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.

Duties

The incumbent serves as the Program Manager and Clinical Director for Whole Health at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center. The Program Manager has specialized knowledge and expertise in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of variety of chronic disorders and related issues, including the identification and treatment of mental health disorders within the context of chronic medical illness, and the promotion of health and well-being of the Veteran. This position requires considerable flexibility as problems in outreach and treatment of this Veteran population may require creative solutions. The incumbent must determine the needs of the program, oversee, and direct the quality and quantity of training, monitoring data-driven outcomes, and establish program initiatives and direction within limitations of available staff and budget. Administrative and Program Management Responsibilities: Assume a leadership role in the development and implementation of the Whole Health System's performance improvement plan. Provide leadership and direction to oversee implementation of Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation (OPCC&CT) and VISN initiatives related to the WHS. Advocate for the Whole Health System with VHA leadership and the medical community. Participate in the selection of Whole Health System team members. Oversee the recruitment of permanent, temporary and locum staff. Keep the Whole Health System team apprised of medical care advances and practice standards. Collaborate with other Whole Health System Directors, VISN leadership, and VA Central Office (OPCC & CT) staff on program development issues. Create strategic partnerships with facility leadership and community organizations to promote health and wellbeing offerings within the community. Develop and execute a Whole Health Business Plan for the medical center. The plan should identify the medical facility mission, goals, objectives, and strategies for accomplishment together with related resource implications. The business plan should also be consistent with the VA facility's overall strategic business direction. Manage the facility level WHS budget, including salary of personnel, enhancements to existing complementary approaches, group wellness approaches, promotion of healthy eating, patient engagement, facility space, training, and travel activities for staff development. Responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations and documentation required by the Medical Center, VISN 20, and VACO. Direct personnel management program for the WHS by making decisions on personnel actions including selection, promotion, reassignment, retention, and recommendation for adverse action pertaining to employee performance or conduct. Promote positive labor-management relations. Evaluate professional competency development of all WHS staff and ensures that staff is functioning within their scope of practice. Education/Staff Development: Provide education to facility staff regarding the Whole Health System including presentations in medical staff meetings as needed. Ensure new staff are trained and orientated on the WHS program, and key activities. Conduct personnel needs assessment related to training needs of multi-disciplinary professional and non-professional staff for implementation of WHS activities. Serve as primary facility point of contact for WHS campaigns and events, ensure local implementation, participation, and dissemination of the WHS information. Establish organizational structure and guidelines for program planning and staff development across a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings for implementation of all WHS activities for multi-disciplinary Whole Health teams. Coordinate policies and procedures to assure Whole Health best practices and evidence-based guidelines related to a variety of Complementary and Integrative Health approaches are carried out in medical center facilities and CBOCs. Clinical Responsibilities: Provide a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnose mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients with co-morbid mental and physical health problems in support of the WHS. Plan, develop, and deliver education, referral, and individual and group therapy to patients. Emphasize the provision of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (EBP) as appropriate to training and patient care needs. Provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to health behavior change and patient-centered communication, including MI and health coaching. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8am to 4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following: a. Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) b. 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. c. 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. GRADE DETERMINATONS GS-14 Psychology Program Manager Experience: At least 3 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program. Preferred Experience: Experience with Whole Health System and its associated programs. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18, February 7, 2018. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: The nature of the work for this position is primarily sedentary and there are no unusual physical demands involved with completion of duties. Some travel is required to attend to implementation at CBOCs.

Education

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). If selected for this position, you are encouraged to apply for EDRP within four (4) months of appointment and must meet specific individual eligibility criteria in accordance with VHA Policy 1021. Final award amount and program start date is determined after review of a complete EDRP application, supporting documentation, and final approval by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact the EDRP Coordinators, Stacy Hermann @ [email protected]

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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 Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Joe Julkowski
• Phone: 509-434-7382
• Email: [email protected]