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

The incumbent is a member of the VA Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program. The HBPC Program is a unique home care program that provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary primary care in the homes of Veterans with complex medical, social, and behavioral conditions for whom routine clinic-based care is not effective. In contrast to other home care systems that target patients with short-term remediable needs and provide episodic, time-limited and focused skilled services, HBPC targets patients with complex, chronic, progressively disabling disease and provides comprehensive, long term health care. HBPC is designed to serve the chronically-ill through the months and years before death, providing primary care, palliative care, rehabilitation, disease management, and coordination of care. Outcomes expected of HBPC programs include effective management of chronic diseases, reduction of recurrent inpatient hospitalizations and inpatient days, and a concurrent decrease in total cost of care. HBPC teams include representatives from medicine service, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation (to include physical and/or occupational therapists), dietetics, social work, and psychology.The incumbent provides a full range of psychological services for Veterans referred to or enrolled in the HBPC Program, to include mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation. Specific duties include: Providing screening for emotional-behavioral problems to prevent psychological problems and/or diagnose such problems per the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM5) criteria; Providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage physical pain and other disabilities, to address sleep problems and promote positive sleep practices, to facilitate weight loss and good nutritional habits, to cease smoking, and/or to reinforce or enhance medical compliance; Providing treatment for such psychological problems as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse, with an emphasis on time-limited, evidenced-based approaches when possible and appropriate; Developing behavior management/modification plans and strategies to address dementia-related behaviors and other cognitive impairments to decrease the need for adjunct psychotropic medication for behavioral control; Providing psychoeducation, counseling, and other supportive measures to the spouse and other family members, home health aides and other caregivers, and/or other VA and non-VA staff crucial to keeping the Veteran at home; Providing screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions and/or to determine if more comprehensive neuropsychological testing is needed; Assessing the Veteran's understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent, and assisting HBPC and other staff in determining how to explain and present treatment options and other such material in a form that they can understand; Performing capacity/competency evaluations to address the Veteran's ability to care for personal needs and meet other instrumental activities of daily living, to make medical and financial decisions, to safely and effectively operate a motor vehicle, and/or to continue to reside independently with or without assistance from others; Facilitating transition and adjustment to new living situations when necessary, to include assisted living and skilled nursing facilities; Provides consultation and facilitates open communication between other HBPC staff members, other VA staff, and non-VA community providers to review and discuss assessment findings, treatment recommendations and plans, and other pertinent information to ensure continuity of care; Functions independently as a licensed psychologist and member of the HBPC Program, assumes professional responsibility for clinical assessment findings and patient care decisions, and documents all findings, to include the prompt completion of clinical reminders. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday; alternate and compressed tours available Compressed Tours: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position EDRP: Authorized Recruitment / Relocation Incentive: Authorized for highly qualified candidates Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology) OR; Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re-specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (1) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and, (2) The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship OR; Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship: 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 ORVHA 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.) 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. English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment: Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist. Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience: At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. 2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. 3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. 4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 5. 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. 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 (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.). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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. Preferred Experience: Valid, state-issued driver license; DO NOT include a copy with your application, we cannot accept photographs as part of your application package. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G18 The 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. Physical Requirements: Light to moderate lifting, up to 44 pounds; light carrying, under 15 pounds; reaching above shoulder, use of both hands and fingers required, walking/standing 6-8 hours; both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; 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; both eyes required; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability; ability to work alone.

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 James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard Altoona, PA 16602 US
• Name: Tianna Miller
• Phone: 404-680-6127
• Email: [email protected]