This position is in the Mental Health Service Line servicing the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL, reporting to the Program Manager, Neuropsychology Clinic, with one position at the Crown Point CBOC and the other position at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

Duties

Major Duties: Under the guidance and supervision from Licensed Clinical Neuropsychologists, the incumbent will be responsible for administering and scoring specialized neuropsychological, psychological, personality and behavioral measures, cognitive screening tools, and assessment batteries. Duties Include: Assessment and Evaluation Provide service according to their experience and specialized skillset to a subset of patients who exhibit complex diagnoses. Provides patient and/or significant others with rationale/explanation for specific testing procedures. Establishes and maintains effective, professional rapport with all types of patients, demonstrating sensitivity to and skills managing all forms of diversity, and provides an appropriate, nonthreatening setting for optimal test performance by patients. Evaluates and responds to patient needs during evaluation; monitors patient behavior during assessment sessions and controls the testing environment to ensure validity of results. Operates equipment, e.g., computers, tape recorders, or other specialized assessment equipment, and demonstrates computer sophistication for purposes of administration, data entry, scoring and analysis. Documents details related to patient contact, including behavioral observations, interview, and test data results for the supervising psychologist, in accordance with Mental Health Service Line and facility policies. Consults with staff or psychologist when necessary, regarding unusual patient needs and/or special accommodations during evaluation. Provides verbal and written observation of patient test behavior and demonstrates proficiency in observation of atypical habits, physical disabilities, emotional and personality features, and any previous injury that might have bearing on test performance. Demonstrates sensitivity to patients with disabilities and adaptive assessment approaches or procedures in a manner to meet any special problems or needs related to these disabilities. Provides timely and complete documentation of services in accordance with mental Health Service Line and facility policies. Provides timely, organized, and legible presentations of patient data, and presents tabular or graphic display of data when necessary. Program Operation, Development, Training and Research Implements and maintains an organized filing system of patient data, and safeguards all raw data, test materials, and all relevant equipment, in accordance with all relevant laws, statutes, policies, and ethical principles. Manages and maintains a current and complete stock assessment materials. Properly operates equipment and notifies persons authorized to initiate service inoperative equipment or the purchasing of necessary supplies. Maintains a checkout list for any borrowed test equipment r patient files, ensuring return within reasonable timeframe, and only authorizes release of equipment, files, or other identified sensitive materials, in conjunction with Supervisor approval. Participates in quality assurance and improvement activities of the Neuropsychology Clinic. Assists in the training of psychology trainees in the proper administration and scoring of psychological assessment procedures as assigned, and the adaptation of assessment procedures to meet the demands of special patient populations, and in the policies and procedures regarding psychological/neuropsychological assessment within Psychology Service and the Mental health Service Line. Follows all relevant laws, regulations, policies and protocols for data collection, documentation, and analysis. Provides education and consultation to staff of area (s) or program (s) to which the incumbent is assigned. Participates in and provides educational presentations to VA psychology trainees. Assumes responsibility for professional development by attending relevant trainings, completing continuing education, and regularly reviewing the research literature to improve clinical and technical competencies. Performs other related professional duties as assigned by the supervisor. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00AM to 4:30PM Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Psychology Technician/PD23475A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not require.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, facility applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date to this announcement. Non-facility applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2023. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Basic - Individual Occupational Requirement: Experience - GS-4: 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. OR Education and training GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in courses such as psychology, statistics, or other directly related subjects. In addition to the basic requirement as stated above the following is the experience requirement to qualify at the GS7 grade level in this occupation. Specialized Experience - GS-07: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-6) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience in the understanding of major mental health disorders, such as PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders which may influence the assessment process and course of treatment, skill and ability to properly triage patients during the intake/interview process; basic working knowledge of personality theory, psychopathology, and psychological principles, as well as lifespan, cognitive, functional, and behavioral capacity, and medical and cognitive disorders; skill in communicating, both orally and in writing, with administrative personnel, supervisors, and upper management. There is no educational substitution in the occupation at the GS-7 grade level, however one (1) year of graduate level education may be substituted for experience at the GS-7 grade level only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Transcript required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:Psychological AssessmentTeamworkTechnical CompetenceWriting 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: The work is usually performed both in an office setting and outside the medical center in the community as involvement with outreach efforts requires. A high level of physical energy is required, as the incumbent will be expected to meet with many people in many different locations in the course of a workday; however, no special physical demands are involved in performing the work. Working Conditions: The incumbent will have assigned workspace at the medical c3enter with adequate lighting, heat, and ventilation however, it is expected that a major portion of the services provided will be conducted away from the office, in the office and in community. 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.

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 Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 820 South Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60612 US
• Name: Joyce Ruffin
• Phone: 414-384-2000 X40575
• Email: [email protected]