Staff Psychologist

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.

01Basic Requirements

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.

02Basic 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.

03Education

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.

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.

OR, Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internships: 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.) 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.

04Licensure

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.

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 [(c)(2)(B)] 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.. 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). 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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.

Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 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.

05Preferred experience

Systems Redesign - Organizational Development Program Management VA Experience 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.

06Physical Requirements

Clinical Responsibilities: Duties include but are not limited to: Diagnoses mental disorders, conducts psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provides adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and uses the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including, evidenced-based psychotherapies 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 multidisciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished Fully accountable for practice, including entering patient visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting productivity standards Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training including but not limited to pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral residents Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staff on units to which assigned Assists in the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students, fellows and other graduate or post-graduate trainees, as appropriate Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their Veterans Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance process Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate If applicable, plans and oversees the completion of personal research programs, designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches Presents outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings Assists in preparation of RFP's and grant proposals, as assigned Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces Represents Psychology on decision-making committees at the Medical Center or Healthcare System Actively participates in leadership roles on local, state, and national professional organizations Represents the Medical Center or Healthcare System at professional/program community group/events and committees Continually promotes teamwork by cooperating with and supporting staff, visitors and customers in achieving hospital goals/mission Consistently communicates with and assists customers, visitors, and staff in a courteous and professional manner Regularly creates and maintains an environment that ensures confidentiality and privacy for patients VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9XckTotal Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Preferred experience: Systems Redesign - Organizational Development Program Management VA Experience Work Schedule: M-F (8:00 AM - 4:30 PM) Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: NO