is the primary duty station. There is a potential for telework. Duties include but are not limited to: Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mood and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other psychological/psychiatric conditions, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based approaches. Assessing and providing treatments for subclinical symptoms of mood and anxiety, adjustment difficulties, & excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the patient may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication). Providing psychological prevention services to patients at significant risk for psychological problems. Providing services to the families of veterans with dementia/chronic illness being served by HBPC, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the veteran and will allow better care for the veteran and allow the family to sustain the veteran in the home environment. Providing clinical services through the use of tele-mental health/tele-home technology; Providing screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed. Performing capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently. Providing individual and family interventions to support patients who are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with disability and other life transitions. Providing psychoeducational and supportive interventions, in conjunction with the veteran, for spouses, family members/caregivers, and others that are crucial to keeping the veteran at home. Facilitating transition and adjustment to new living situations (e.g., nursing home, assisted living facility), and providing seamless intervention services, as appropriate. Providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance medical compliance. Promoting communication/interactions between medical team members, patients, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process. Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished. This may include referrals to Mental Health Programs (i.e., Addictions, Post traumatic stress, Mental Health Intensive Case Management, Compensated Work Therapy, Homeless, Day Treatment, Vocational Rehabilitation) and Long Term Care. Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces as requested Represents the Healthcare System at professional/program community group/events and committees as appropriate. Work Schedule: 07:30am-4:00pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Authorized Telework: May be authorized with supervisor approval on an occasional basis EDRP: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
