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

Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies, and other interventions such as biofeedback, psychological hypnosis, and environmental interventions. They consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. This position will report to the Supervisory Psychologist, which in turn is under the direct supervision of the ACOS, Mental Health and Behavioral Science (MH&BS) Service Line, which in turn is under the direct supervision of the Chief of Staff. Staff psychologists' function in accordance with the policies, principals, professional ethics, and techniques of accepted Psychology practice to include the American Psychological Association, professional licensing code, and state law. This position will serve as the Coordinator for the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) program in the Behavioral Health and Sciences Care Line at Salisbury VAMC. Residential care is provided at the Salisbury location. Duties include but are not limited to: Coordinates interdisciplinary staffing, work assignments, budget, treatment services and admission criteria for PTSD. Serves as leader for a multi- disciplinary team. Plans, schedules, and coordinates work and solves problems related to the work. Responsible for unit needs such as material, equipment, and facilities needed to complete work. Explains and gains the support of employees for developing, implementing and managing policies and establishing goals, in addition to working to achieve the objectives of government- wide personnel programs and policies. Advises management on the establishment of program goals, priorities, and major work schedules, develops short/long-rang staffing and equipment requirements. Responsible for providing an appropriate treatment environment for patients treated or co-managed by RRTP and/or outpatient services who suffer from PTSD. This involves regular and frequent tailoring of the treatment environment to the individual needs of mentally and physically handicapped patients, and requires specialized knowledge, originality, and careful judgment. Fosters and supports the use of novel rehabilitation techniques and sensitive, tactful, supervision of patients and personnel. Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. Performs evaluations for patients seeking substance abuse services. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including evidence-based psychotherapies. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. Responsible compliance of all performance measures. Participates fully in peer review, assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided in the organization. Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multidisciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals. Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished. Fully accountable for practice, including entering patient visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting productivity standards. Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training including but not limited to pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral residents. Involved in Psychology Training Program and Training Committee. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staff on units to which assigned. Assists with the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students, fellows and other graduate or post-graduate trainees, as appropriate. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their Veterans. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate EDRP Authorized: Contact James Grimm, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f). 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. 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. 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. 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. Exception. Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. ? 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. 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 Determination: Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard, dtd Feb 7, 2018. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work requires light lifting (under 15 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder level, use of hands and fingers, ability for rapid mental/muscular coordination simultaneously, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors include working closely with others. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services). 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).

Education

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 WG Bill Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center 1601 Brenner Avenue Salisbury, NC 28144 US
• Name: La-Tequl Edmonds-Arroyo
• Email: [email protected]