The Incumbent functions as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team and delivers brief, evidence-based treatment services and consultation to Veterans, family members, and medical staff. The focus is on general service delivery for a wide range of concerns and resolving problems within the inpatient psychiatric and medical setting. They can provide assessment and treatment services in inpatient, outpatient, residential settings, and any other setting where psychological services are indicated.

Duties

Out-patient Psychologists provide direct care to veterans & their family members; consultation for difficult/complex cases; staff education and intern/post-doctoral fellow supervision. In some situations, they may have research or teaching obligations, collateral supervisory responsibilities, or limited administrative/managerial duties Clinical Responsibilities may include: Provision of a full range of psychological assessment services along with diagnoses of mental disorders, for veterans referred to or enrolled in the Mental Health Clinic. Provision of education to patients, family members, and significant others regarding assessment processes, VA services, treatment options, or other issues impacting the veteran or family Comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and/or group psychotherapy within the Mental Health Clinic, CBOC or in-patient setting as warranted. Consultation with other professional staff within the WBVAMC, its CBOC's and/or community providers, regarding clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients assigned to various mental health related programs. Development, implementation, and documentation of the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients within Mental Health/Behavioral Services (MH/BS), including prompt completion of a variety of clinical reminders. Functioning independently as a member of the WBVAMC Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges, assuming complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Completion of Compensation and Pension examinations as directed by the Chief of Psychology/Chief of Mental Health/Behavioral Services, to be completed in accordance with quality standards established by external review organization (CPEP) and in terms of timeframes established for programs nationally by National Headquarters. Administrative responsibilities may include: Assisting the Chief of Psychology and Chief of Mental Health in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the Mental Health and Behavioral Service and the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center. Assist the Chief of Psychology and Chief of Mental Health in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. Facilitating liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Complying with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Complying with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes). Attending and participating in administrative and informational meetings held by the ACOS for Mental Health Participates and complies with Psychology peer review procedures, including serving on the Peer Review Subcommittee Review Board as needed or required. Participates and complies with all Performance lmprovement/Quality Management initiatives, including service on Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reviews as needed or as required Teaching and/or Training may include: Providing clinical supervision and instruction for students and/or residents assigned to the Mental Health Clinic rotation. Participation in student/resident/staff training program, including facilitating or presenting in venues such as case conferences and training seminars; may be assigned to present on mental health issues to Clinical Staff Grand Rounds or other internal medical center educational activities. Provide leadership, guidance and consultation to staff assigned to the Mental Health Clinic. 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 veterans with anxiety and adjustment related disorders as well as other psychological conditions. Other Responsibilities may include: Serving as a member of the Mental Health and Behavioral Service Performance Improvement Team, and regularly attending scheduled meetings, functions and relevant training associated with this committee. Serving as a member of the Code White Team, and regularly responding to Code White psychiatric emergencies in a timely fashion, coordinating efforts with the Code White Team Leader or designate. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday8:00 am - 4:30 pm (rotating coverage for Saturdays and Holidays) Telework: Consideration for a Hybrid Schedule or Partial Telework for a highly qualified GS-13 Candidate Recruitment and Relocation Incentive: Authorized 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. 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 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: 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: Work is primarily sedentary, but requires use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to 4 hours); sitting (up to 8 hours); near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing (aid permitted); light lifting (under 15 pounds); mental and emotional stability. The full performance level of this vacancy is 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS 11-13.

Education

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. Learn more

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 Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center 1111 East End Boulevard Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 US
• Name: Amanda Griffin-Fikes
• Phone: 216-791-2300 X42198
• Email: [email protected]