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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. 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. 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. 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, 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 Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND 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. 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 under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] 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. Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current, and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education. English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3. GRADE REQUIREMENTS GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 (Developmental Level) 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: A. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. B. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. C. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. D. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). E. 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 (Full Performance, Level) 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: A. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. B. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. C. Knowledge of clinical research literature. References: VA Handbook 5005/15 Part II, Appendix G18. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 501 ["Incumbent serves as a fully qualified psychologist in the Health Psychology Program of the Behavioral Medicine Section of Mental Health Service at the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC - Eastern Colorado Health Care System. The incumbent has duties primarily in the support of behavioral health services for patients with health conditions such as cardiac illness, diabetes, tobacco use, and obesity. Duty locations include both Inpatient Medicine Units and the Outpatient Cardiac Clinics. Assignment is in support of medical teams treating chronic health conditions with a behavioral medicine component. Duties consistent with the role and qualifications of a doctoral level clinical psychologist may be assigned. - Performs evaluations for patient conditions that include depression, anxiety, substance abuse and general emotional and cognitive functioning. - The assessment and care provided accommodate to the cognitive, emotional, chronological maturation, and diversity needs of the person served. - Conducts assessment appropriate to individual patient with attention to on the implications of test results for a veteran's every day, real-world function and successful treatment/management of health problems with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with the specific health condition. - Assessment includes pre-surgical assessment for consideration of bariatric surgery and solid organ transplant treatment of health conditions. - Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions with a strong emphasis on evidence-based models of care. - Provides group, individual, and family psychotherapy and counseling to veterans and family members. - Provides psychoeducation to patients and family members to support healthcare adherence and disease management. - Consults to ambulatory care staff and primary care providers as well as inpatient and specialty providers on a wide variety of patient care issues pertinent to medical treatment and psychosocial recovery. - Provides services in traditional clinical setting and by utilizing telecommunication technology to provide services to patients who do not have access to specialty care. - Supports activities of Psychology Training Program and participates in relevant educational seminars. - Participates in improvement of clinical supervision skills. - Provides training and guidance to other behavioral health staff in primary care setting. - Participates in planning of measurement, gathering and analysis of outcome data to guide program evaluation and development. - Works with Interdisciplinary Team Members to develop programs including treatment protocols and care process in the area of telehealth pain management applications. - Implements program design and assists in clinical management of program staff as assigned. - Assumes responsibility for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation. - Maintains ongoing scholarly and self-education activities. - Participates in research with relevant populations as opportunities arise. - Participates in psychology peer review. Other duties as assigned to meet the needs of the Medical Center Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 56790/56791-/56792--O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact lesley.collins@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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