This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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 review of the EDRP application. Contact Eva Gennara - [email protected], for assistance.

Duties

The evaluation of a recruit's psychological fitness is determined by the Recruit Evaluation Unit (REU). The primary purpose of this position is to effectively assess psychological suitability for service and fitness for duty and when appropriate, provide psychological treatment services to active-duty members, primarily recruits. The clinical psychologists at REU have a primary mission of assessing psychological suitability for military service. The primary administrative responsibility is to the United States Navy, and military members need to be so informed in accordance with APA ethical principles, Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction and Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Instruction. The clinical psychologist must adhere to directives issued by the Directorate of Fleet Medicine, Lovell Federal Health Care Center, and the administrative protocols of Recruit Training Command, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), and the DoD. The scope of practice is limited by the regulatory authority of these entities. Clinical psychologists at REU and its outreach programs work within time-limited and other constraints that are intrinsic to the boot camp environment. At the GS-13 Level. Functions of Assigned Duties include but are not limited to: - Primarily performs evaluations for the recruit (and/or student) and Active Duty populations. Possess a very high level of expertise and extraordinary professional skills in the assessment of the recruit population, and equipped to deal with a high volume of recruits with complex histories and presenting mental health issues. - Unique military requirements include evaluations for security clearances, flight status, and suitability for special duties (e.g. ability to withstand isolated duty, special duty for undersea service, suitability for security clearance, suitability for Special Forces, and suitability for drill instructor duty). - Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. Independently conducts and reports on the individual psychological examination of patients, with an emphasis on determination of psychological suitability for continued Naval service or specific fitness for duty in their current assignments. - Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions. Independently provides individual, group or programmatic psychotherapeutic services to patients with a wide range of complex mental disorders. Serves as a leader in the patient care team, which variously includes medical officers, clinical nurse specialists, social workers, psychiatric technicians, and chaplains. Patients include the spectrum described above. - 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. - Provides collateral supervisory duties primarily for non-professional staff, although a small number of professional staff may be supervised as well (i.e., less than three). - May be assigned to any program area within Recruit Mental Health and may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. - Independently provides psychological services at all levels of complexity and consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Work Schedule: Full Time - Monday - Friday - 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM Compressed/Flexible:Compressed Not Authorized / Flexible Schedule may be authorized Telework: Partial Telework options may be available at the discretion of the supervisor and needs of the population. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not 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: 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 complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization 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. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internships: 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. OR 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. (1) 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. (2) Loss of Credential. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists. Board Certification and Loss of Credential: (1) Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education. (2) Loss of Credential. Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists. English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. 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 Determinations: 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 KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is 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 Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center 3001 Green Bay Road North Chicago, IL 60064 US
• Name: Jeffrey Harvey
• Phone: (515) 372-4919
• Email: [email protected]