The Psychology Technician (Psychometrist) position is responsible for all aspects of the administration of the Psychological Testing Laboratory at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System. The Laboratory provides psychological, neuropsychological, and vocational testing to patients from all units and outpatient clinics in the Medical Center.

Duties

The employee performs the full range of vocational, psychological, and neuropsychological testing which includes a wide variety of standardized group and individual tests. Major duties include but are not limited to: Administer, score, and interpret results of various psychological tests. Provide testing related to the following types of examinations: Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center, PTSD treatment programming, Compensation and Pension evaluations, Vocational Counseling, Neuropsychology, Integrated Disability and Evaluation System, Managing Overweight and/or Obesity for Veterans Everywhere, Pain Management, Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, and the Acute Psychiatric inpatient unit. Interpret diagnostic manuals and understand and calculate math formulas and equations and psychological terminology. Communicate all test findings and behavioral observations to the psychologist. Perform a range of scheduling activities, such as incoming test referrals. Utilize computers to enter patient data/demographic information and to document actions taken or outcomes accomplished in a patient's medical record. Monitor patient's functionality during testing and determine if consultation with a clinician is required. Communicate with patients to clarify instructions for each test and explain the questions to those that have comprehension issues. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Psychology Technician - Psychometrist/PD90170A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit Position: Yes - AFGE The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/31/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Basic Requirement: Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in an appropriate social or biological science, which included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours in psychology. In addition to meeting the education requirement above, you must also qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have at least 6 months of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-06) or one year of specialized experience equivalent to the second lower grade (GS-05) under the direction of a professional psychologist in a program of professional services, training, or research, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include experience that involved the observation of and assistance in the application of techniques relating to behavior, capacities, traits, interests, and activities of either humans or, under laboratory conditions, animals. Experience may have been gained in connection with a program of research or direct services in psychology that gave a practical understanding of some of the principles, methods, and techniques of psychology needed to assist professional psychologists. Appropriate credit will be given for voluntary participation in community, social service, and similar activities. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate study in psychology in an accredited college or university; or a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement (SAA) from an accredited college or university with a major in an appropriate social or biological science, which included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours in psychology. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education at the graduate level. NOTE: Please see Education section of this announcement for additional information on qualifying based on SAA and substituting education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationComputer SkillsCustomer ServicePsychology Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: This position is largely sedentary. Occasional lifting of equipment will be required up to and including 15 pounds. Applicants must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation may also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position. Reasonable accommodation may include but is not limited to: the use of assistive devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules. Work Environment: Work is performed within a clinical office setting including a computer laboratory. The employee must appropriately use equipment and supplies in a safe and appropriate manner to maintain a safe and orderly work environment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must be legible and contain sufficient information (e.g., student name, name of institution, total number of credits completed, etc.) to show you meet the requirements as specified in the announcement.

Superior Academic Achievement
Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

1. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.

2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of:

• 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
• 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
• Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed below. These honor societies are listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

To receive credit for your education when a master's degree has not been achieved, your transcripts must show evidence of progress through a set curriculum, i.e., it is part of a program leading to a master's or higher degree and not education consisting of undergraduate and/or continuing education courses that do not lead to an advanced degree.

An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from your transcript or other official documentation, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard.

To credit combinations of education and experience, HR staff will first determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Next, HR staff determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Finally, HR staff will add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example:

• An applicant has 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 and 6 months of graduate level education. The applicant meets 50 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education. Therefore, the applicant meets 100% percent of the total requirement and is qualified for the position at the GS-07 level.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address St Cloud VA Medical Center 4801 Veterans Drive St Cloud, MN 56303 US
• Name: Sarah Drey
• Phone: 319-339-7047
• Email: [email protected]