Job opening: Neuropsychologist (Education Debt Reduction & Recruitment Incentive Approved)
Salary: $113 469 - 147 508 per year
Relocation: YES
Published at: Sep 25 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
The Battle Creek VA Medical Center's Psychology Service is hiring a Psychologist to perform clinical duties with assignment in Neuropsychological and Psychological evaluation and coordination of those service in Psychology Service. Applicants for this position must have credentials for and specialized clinical privileges in Neuropsychology.
This position may be filled at either the Battle Creek VA Medical Center or the Wyoming Michigan VA Clinic at the agency's discretion
Duties
As a Staff Psychologist, the incumbent diagnoses mental disorders, conducts psychological assessments, treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provides adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities that may be provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies. The incumbent consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues and may be involved in program evaluation. The incumbent may provide training experiences for Psychology trainees; may make community visits needed to effectively perform his/her responsibilities, may participate in research and pilot studies, and will maintain an active participation in the Psychology Service and the other Mental Health Services.
The incumbent functions as a champion and advocate for the provision of recovery focused services to Veterans. As such, the incumbent is expected to model Recovery and its defined values in all aspects of her or his professional activities and partnerships.
Clinical Responsibilities 90%
As a psychologist with primary assignment specifically to Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment, the incumbent:
Administers/scores or evaluates psychodiagnostic tests. Administers and interprets a variety of neuropsychological and psychological/psychodiagnostic group and individual tests selected by the incumbent, and composes reports summarizing and interpreting neuropsychological and psychological testing results. Through testing, clinical interviews and observation, assesses intelligence, cognitive and behavioral functioning and deficits, and personality variables. Assists in differential diagnosis. Serves as an authoritative source of information in the use and interpretation of tests to differentiate the basis for patients' symptomatology. Is capable of supervising others in the use of neuropsychological and psychological tests. Provides expert consultation to others with regard to test administration and evaluation.
In addition to basic clinical duties associated with the position, the incumbent performs consultations to other areas at this medical center (e.g., General Medicine, Community Living Center, inpatient psychiatric units, residential treatment programs, etc.) as assigned by the Chief, Psychology Service and within the Clinical Privileges of the incumbent. This can include assisting in the completion of Compensation and Pension Evaluations for Traumatic Brain Injury or psychological disorders.
Integrates his/her clinical work with that of other professional and administrative personnel who may comprise a multi-disciplinary treatment team, maintaining the goal to reciprocally enhance the applied skill of every participating member toward the best available treatment planning for each veteran.
Participates in the development, implementation and documentation of treatment for those patients evaluated in the Neuropsychological and Psychological evaluation area.
Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the VAMC for veterans to whom the incumbent provides services.
Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others regarding relevant psychological material.
Admin/Training 10%
Completes all workload entry in compliance with local and national VA requirements, attends Psychology Service staff meetings and Medical Staff meetings when available to do so, completes required continuing education and mandatory training, and participates in program or treatment evaluation activities if asked to do so.
Participates in peer review and other professional practice evaluations and may also have limited medical center committee assignments or other limited administrative work within Psychology Service at the request of the Service Chief.
Provides clinical supervision to psychology students, including Psychology Interns in the APA approved predoctoral internship at Battle Creek VAMC, if mutually agreed upon with the Service Chief. Likewise, the incumbent may provide educational presentations to staff in the medical center if mutually agreed upon with the Chief, Psychology Service.
Research 0%- The incumbent may engage in psychological research if mutually agreed upon with the Chief, Psychology Service and in compliance with VA policies and procedures for conducting research in a VA facility.
Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8:00-4:30
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: May be approved at supervisor's discretion
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: a recruitment incentive has been authorized
EDRP Authorized: Education Debt Repayment is approved for this position. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): N/A
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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 fulltime, 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.
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).Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:
GS-13 Level: at least 2 addition 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:
1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to a 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.*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. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.
Physical Requirements: Physical qualifications require the ability to sit frequently and for long periods of time. Must be able to spend long periods of time on a computer. Must have good hearing and eyesight. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, extensive reading, and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
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 Battle Creek VA Medical Center
5500 Armstrong Road
Battle Creek, MI 49037
US
- Name: Alexander Phillips
- Phone: 317-681-4780
- Email: [email protected]