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.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: (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. 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 (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. 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 (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. 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. 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. Loss of Credential. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists. 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: Senior Psychologist Program Manager, GS-15 Experience: At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in managing and directing the work of large, complex organizational units and in applying effective management practices. Skill in persuasion, negotiation, and motivation to negotiate multiple program policies. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees and other managers using advanced consultation and problem solving skills. Skill in the application and analysis of measurement tools to systems issues. 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. Ability to assess need for basic and complex services across multiple programmatic contexts. 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 Physical Requirements: use of computer and mouse, sitting for long periods of time, working closely with others, working alone.
The psychologist serves as a Senior Program Manager at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS). In this capacity, the psychologist functions as the Chief, Psychology Service at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Duties will include: Provides broad program management for strategic priorities for the Psychology Service to optimize clinical, educational, and research excellence. Leads all credentialing and privileging of licensed psychologists and the preparation of scopes of practice for dependent psychologists, including membership on the Facility Executive Credentialing and Privileging Board. Leads competency reviews for all psychologists, including Focused Professional Practice Evaluations and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations Leads administrative and rehabilitative interventions for psychologists with clinical problems or competency deficiencies. Oversee the psychology training programs through two Training Directors. Serves as an expert on psychology Professional Qualification Standards and consults with Service Line Leaders and HR. Approves Functional Statements and credentials of psychologists selected to fill positions. Leads efforts to promote the professional development of psychologists. Serves as an expert consultant and liaison to the Chief of Staff and Service Line Leaders across the healthcare system on psychology staffing needs and professional practice standards. Develops performance standards for psychologists and participates in performance evaluations of psychologists as the approving official. Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement project that monitor the effectiveness of clinical operations. Organizes and leads team meetings in order to facilitate clinical, educational, and research in the Psychology Service. Plans work to be accomplished by Training Directors, including establishing priorities, timelines for completion, and necessary adjustments therein. Initiates and maintains liaisons with associated VA health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Provides leadership in hiring new staff members, resolves conflicts among staff (both leadership and line staff), and adjudicates complaints and problems of employees in a timely and effective manner. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Service Line Leader, Chief of Staff, and/or Facility Director. Attends monthly Staff Meetings; Psychology Training Faculty Meetings; and leads the Psychology Service biannual competency review process (OPPE and FPPE) Serves as an ex officio member of the Psychology Service Clinical Pertinence Review Committee. Oversees and collaborates with program managers on program development initiatives to optimally and most efficiently meet the evolving clinical care needs of the diverse MHS patient population. Oversees survey readiness for all programs, in collaboration with MHS ACOS and the QI Manager. Responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center, VISN and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies including The Joint Commission and CARF. Oversees and collaborates with teams to ensure success on facility and MHS performance metrics. Independently provides psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of psychopathology receiving care within the clinic setting. Demonstrates expertise in using and teaching others about contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for these disorders. Provides education to both patients and family members regarding relevant mental health concerns. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center. Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients. Complies with all Service Line documentation requirements, including timely completion of prescribed templates for documenting results of assessment, treatment, and risk evaluation contacts. Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology trainees (interns and/or postdoctoral fellows). Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized