This position will have administrative oversight and supervisory responsibility for the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Teams, Mental Health CONNECT, and Trauma Recovery Services Teams at the CBOCs and the North Battlefield Clinic. This is a multi-disciplinary position that will be advertised as a Psychiatrist, Psychologist Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHCs), Social Worker.
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(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. AND (4) 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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard. 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: Psychology Program Manager, GS-14 (a) Experience. At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. 2. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools. 3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view. 4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. 5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. 6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. 7. 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 full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. Use of fingers may be required to operate computers. There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another, equipment and room set-up, and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities. With patients who may suffer with mental illness, there is occasional risk of violence requiring the use of good judgment and safety precautions.
Program Administrative/Supervisory Responsibilities Responsibilities of this position include administrative oversight. Will ensure the quality and safety of the care, treatment and services provided by the CBOC MH Section in the MHBS service. Assist in identification of important aspects of care for the CBOCs. Liaisons in collaboration with other patient care services at the CBOCs. Responsible for ensuring that the BHIP and TRS program meet all applicable practice requirements and standards. Coordinates multiple legs of the program across sites including day to day activities of the program. Supervisory responsibilities include ongoing evaluation of staffing needs and personnel assignments, updates position descriptions and functional statements, coordination of credentialing and privileging, coordination of competency evaluations, completing performance appraisals. Monitors and ensures compliance with Joint Commission and other accreditation bodies. Clinical Responsibilities Independently provides psychological services at all levels of complexity and consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Conducts diagnostic evaluations. Plans and conducts psychotherapy with the most difficult cases. Provides education to patients, patients' families, and medical center staff. Provides assessment, therapy, education, and support services for, patients at all age levels on an inpatient and outpatient basis. Serves as a consultant, adviser, and resource person with anyone concerned with patient care. Establishes and maintains appropriate patient treatment records. Remains cognizant of the latest professional techniques and developments and applies as needed. Subscribes to and abides by the ethical standards for psychologists. General Administrative/Supervisory Responsibilities Consults with and serves as a resource for other professional staff. Serves as a member of the Mental Health Executive Council. Coordinates ongoing Process Improvement Projects. Is the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences (MHBS) liaison with the Medical Cost Accounting (MCA) staff. Other responsibilities include working with mental health policy, procedures, and initiatives. Other duties include but are not limited to resolving staff conflicts, identifying continuing education and training needs, determining disciplinary action when appropriate, and interviewing and recommending candidates for positions. Regularly reviews, revises, and writes service line policies. Academic/Teaching/Training Plans, guides, instructs, evaluates, and supervises trainees, interns, or residents. Provides leadership, guidance, and consultation on staff education and development. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees. Program Evaluation/Research Oversees the implementation of programs. Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the medical center or healthcare system, as appropriate. Oversees the planning, implementation, and completion of clinical research programs. Presents outcome data and research results. Prepares responses to Requests for Proposals (RFP) and grant proposals. Responsible for the timely completion of all program evaluations and documents. Consults with staff and students to offer guidance and stimulation in research directions for the program. Other Significant Responsibilities Has contact on a regular and recurring basis with individuals representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view. Serves on decision-making committees and task forces at the medical center. Represents the medical center and VISN 6 at professional, community events, and committees, in conferences and meetings. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8-4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc as described in agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized