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

***This is an open continuous announcement. Certificates of eligible applicants will be issued as vacancies exist. This is a full-time permanent GS 11-13 psychologist position in the Pain Rehabilitation Outpatient Program (PROP). As a psychologist with expertise in assessment and treatment of chronic pain and mental health disorders, the PROP Psychologist participates as a member of the large multidisciplinary treatment team to provide a wide range of evidence-based assessment and individual/group clinical care for veterans with chronic pain. Applicants who are invested in evidence-based clinical care and clinical teaching with practicum students, interns, fellows, and residents are preferred. These positions are 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. The incumbent provides direct patient care as a Psychologist. The incumbent provides direct services to selected patients and/or selected treatment programs. The incumbent will establish and maintain therapeutic relationships and exercise professional judgment to provide treatment for veterans. As a clinical care provider, the incumbent is either an unlicensed graduate psychologist or is a credentialed and privileged Licensed Independent Practitioner who functions as an essential member of the interdisciplinary treatment team; provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care; performs evaluations for veterans mental health disorders; provides a full range of specialized individual and group-based empirically supported psychological interventions to mental health patients whose conditions indicate a need for the advanced skill and training of a licensed psychologist; reviews and translates psychological research into practical interventions for improved patient treatment outcomes; consults with Medical Center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues; assesses the need for referral for additional psychological services for patients; coordinates with providers within Primary Care and BVAMC when other interventions such as psychiatric, medical or palliative care are required; is responsible for accurate, timely and appropriate completion of clinical patient care documentation. The incumbent also engages in non-direct clinical activities, including participating in staff meetings, data management, and program development. The incumbent may also engage in research, intern supervision/training, and administrative services consistent with the mission. The incumbent seeks to maintain relationships with staff that are conducive to an interdisciplinary approach to service delivery. The incumbent searches literature relevant to mental health treatment. The incumbent may engage in activities both within and outside the facility that promote the conduct of independent, peer-reviewed, and/or funded research projects. He/she may function as a principal, co-principal, or collaborative investigator. The activities may include proposing investigations, coordinating their conduct, recruiting subjects, reviewing data, and submitting findings in publishable form. The incumbent may also engage in the following extra-clinical enriching elements: provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including psychology interns, psychiatry residents, and other students/trainees; be involved in the Psychology Training Program and the Training Committee; serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees on a wide variety of patient care issues as needed; serve on BVAMC, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces; represent Psychology on decision--making committees at the Medical Center; actively participate in leadership roles with local, state and national level professional organizations; represent the Medical Center at professional or community events and committees. The work requires administrative knowledge of mental health clinic settings and clinical knowledge as a psychologist. This includes a contemporary knowledge of behavioral science theories and practice including evidence-based practices and techniques. The incumbent must possess the analytical ability to research, assemble, and compile information and data, evaluate the results against appropriate sta11dai?ds, and recommend corrective action where indicated. The incumbent must be proficient in behavioral research design and analysis, and knowledgeable regarding ethical practices in the conduct of human research. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: May be available at Supervisor's discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Recruitment Incentive: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact 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 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 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 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. 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. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following: GS-11 Level: no additional experience beyond the basic requirement GS-12 Level: at least 1 full year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level, and are able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities: Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team, including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, and collaboration. GS-13 Level: at least 2 additional 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: Position is primarily sedentary in a Medical Office setting. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13.

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 Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: Jenna McCarthy
• Email: [email protected]