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 Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.) English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English. Education. 1) 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 2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are applying for. OR 3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship Requirement. 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).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. Licensure. Candidates 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. GRADE REQUIREMENTS GS-14 Experience. At least three (3) years of experience, with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-13 level, as a professional psychologist in diagnosing mental disorders, conducting psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treating mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and providing adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, consulting with medical staff on a wide variety of patient care issues and may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. In addition to the experience Above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit: https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospital, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.
VA offers a Comprehensive Total Rewards package: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional. This position will be located at one of the following locations within the Montana VA Health Care System: - Billings Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow VA Clinic or Benjamin Charles Steele VA Clinic - Bozeman Travis W. Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic - Fort Harrison Fort Harrison VA Medical Center - Great Falls Great Falls VA Clinic - Kalispell Kalispell VA Clinic - Missoula David J. Thatcher VA Clinic The duties include but are not limited to the following: Day-to-day management and operational aspects of the BHIP program of Montana VA. Provides leadership, guidance, and coordination of staff following the mission/vision of the Montana VA Health Care System and program direction of the Behavioral Health Services. Conduct, evaluate, and coordinate the execution of the program and maintain oversight of supervisors of BHIP teams. Review program analysis and provide appropriate assessments of the outcomes and make recommendations as needed. Advise the ACOS, Mental Health Service on the goals, objectives, and needs of the program. May be responsible for networking with a variety of programs both within Montana and the VISN. Knowledge and use of Quality Performance and Improvement, survey instruments and techniques, computer analysis, research design, and VA regulations concerning program operation, business planning or operations of programs. Ensures QI activities are developed and maintained following policy(s) and procurement/ vendor/ client/ staff needs. Full understanding of the requirements of various accrediting bodies to include, Joint Commission, and VACO regulations, so that recommendations to correct deficiencies may be made and implemented. Assists the ACOS, Mental Health Service in complex assignments often of a highly sensitive nature as needed or requested. These decisions impact on patient care, critical operations, research programs, educational and training matters, as well as day-to-day administrative activities. As a result of these decisions, the incumbent directly impacts the initiation, expansion and /or certainly of programs, reallocation and reprogramming of resources, reorganization of services, prioritization of projects and programs, and the determination of both short- and long-range goals. Assigned duties also includes the provision of clinical services to diverse population of Veterans to include psychological assessments, individual, group, and families/couple therapy as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-time | Monday to 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 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). 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 436-57192 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized