Summary

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.

Qualifications

Applicants pending completion of educational/certification/licensure requirements may be referred & tentatively selected but can't be hired until all requirements are met

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship Must be a US citizen
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it's not possible to recruit qualified US citizens English Language Proficiency Psychologists must be proficient in spoken & written English Education Have doctoral degree in psychology from graduate program in psychology accredited by American Psychological Association - APA Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System - PCSAS - or Canadian Psychological Association - CPA when program was completed
• Specialty in which applicant is retrained must be consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area Term "specialty area" refers to specific specialty areas recognized by accrediting body & not to specific job duties that might require special skills
• Currently - APA accredits doctoral programs in specialty areas of clinical psychology - counseling psychology - school psychology - or combinations of 2 or more areas PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology - counseling psychology - clinical neuropsychology - & school psychology
• There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist
• so applicants w/ school psychology degrees aren't eligible for appointments
• Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA - there is no distinction between the specialty areas - w/ exception of school psychology OR Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology & successfully complete re-specialization program (including documentation of approved internship completed as part of re-specialization program) - meeting both the following conditions: re-specialization program must be completed in APA or CPA accredited doctoral program
• & specialty in which applicant is retrained must be consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 & 1978 from a regionally accredited institution - w/ a dissertation primarily psychological in nature AND Internships Have successfully completed professional psychology internship training program accredited by APA or CPA at time program was completed & specialty in which applicant is retrained must be consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area OR New VHA psychology internship programs in process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable to fulfill internship requirements - provided such programs were sanctioned by VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology & VHA Office of Academic Affiliations when individual was intern OR VHA facilities that offered full-time - one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96-151 - pre-1979 are considered acceptable to fulfill internship requirement OR Applicants who completed internship that wasn't accredited by APA or CPA when program was completed can only be considered eligible for hire if they are currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area NOTE Employee is required to maintain board certification once board certified OR Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 & 1978 from regionally accredited institution w/ a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill internship requirement by having equivalent of 1 year supervised internship experience at site specifically acceptable to candidate's doctoral program If internship experience is not noted on applicant's official transcript - applicant must provide a statement from doctoral program verifying equivalent of 1 year supervised internship experience was completed in site acceptable to doctoral program NOTE Psychologists who meet revision requirements & who were employed by Department of Veterans Affairs prior to implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met qualification standard requirements Licensure Hold a full - current & unrestricted license to practice psychology at doctoral level in State - Territory or Commonwealth of U
• S
• or District of Columbia Exception Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet 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 2 years from employment date on condition psychologist provides care only under supervision of psychologist who is licensed Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination temporary appointment Loss of Credential Psychologists who fail to maintain required licensure must be removed from occupation - which may result in employment termination Employees may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified & if opportunity placement exists at appointing officials discretion Board Certification Persons hired to psychology positions in VHA who completed an internship not accredited at time program was completed must be board certified by American Board of Professional Psychology in specialty area consistent w/ applicant's assigned employment area Board certificate must be current & applicant must abide by certifying body's requirement for continuing education Loss of Credential Once board certified - psychologist must maintain a full - valid & unrestricted board certification to remain employment qualified Psychologists who fail to maintain required board certification must be removed from occupation - which may result in termination of employment Employees may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified & if opportunity placement exists at appointing officials discretion Grade Determination requirements Candidates must met the following grade determination requirements in addition to the basic requirements GS-11 Experience None beyond basic requirements GS-12 Experience At least 1 year professional psychologist experience equivalent to GS-11 grade Unlicensed Psychologists must practice under supervision of licensed psychologist but w/ less intense supervision than at GS-11 grade level AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills & Abilities KSAs Candidates must demonstrate following KSAs in addition to experience 1) Knowledge of & ability to apply wide range of professional psychological treatments/assessment methods to variety of patient populations 2) Ability to design/implement effective treatment strategies 3) Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures 4) Ability to conduct research activities - eg design & implement clinical research projects - staff psychologists w/ specified research job duties 5) Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship & research execution w/in context of established research team - including research participant relations - research documentation - data acquisition - maintenance & collaboration GS-13 Experience At least 2 years professional psychologist experience w/ at least 1 year equivalent to GS-12 grade Candidates must demonstrate following KSAs in addition to experience 1) Knowledge/ability to apply professional psychological treatments to patient population ranges 2) Ability to provide professional advice/consult in psychology/behavioral health related areas 3) Clinical research literature knowledge Preferred Experience: 2 plus years working as clinical provider in mental health setting - experience w/ suicide risk screening & suicide prevention intervention & case management & care coordination experience Reference please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ for qualification standards information Vacancy full performance level is GS-13 Applicants may be selected for GS-11-13 grades for this vacancy Qualifications continued in Additional Information section

Duties

• vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/ Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdfTotal-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist Suicide Prevention Coordinator full performance level duties include - but are not limited to the following: Coordinates & monitors services for Veterans designated as \"High Risk for Suicide\" & acts as transitional care coordinator for patients throughout most acute risk period Assesses the psychosocial - environmental needs - barriers to recovery - or exacerbated psychiatric problems which might contribute to suicide risks Provides full range of patient care interventions - including individual - family - and group therapy &specialized interventions such as behavior management consultations and systems or environmental interventions Presents informed reports/educates multi-disciplinary teams on latest evidence based intervention techniques Has detailed knowledge of Substance Abuse problems - Major Depression - Bipolar Disorder - Schizophrenia - Polytrauma & Chronic Pain Syndromes since they often exist/co-exist in patients at risk for suicide Develops program operation policies & procedures & prepares reports & statistics for facility - VISN - & national Assesses psychosocial - environmental needs - barriers to recovery - or exacerbated psychiatric problems which might contribute to the risk of suicide Coordinates/monitor services & acts as transitional care coordinator for patients during most acute risk time periods Manages High-Risk Flags & ensure all local & national standards & best practices are met by all Program services & providers Assesses psychosocial - environmental needs - barriers to recovery or exacerbated psychiatric problems Establishes/maintains supportive relationships w/ Veteran - family &/or significant others & works w/ treatment Formulates treatment goals & develops structured continuum of care for assigned cases Reviews &/or participates in research
• promotes - initiates - assists or engages in program evaluation &/or other basic & applied research activities Advanced clinical skills in Suicide Risk Assessment & Interventions Has significant research knowledge of Suicidology pertaining to demographics - risk factors & protective factors Has detailed knowledge of Substance Abuse problems - Major Depression - Bipolar Disorder - Schizophrenia - Poly trauma & Chronic Pain Syndromes since they often exist/co-exist in patients at risk for suicide Uses skills relating w/ interdisciplinary team members & therapist experience working w/ patients & family members Works w/ local agencies/community resources to coordinate long-term objectives Is familiar w/ clinical & administrative principles related to VA Systems Performs basic data entry and retrieval Complies w/ all documentation procedures - including timeliness standards according to policies Performs complex Care Management and Consultation Responsibilities May provide training to staff through didactic presentations including psychology - social work - psychiatry & other disciplines Assures compliance w/ Joint Commission standards Complies w/ national & local performance measures Participates in educational activities - completes unit based in-services - & mandatory educational activities Demonstrates positive - effective communication skills & professional behavior that promote cooperation & teamwork Practices good customer service & demonstrates VA I-CARE values Participates in unit-based quality of care performance improvement activities - unit based performance improvement measures & results Perform other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 7:30am-4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Available 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 & 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 w/ birth - adoption - or foster care placement of child Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees w/ total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to monthly maximum of $416.66 Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K w/ 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 #: PD54185A - 54184A - 54183A and PD53864A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized