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. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Qualifications

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
• 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
• 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 - Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.]AND 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
• English Language Proficiency
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English
• 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)
• All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series and grade held - including positive education (i.e. - degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.(1) Employees grandfathered under this provision for this revision may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions or beyond the assignment currently held for those being grandfathered to assignments above FPL.](2) Psychologists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.(3) Psychologists initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• Grade Determinations GS-11 Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• 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
• Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist
• See additional grade determinations under Education:

Duties

• The incumbent functions as a Psychologist within the Behavioral Health Service at VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS)
• s/he may be located at the Medical Center or outpatient clinics and is a member of the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) team
• The PCBH team directly supports the behavioral health needs of the Patient Aligned Clinical Team(s) (PACT) within the Primary Care Service
• PCBH provides immediate - direct and onsite access for behavioral health consultation - assessment - and mental health treatment as clinically indicated
• Treatment interventions by PCBH are short term and occur within the Primary Care setting
• The incumbent will work in conjunction with other PCBH team members to address the needs of the Veteran
• Duties may include but are not limited to: Conducts initial and comprehensive psychosocial assessments of Veterans referred by the Primary Care providers
• S/he reviews all data - subjective and objective - and makes a clinical assessment - identifying needs and strengths
• Effectively uses professional skill - objectivity and insight
• Uses clinical training - insight and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options
• Assesses high risk factors - acuity and need for services
• Based on a comprehensive assessment - the incumbent uses professional judgment and advanced practical skills to make a clinical diagnosis and prognosis
• Treatment provided by the PCBH Psychologist will be short term - problem focused - and part of the care provided by the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)
• Provides insightful assessment of cases involving mental health diagnoses - catastrophic medical conditions - dementia - and other high-risk diagnoses and determines if effective treatment can be provided with a short-term intervention or requires a longer-term intervention
• Those cases requiring longer term treatment as determined by the PCBH Psychologist will initially or later be referred to the BHIP or other specialty programs for such treatment
• Coordinates and provides mental health treatment for Veterans assigned to PACT
• actively contributes to their PACT teams regarding goals - objectives and interventions for psychosocial and clinical treatment
• and recommends adjustments to the Veterans treatment plans and interventions based on any changing needs and/or responses to interventions
• May consult with other specialists in planning treatment for Veterans with co-morbidities
• Provides short term individual - family and group therapy services in accordance with the needs identified in the assessment and treatment plan
• Develops working relationships with other members of the PCBH team and organizations having responsibilities for the same patient population
• Maintains a current and productive network of referral resources
• Ultimately responsible for all entries in the Veteran's medical record (CPRS) and timely completion thereof - including discharge summaries and patient encounters
• Responsible for completion of all assigned clinical reminders for patients under his/her care - and performance measures assigned to the Care Line
• Participates actively in Performance Improvement (PI) activities
• Participates in a variety of meetings as directed by the Chief of Psychology: Staff - committee - AD HOC/work-group committee - Fully accountable for practice - including Veteran visits - measuring outcomes to interventions - and meeting productivity standards
• Participates fully in peer review - assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided in the organization
• Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals
• Serves as a consultant - liaison - and point of contact for programs within Behavioral Health services - throughout the hospital - and within the community
• Participates in education/CME lectures - research - specialty care programs - and/or clinics as assigned by the Chief of Psychology
• Participates in research as appropriate through case finding and referral of patients to clinical investigators engaged in research or through participating in research studies
• Applying new approaches to patient care through integration of approved investigative and research methods in clinical practice - basing interventions on evidence of effectiveness
• Work Schedule: Full-Time - Monday - Friday (schedule to be discussed at interview) Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Authorized (Ad hoc)
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 03471 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact susan.bringel@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized