This position is located at the at the VA Medical Center in Sheridan, WY. The Psychology Technician (Psychometrics) is responsible for assisting with psychological assessments and measurement-based care.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** These duties include but are not limited to suicide screening, making behavioral observations, conducting symptoms screening using measurement-based care tools, psychological testing using general and specific psychological tests, and providing assessment administration education to Veterans, students in training, and staff. Other major duties include, but are not limited to: Functions relatively autonomously in administering, scoring, and providing an initial evaluation of a variety of psychological and neuropsychological test data gathered from patients with a variety of highly complex psychological problems and conditions which can affect the ability of patients to function competently at home and/or in other situations, under the direct supervision of a psychologist. Primary assignments focus on the administration and scoring of initial psychological screening and evaluation of veterans with all degrees of severity, some of whom may be uncooperative or hostile, providing initial psycho-diagnostic services, making preliminary interpretations of the data, developing recommended courses of action, and consultation to the interdisciplinary treatment team. Discusses tests and other screening measures collected with a psychologist to aid in determining appropriate course of treatment or disposition and may participate in case conferences, treatment team meetings, or interdisciplinary team meetings (IDTs) to provide information they have obtained about the Veteran through the course of their testing sessions. Interviews patients to obtain specific data (i.e., psychosocial histories to Include family, academic, occupational, significant Interpersonal history and history of past psychological treatment or contact) for the purpose of diagnosing and/or prescribing a treatment plan. Compiles written case history, patient complaints, test results, and other clinically relevant information for use in the subsequent assessment and diagnosis of patients by the supervising psychologist. Performs psychological assessments using interview, formal psychological testing, and consultation as appropriate, gathers case history, complaints, or other problem- related information for use in the evaluation and diagnosis of said patients. Receives telephone calls, determines nature of call, and answers routine inquiries based on past decision or regulatory guidelines. Assist in scheduling testing sessions for patients admitted to the inpatient or residential settings in all necessary phases of the clinical encounter if work setting requires it. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am until 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: 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: Manages and Organizes InformationPsychological AssessmentPsychologyTechnical 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: The work is primarily sedentary, requiring sitting, standing, walking, bending, rapid eye-hand coordination, articulate speech, above-average intellectual cognitive functions, carrying light objects, and strong attention to detail. - The position demands periods of intense concentration and the ability to maintain self-control in difficult situations. - The physical and emotional stress involved in working with physically and psychologically impaired patients makes this position much more demanding than most sedentary positions. The work area is adequately lighted, ventilated, and climate controlled. - The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts, which require safety precautions typical of hospitals, offices in community businesses. Patients may display a broad variety of psychological problems and/or psychiatric symptoms with various levels of both physical and/or mental disability. Some of the patients may be considered to be a danger to themselves or others. There may be occasional risk of physical harm, which may require special precautions and training. 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 Sheridan VA Medical Center 1898 Fort Road Sheridan, WY 82801 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]