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 Staff Psychologist provides a full spectrum of psychological services primarily in outpatient Mental Health and/or the Primary Care clinic areas within the Martinsburg VA Medical Center. Staff psychologists at this level are licensed at the doctoral level to practice independently in the provision of psychological services consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. The primary functions of psychologist at this level include the provision of direct psychological patient care, consultation services on difficult or complex cases, and education of staff and trainee supervision. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides evidence-based individual, group, and family psychotherapy and other interventions such as biofeedback, psychological hypnosis, and environmental interventions to veterans with complex mental health problems. Participates as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team with responsibility for assessment, psychotherapeutic intervention, case management, training and education, and administration. Performs evaluations of patients in the general Mental Health outpatient clinic setting and the primary care setting. Treatment may include: intellectual/cognitive functioning, emotional adjustment, severe mental illness, personality issues, suicide issues, decision-making capacity, and level of care/placement needs. Consults with mental health staff and other medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Provides a full range of neuropsychological assessment services including record review, interview, rating scales, questionnaires, standardized tests, behavioral observation, and consultation with other disciplines. Generates appropriate referrals to specialized clinical programs as warranted. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions for patients. Therapeutic modalities and techniques may include evidence based practices, supportive psychotherapy, behavior management techniques, and/or a variety of behavioral medicine approaches such as smoking cessation. Responds to consults within the time limits specified by Psychology Service and Medical Center policies. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Serves as a member of standing or ad hoc committees as the need or opportunity arises. Maintains/submits required documentation in a timely, complete, and accurate manner in accordance with Psychology Service and Medical Center policies and procedures, without inaccuracies and/or tardiness. Completes mandatory VA training requirements in a timely fashion. Attends psychology-related training to maintain expertise in assigned work area. Additional responsibilities may be assigned in other locations as directed by the Psychology Executive. Work Schedule: Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm and Wed from 7:00 am - 3:30 pm EDT Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Psychologist - Clinical 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Maybe authorized for highly qualified applicant 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. 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). 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 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; 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, (c)Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship Requirements: 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. 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. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. References: VA Handbook 5383, Part I, Appendix A. Grade Level Qualification Standards: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level): Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level): Experience. At least 1 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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate 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 psychologists with specified research job duties). Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level): Experience. At least two (2) years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one (1) 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. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Chapter 3, Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard, GS-0180. 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.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application.

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. Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.

Accreditation Information: The doctoral degree must be fully 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. Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from APA, CPA, or PCSAS

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by any of the above named agencies at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the website(s), you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

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 Martinsburg VA Medical Center 510 Butler Avenue Martinsburg, WV 25405 US
• Name: Sarah Johnson
• Phone: (228) 348-4414
• Email: [email protected]