The Psychology Technician provides support to the Neuromodulation Clinic delivering clinical neuromodulation treatment (e.g., Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS). This position is located with the Neuromodulation Clinic of the Metal Health Service at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS), Palo Alto, California.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The major duties include but are not limited to: Prepares the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for patients medical testing requirements. Administers mechanical and/or computerized neuropsychological assessments. Positions patients for conducting brain imaging procedures to acquire imaging data in accordance with the neuroimaging protocols of the clinical research study. Positions the neuromodulation device properly over the prescribed anatomic target as determined by the Neuromodulation Clinic attending Psychiatrist or qualified designee. Provides patients with hearing protection while ensuring proper utilization. Possess knowledge of research or health-related topics such as traumatic brain injuries, psychological assessments, transcranial magnetic stimulation, biology, anatomy, neuroscience sufficient to explain the role of clinical research to study participants. Administers and scores neuropsychological assessment measures, including complex measures of intelligence, academic achievement, attention, memory, speech/language functions, visuospatial/constructional skills, and motor skills, beyond introductory assessment knowledge, requiring more extensive training and skill in administration. Establishes and maintains effective rapport with all types of patients and provides an appropriate, non-threatening setting for optimal test performance by patients. Provides sensitive communication with patients with disabilities and adapts assessment approaches or procedures in a manner to meet any special problems or needs related to these disabilities. Monitors Neuropsychology caseload organization and scheduling of referrals in a manner to provide timely assessment and expeditious handling of priority referrals. Provides supervised operations support for the Neuromodulation Clinic to include coordinating with inventory management for clinic supply requirements. Serves as a contact for scheduling of referrals for neuropsychological and psychological assessment or research. Provides timely and appropriate documentation in accordance with adopted policy of the Neuropsychology Department and Mental Health Service for purposes of communication of progress in completion of consultation requests or for purposes of communicating pertinent testing observations within the medical record. Contributes to the national Veterans Administration Training Management System (VA-TMS) to include attending conference calls, development session, and aiding other VA clinics with their TMS requirements. Adheres to professional/ethical standard and codes of conduct as outlined in medical center policy and the APA Code of Ethics. Must be certified in Basic Life Support procedures. Possesses the ability to deliver basic emergency care in the Neuroeducations Clinic. Performs other duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized 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: A bachelor's degree 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. Transcripts required. In addition to meeting the English Language Proficiency and Basic Education Requirement, applicants must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: One year of technical work under the direction of a professional psychologist in a program of professional services, training, or research. To be creditable, at least six (6) months of such experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade (GS-6) in the Federal service, or one (1) year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-5) in the Federal service. Technical duties include experience with one or more of the following: (1) Assisting in research as in systematic collection of psychology research data, recording and collecting data, preparing tabular or graphic presentation of data, in accordance with a predetermined research plan; (2) Assisting counseling psychologists in contacting potential employers for the purpose of making vocational placement, providing follow-up consultation, administering and scoring of interest, achievement and aptitude tests, securing work history and other relevant vocational information; (3) Assisting neuropsychologists in administering and scoring of selected tests of neuropsychology battery in accordance with clearly defined procedures; or (4) Assisting psychologists in completing behavior rating scales or in conducting behavior modification. (NOTE:Experience under the direction of a professional psychologist is required and MUST be documented on your resume. We will not make assumptions regarding experience.) -OR- Education: You must havesuccessfully completed at least one (1) full year of graduate study in psychology at an accredited college or university to substitute for the 1 year of experience to meet in full the requirements at the GS-7 level. (NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.) -OR- Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. You must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: 1. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision. 2. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. 3. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. 4. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. For more information regarding SAA please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp#e4f. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Patient CarePsychological AssessmentTechnical Competence 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: Must be physically and mentally able to perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. In most cases a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. Loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation may be considered in determining an the ability to perform the duties of a position. Reasonable accommodation may include but is not limited to the use of assistive devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]