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. Basic Requirements: The following are the basic requirements and qualifications for appointment as a Psychologist. 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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Education Requirement - You must 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.. Transcripts Required OR 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 am applying for. Transcripts Required OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature; Transcripts Required. OR Be on track to complete 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). Transcript Required. Internship Requirement - You must 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). NOTE: 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. 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. Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:GS-11 Level: no additional experience beyond the basic requirementGS-12 Level: at least 1 full year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level, and are able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities: Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 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 Level: at least 2 addition years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post-doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full, current and unrestricted license. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to a full range of patient populations. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Knowledge of clinical research literature. *Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18, Psychologist qualification Standards, dated 2/7/2018. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Note: Evidence of experience, must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Please provide such documentation on your application or resume. Also, please provide work experience information such as hours per week and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish one (1) full year of experience. The requirement for this proof is specified in the "How to Apply" section of this announcement. To be credible, experience must be documented in the application and verifiable through employment references and/or other means. *Your resume/application does not support your questionnaire answer; we will not allow credit for your response(s). Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary and is usually accomplished while the employee is comfortably seated at a desk or table. Some walking and standing may occur in the course of a normal workday in connection with attendance of meetings and conferences, or while researching files. Items carried typically are light objects such as briefcases, notebooks, and data processing reports. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. ["This position is administratively within the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center's Mental Health Service Line (JBVA MHSL) and assigned to the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) team at the Chicago Heights Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Reporting to the Program Manager, PCMHI, the incumbent functions as a co-located, collaborative, and integrated behavioral health provider, delivering brief, triage, and consultation-based services to Veterans, Primary Care providers, and Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) members. The focus is on general service delivery for a wide range of concerns and resolving problems within the Primary Care service context, with referrals to general or specialty mental health as needed. PCMHI visits are brief (generally 20-30 minutes), limited in number (1-6 visits), evidence-based, provided in the Primary Care practice area or in close vicinity, and structured so that the patient views meeting with the psychologist in PCMHI as a routine primary care service. The incumbent works with fast-paced Primary Care teams and consults with a variable number of patients per day with the primary goals of assisting PACT members with identification, treatment, and management of mental and behavioral health conditions in the enrolled population. The incumbent works within and collaborates with a multidisciplinary core team of PCMHI providers as well as with PACT team members. PCMHI services are delivered in person and through tele-health technologies, when appropriate. As part of the assignment, the incumbent contributes to the Psychology Training Program and provides clinical supervision and/or didactics to psychology externs, interns, and post-doctoral fellows as needed. Major Duties: Provides a full range of psychodiagnostic services, with an emphasis on functional assessments, and uses the most appropriate techniques in providing quality care to Veterans. Provides a full range of Veteran-centered, recovery-oriented therapeutic interventions, with an emphasis on brief, evidence-based, lifestyle, mental and behavioral health services for individuals, couples, families, and groups. Conducts structured clinical interviews, provides functional and intake assessments and crisis interventions, completes mental health and addiction screenings, clinical reminders, evaluates Veterans for suicidal and homicidal ideation, plan and behavior, provides diagnoses, works off of Primary Care treatment plans, and ensures that Veterans are linked to appropriate treatments in a timely fashion. Services are provided in-person and through the use of telehealth technologies, as appropriate. Performs routine outcomes monitoring, clinical care coordination, and case management of patients assigned. Consults with peers, supervisors, and hospital staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Ensures that all clinical work is documented accurately and in a timely fashion, consistent with the MHSL and facility expectations and policies. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Authorized. Limited telework may be authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact eva.gennara@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
