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

Responsibilities involve Mental Health (MH) assessment and intervention and professional consultation services throughout the Mental Health Service Line (MHSL) and associated specialty MH coverage areas. The incumbent serves as a full-time Staff Psychologist in the areas of Bariatric Surgery, Transplant Evaluations and other ancillary areas (ALS & Amputee) at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital. Responsibilities involve pre-bariatric and pre-transplant surgery psychological evaluation, pre-surgical mental health and behavioral medicine support for both areas, bariatric and transplant education provision, bariatric and transplant support group facilitation, and post-bariatric and post-transplant re-assessment and psychological support. Additionally, this position will oversee a monthly Amputee support group and provide clinical care to Veterans in the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) clinic. Incumbent will work as a full member of the Bariatric and Transplant Interdisciplinary Treatment Teams, attend consultation team meetings, and assist the teams in coordination of care services. The incumbent will also work closely working with leaders of the Amputee System of Care (ASoC) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) to provide clinical care to the Veterans. MAJOR DUTIES: The Psychologist has knowledge and skill in a full range of psychological assessment, diagnostic, and evidence-based treatment services. The Psychologist should have familiarity with the full range of DSM5 clinical presentations and experience with associated brief, evidence based psychological intervention for mild-moderate presentations. The Psychologist should have specialized knowledge and skill with treating patients within medical settings including consultation with interdisciplinary medical team members and specialized health psychology assessment and intervention skills. Psychologist performs pre- and post-bariatric and pre- and post-transplant surgery assessments, as well as treatment for patients with Amputations and ALS. Performs risk assessments and mental health crises procedures and should have skill in leading interdisciplinary treatment teams in intervening in patient mental health crises. Provides individual, family, and group interventions to support patients that are coping with health psychology presentations (e.g., sleep, pain, adherence to medical regimen, adjustment to illness), psychosocial stressors, grief or phase of life difficulties (e.g., discrimination, stress management, coping with loss, transition to civilian life), and mental health presentations. Performs cognitive screening to address specific functional and/or cognitive ability questions. Mental health assessment and treatment services will be provided in both face-to-face and tele-mental health modalities, and will emphasize evidence-based and best practice approaches. Provides education to patients, family members of patients, professional staff and trainees. In addition, will be able to engage families of Veterans in empirically supported treatment for caregiver burden. All other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm) TBD Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 0000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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: 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 re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the 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; (b) 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. AND Internship: (a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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.) OR (e) 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. 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.\ 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). 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-11 (Entry Level) (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements .Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) (a) 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. GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level)(a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 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, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations, including designing and implementing effective treatment strategies. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. 4. Knowledge of cultural and individual diversity issues as they may apply to areas of specialization and clinical privileges. Preferred Experience: Preferred to have experience with transplant and bariatric evaluations. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18, Psychologist qualification Standards, dated 2/7/2018. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary and is usually accomplished while the employee is comfortably seated at a desk or table. Some walking and standing may occur in the course of a normal workday in connection with attendance of meetings and conferences, or while researching files. Items carried typically are light objects such as briefcases, notebooks, and data processing reports. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

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 Edward Hines Junior Hospital 5000 South 5th Avenue Hines, IL 60141 US
• Name: Torenzo Davis
• Phone: 708-940-1828
• Email: [email protected]