Details
Posted: 06-May-22
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 652943000
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. Learn more 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. 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. OR, have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a respecialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the respecialization 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; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. 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. Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following: GS-13 Level: at least 2 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. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. ["***Eligible applicants will be referred to the Hiring Official on a bi-weekly basis beginning on May 20, 2022.***\nPlease note that this announcement may be subject to close prior to advertised close date should all applicable vacancies become filled. NOTE: This position may include a flexible work schedule, including early evening hours and weekend duties. In addition to providing direct patient care, this psychologist and coordinates with the Program Manager and section Lead, to plan the implementation of services to meet the most significant behavioral health care needs of the Veteran population served. Serving the outpatient primary care clinics and working closely with primary care teams, this position requires familiarity with functional assessments and knowledge of brief (e.g. 30 minutes, 4-6 sessions) evidence-based psychotherapies and techniques applicable to the primary care setting communicates for psychological or medically related concerns. Functional Scope of Assigned Duties include, but not limited to: Clinical Provides a range of clinical services (e.g. group and individual), consultation, and functional assessment for Veterans for same-day and time-limited treatment formats. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. The psychologist will provide time-limited, evidence-based psychotherapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression (CBT-D) and/or insomnia (CBT-I), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), or Problem-Solving Therapy (PST), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression (IPT). The psychologist may also be asked to conduct Health Psychology duties including Medical Psychology Consult management, individual therapy for health-related concerns, and pre-surgical evaluations (pre-transplant and bariatric surgery). Provides consultation to PACT teams, professional staff within Phoenix VAMC, and community providers, concerning the behavioral health care needs of the Veteran population, served. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for health care as directed by the Medical Center and Section management. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check-out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes). Attends relevant Psychology Section, Service, and MH&BSS meetings and complies with quality review procedures.\" Academic/Teaching/Training May serve as university faculty through an academic appointment. Research/Program Evaluation Assists the Psychology Section Chief in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for health care as directed by the Medical Center and Psychology Department management. Assists the Psychology Section Chief in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. May oversee the establishment of program monitors and outcome and other local data source measurements if/when these become required for clinical performance and other outcome assessment or best practices guidelines, using a data-driven quality assurance process. May monitor and establish procedures to contribute to the improvement of population preventive health outcomes for primary care and/or mental health patients. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4pm\nTelework: Available; Subject to Supervisory Approval\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nPosition Title/Functional Statement #:Psychologist-OPC PCMHI/PD000000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact Natasha Brant, the EDRP Coordinator at Natasha.Brant@va.gov, for questions/assistance\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]