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.
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 3j. 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. 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and, A 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 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. 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. 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. 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: Experience. At least 4 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level. All KSA's of the GS 14 must be displayed as performed within Applicants Resume. The KSA's for the GS 14 level are listed below and are Required to obtain the GS 15 Senior Psychologist Program Manager Role. 1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. 2. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools 3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view 4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. 5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. 6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. 7. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Skill in managing and directing the work of large, complex organizational units and in applying effective management practices. 2. Skill in persuasion, negotiation, and motivation to negotiate multiple program policies. 3. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees and other managers using advanced consultation and problem solving skills. 4. Skill in the application and analysis of measurement tools to systems issues. 5. Ability to balance responsibilities in a complex environment and to work with great autonomy; ability to set priorities and delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze complex organizational problems; and ability to develop and implement effective solutions for those problems. 6. Ability to assess need for basic and complex services across multiple programmatic contexts. 7. Ability to coordinate the efforts of multiple program elements across a complex system. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 15. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 15 . Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf Working specifically with the Associate Chief Nurse, MHSL; Chiefs of Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work and other supervisors, managers and team leaders in the service line to achieve and maintain high standards of performance. The incumbent may delegate authority to subordinate supervisors and hold them responsible for the performance of their specific units. In this regard, the incumbent is administratively responsible for all subordinate supervisors and managers and is the approving official of all goals, policies and procedures established by each. Working collegially with other Associate Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Staff Service Chiefs to accomplish the clinical goals and strategic plans of the organization. Utilizing independent judgment. Participating in organizational planning to include strategic, operational, programmatic and other plans and policies to achieve the mission and vision of the Medical Center. Representing the MHSL on decision-making committees at the medical center. Participating in the development of long and short-term goals for the Service Line and the organization. Demonstrating expertise in and the ability to apply a wide range of professional theories, assessment methods and techniques to a variety of patient populations. Providing professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional and behavioral health. Applying advanced health psychology theories to a wide range of mentally ill Veterans through consultations or treatment avenues. Providing full range of evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions including psychoeducation and individual and group therapy for mentally ill Veterans, as needed. Participating in program development activities. Consulting with and serving as a resource for other professional personnel. Engaging in workforce management through assessing qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees, adhering to regulatory timeframes and evaluating employee performance and administering appropriate disciplinary actions as indicated. Assessing productivity standards across program areas and professional disciplines. Having line and staff authority for resource allocations within the MHSL to ensure efficient operation, preparing annual budgets and providing oversight of fund control expenditures in accordance with regulatory requirements. Participating in the resources allocation process of the Service Line to include provision of sufficient number of qualified and competent persons to provide patient care, as well as recommending acquisition of necessary equipment and supplies and adequate space to provide such services. Holding staff meetings to provide information and discuss implementation of new Medical Center, VISN or VACO initiatives and directives. Developing and participating in Service Line and facility performance improvement activities designed to improve the effectiveness of quality of care and resource consumption and the efficiency of the respective Service Line and facility as a whole. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 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 VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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- as Determined by the agency. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 58928F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized