This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, 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.
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: (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. 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. In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must have 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 meets 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. 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.(c) Assignment. See under the Education Section of this Announcement. Preferred Experience: Supervisor, Leadership experience. 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf The Psychology Program Manager manages a stand-alone Psychology Service. Incumbent is supervised by the Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health Service Line. Functions: Administrative and Supervisory Responsibilites As a BHIP Program Manager, the psychologist assists in planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures, developing individual or group goals and objectives, as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating, and overseeing the multidisciplinary staff of their assigned outpatient mental health program. The incumbent serves as a member of the leadership team within the Mental Health service for CVVAMC. The incumbent will assure multidisciplinary staff under their supervision are aware of and adhere to all current directives and handbooks of the Veterans Health Administration, meet current applicable Joint Commission standards, CARF standards, state licensure standards, and VA-OIG oversight requirements. The incumbent will assist in ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by the governing bodies. Responsibilities include collaborative development of short and long-range goals and planning; development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure that plans are carried out and goals are met; administrative and programmatic resource management; monitoring outcomes using a data-driven quality assurance process. Decisions made affect staff and other resources associated with outpatient mental health delivery and are made exercising wide latitude and independent judgment while coordinating with the Chief and Deputy Chief for the Mental Health Service Line. Program Management Responsibilities: Provides program management and oversight with specific focus on a BHIP Team in the CVVAMC MHSL for Main hospital and CBOC. Maintains administrative supervisory responsibility of the following program(s): BHIP Program. Current FTEE: 1.0 GS-13 Psychologists, 2.0 GS-0185-13 Social Worker Reviews Community Care psychological testing consults. Oversees the implementation of general outpatient psychotherapy services. Leads the development of psychotherapy initiatives. Oversees the implementation of Joint Commission requirements, particularly treatment planning and measurement-based care. Oversees psychological testing throughout the CVVAMC. Develops and maintains high-quality Mental Health team functioning and processes while meeting all Environment of Care and programmatic requirements. Clinical Responsibilities (60% of time) .Independently provides psychological assessment, evaluation and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of psychopathology receiving care within the BHIP and Mental Health clinic setting. Provides education to both Veterans and family members regarding relevant mental health concerns. Provides expert consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment planning for Veteran patients to ensure that care is effectively coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the health care system. Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of Veteran patients. Academic/Teaching/Training (5% of time) Serves as a subject matter expert in delivery of seminar didactics to trainees and staff. Provides direct supervision for clinical training and education experiences for trainees enrolled through CVVAM, to include psychology post-doctoral fellows, interns, and externs. Provides clinical supervision and/or training for medical residents, social work interns, nurses, or other trainees not enrolled in a psychology program. - Supports activities of the Psychology Training Program and participates in relevant educational seminars. Participates in improvement of clinical supervision with emphasis on Evidenced Based Practice models. Provides education and guidance to other mental health and medical staff. Research/Program Evaluation (5% of time) Other Significant Responsibilities (5% of time) Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc is authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:59855F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized