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

Psychologists are assigned to any VHA program and setting, including inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Staff psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. The duties of the Staff Psychologist-Primary Care Mental Health Integration include, but are not limited to: Requires specialized knowledge and expertise in providing mental health diagnosis and evidence-based psychotherapy for Veterans with a wide range of diagnoses, and knowledge of working with the model for Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI). Provides screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety related disorders, as well as other psychological conditions, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based approaches. Provides screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including a commitment to use evidence-based psychotherapies for a wide range of mental health disorders delivered via group and individual psychotherapy modalities, face to face, and via telemedicine equipment. Provides psychoeducational and evidence based time limited supportive interventions, in conjunction with the veteran, for spouses, family members/caregivers. Provides behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance medical compliance. Promotes communication/interactions between medical team members, patients, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process. Consults with program staff, nursing and physicians, concerning assessment findings and treatment plans for patients to teams assigned. This consultation is in the service of ensuring that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the provider team. Uses measurement-based care in diagnostic decision making, treatment planning and other decision making. Functions independently as a member of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate. Requires specialized knowledge and expertise in providing mental health diagnosis and evidence-based psychotherapy for Veterans with a wide range of diagnoses, and knowledge of working with the model for Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI). Responsible for assuring compliance with appropriate accrediting/regulatory bodies such as Joint Commission, CARF, SOARS, and OIG. Clinical work will be primarily in outpatient mental health. Provides direct patient care, this psychologist may have collateral research obligations and administrative/managerial duties. Completes other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm (flexible, subject to change based on the needs of the agency) Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 629-00414-F; 629-00415-F; 629-00416-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Christopher Billiot at [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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. English Language Proficiency Requirement - Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Education Requirement - 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 - 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. Licensure: 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. 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. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. Grade Determination: Experience: In addition to meeting the above basic requirements, you must have the following: GS-11: None beyond the basic requirement GS-12: At least 1 full year of experience as a psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level, and able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 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: At 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 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 Staff Psychologist: Providing evidence based care for a variety of diagnoses in a general mental health setting. Proficiency with differential diagnosis. Ability to use measurement based care to advance treatment Use of shared decision making for treatment planning A commitment to understanding and utilizing research to guide decision making. Reference: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18. Both current and former Health Professions Trainees (HPTs) are eligible for VA trainee hiring flexibilities based on their future projected qualifications. HPTs can be recruited and offered positions contingent on meeting grade requirements by the date of appointment 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: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

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 New Orleans VA Medical Center 2400 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119 US
• Name: Robert Knudsen
• Phone: 318-990-4077
• Email: [email protected]