Staff Psychologist (Inpatient)

01Basic Requirements

Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States 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 (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 OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature AND (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; (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) Have 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) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature, fulfilling 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 Licensure: Must 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 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 English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j Applicants pending the completion of educational requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Grade Determination GS-11: Experience.

Education and Licensure: None beyond the basic 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

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.

02Licensure

GS-11/12 - Must obtain licensure at the doctoral level within two years of appointment. GS-13 - Must currently possess a full, current, and unrestricted license at the doctoral level. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

The Salisbury VA Medical Center's Psychiatry Service is hiring a Psychologist to serve on the inpatient mental health units. This position has primarily clinical duties in an inpatient unit. The incumbent diagnoses mental disorders, conducts psychological assessments, treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provides adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.

Duties of this position may include, but are not limited to: Psychological assessment and consultation Psychological assessment may involve interviewing and/or testing of patients. The incumbent will be available to consult with other staff members and make recommendations of the types of psychological evaluations that would be beneficial.

He/She will oversee the administration and scoring of psychological assessment procedures, interpretations and report the findings of the evaluation in the medical record in a timely fashion. He/She will assist in integrating the findings into the treatment plan for patients.

Psychological treatment The incumbent conducts psychological and/or brief/basic neuropsychological assessments and can treat mental health problems in patients in an inpatient mental health care setting, applies principles/techniques of behavioral health to patients being treated for medical/mental health conditions, including assisting patients with improving health behaviors, smoking cessation, pain management, adherence to recommended treatments, managing chronic or terminal illness and assisting in or developing new therapy groups and practices.

Research 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. Plans and oversees the completion of personal research programs, designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches.

Education and training May provide clinical supervision to psychology students, including Postdoctoral Psychology residents or Psychology Interns in the American Psychological Association (APA) approved predoctoral internship at Salisbury VAMC. In addition, the psychologist may train 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 assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their Veterans. This position interacts and works with clinicians from other disciplines as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team. The incumbent is skillful in interpersonal relationships including conflict resolution and the ability to work collaboratively with staff from other professions.

The incumbent is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the VAMC for veterans for whom the incumbent provides services. The psychologist will perform all other duties assigned.

VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact James Grimm, 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) 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: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position.