This position is located in the Mental Health Service Line of the Psychology Service at the VA Medical Center in Saginaw, MI. The Psychology Technician is assigned to work principally in neuropsychological assessment and psychological testing.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties include but are not limited to: Performs psychological and neuropsychological testing protocols on inpatients and outpatients referred for evaluation of mental and behavioral health problem. Tests of neuropsychological functioning are typically administered to complicated patients who present with psychiatric conditions (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse), neurological illness or injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, dementia), and other medical conditions. Evaluates and monitors the motivational and ability levels of patients in relation to procedures needed for evaluation and to modify the testing situation to patient abilities and presentation, in collaboration with the neuropsychologists. Develops and implements practical strategies for the accurate completion of measures. Administers and scores a wide range of neuropsychological and psychological tests. Participates in the development of treatment plans; and completes clinical reminders and documents results in the medical chart. Interprets/analyzes test results, in conjunction with the psychologist/neuropsychologist, to determine if additional testing needs to be administered. Administers standard neuropsychological measures of intelligence, memory, attention, language, visuospatial, and executive functioning. This includes showing a high level of skill in administering tests such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV), Weschler Memory Scale (WMS-IV), California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-II), Boston Naming Test, Trail Making Test, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Teaches graduate and postgraduate students precise methods on how to obtain accurate, reliable, and valid data from current and previous assessment tools; performs initial assessment of the abilities of trainees and teaches them how to perform the tests if necessary; and monitors the trainees for consistency of administration of tests and procedures. Engages in a variety of clerical duties including scheduling patients and responding to consults as directed by the neuropsychologist. Attends required staff meetings, patient care meetings as appropriate, and committee meetings as assigned. Participates in the various in-service continuing education programs sponsored by the Mental Health service and the facility; and Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. ~AND~ BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Completion of a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in an appropriate social or biological science, which included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours in psychology. NOTE: You must submit copies of transcripts at the time of application. Education will not be credited without documentation. Please ensure that your transcripts show that a degree was conferred. Display copies of degrees or course listings do not provide the information needed. ~AND~ In addition to the above requirements, in order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS- 9 level you must meet one of the following: Experience: At least two (2) years of technical work under the direction of a professional psychologist in a program of professional services, training or research. At least 6 months of this experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade in the Federal service (GS-8), or 1 year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-7). This experience includes working with patients in a behavioral health setting or program; completing diagnostic questionnaires; assessing mental status and cognitive state of patients, to include assessing for risky behaviors; providing group and/or individual psychoeducation, interventions, or classes; tracking patient progress toward meeting behavioral health goals. Performance of these tasks requires a practical understanding of some of the general principles, theories, methods and techniques of psychology in order to carry out duties which are performed under the supervision of a professional psychologist. NOTE: Experience under the direction of a professional psychologist is required and MUST be documented on your resume. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of two (2) full years of graduate study in psychology in an accredited college or university may be substituted for 2 years of experience and meets in full the requirements at the GS-9 level. NOTE: You must submit copies of transcripts at the time of application. Education will not be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to DetailClericalClient OrientationConscientiousnessFlexibilityInterpersonal Skills IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements: The person in this position must be able to move expeditiously from place to place in the medical center. Patients must regularly be assisted and supported when they are brought for examination. Equipment weighing up to 50 pounds may need to be moved. Basic Life Support (BLS) training is required. The person in this position must be able to sit and attend intensively to veteran behaviors over a several hours period. Finally, the position may involve prolonged exposures to persons with primary or secondary viral and other infections. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 Aleda E Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1500 Weiss Street Saginaw, MI 48602 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]