The incumbent in this position consists of Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Program Manager for Mental Health Lexington VA Health Care System (LEX VAHCS) Medical Center. Psychologist program managers have broad program management responsibilities for a specific program or programs that are designed to deliver specialized, complex, highly professional services that are important program components of the facility and that significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans.

Duties

The Lexington VA Health Care System (LEX VAHCS) consists of two divisions with community-based outpatient clinics located in Berea, Hazard, Morehead, and Somerset. The Lexington VA Health Care System offers healthcare to approximately 94,000 veterans living in 36 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky. The Sousley Campus and the Bowling Campus house beds for both psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients. The Bowling Campus, dedicated in 1973, is physically connected to the University of Kentucky Health Care System in central Lexington. This Division provides general medical, surgical, neurological, and acute inpatient mental health services. Main duties consist of the following: The SMI Program Manager directs the administrative and clinical aspects of the programs that fall under the area of responsibility. The SMI Program Manager is responsible for the Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) program, Enhanced Range, and the Wellness Center for Veterans experiencing serious mental illness. As Chair of the DBC, the Program Manager is responsible for overseeing the day to day business of the committee, producing agenda and minutes and follow-up of all decisions of the DBC at the monthly meetings, maintaining knowledge and use of the latest evidence-based risk assessment and management literature and tools, conducting clinical threat/risk assessments of Veterans and veteran-generated disruptive behavior to determine recommendations for risk mitigation to use in consultation with providers, clinical staff and DBC members, informing and providing clinical intervention in cases of disruptive or violent behavior history or assessed risk for such behavior, providing education to staff, and providing timely and accurate responses to action items regarding the DBC or Workplace Violence Prevention Program. The Program Manager will interpret and write policies, procedures and program guidelines in the development, planning, operations, and continuous performance improvement of the program. The Program Manager will have oversight of the Employee Threat Assessment Team (ETAT) and has general oversight of the Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) program. The Program Manager will collaborate with other departments to manage the use of data related to these programs regarding day-to-day functioning, effectiveness, and program evaluation. The Program Manager will also assist in educating staff in recognizing signs and factors of potential danger, ways to de-escalate disruptions, and identifying VA resources that can directly address individual needs to help improve the quality of veteran care and reduce overall risk. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, but may require after hours and/or weekend work. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 30337-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. 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. 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; AND, the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internships: 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.) OR 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. 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. NOTE: Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. 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: Psychologist, GS-0185-14 At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The staff psychologists are assigned to any VHA program and setting, including inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics and Tele-mental Health programs. The primary job functions of psychologists 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (KSAs): 1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. 2. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools. 3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view. 4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. 5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. 6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. 7. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103, PART II, APPENDIX G18The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Lexington VA Health Care System 2250 Leestown Road Lexington, KY 40511 US
• Name: Julissa Jimenez
• Phone: (407) 579-4973
• Email: [email protected]