This position is in the Geriatrics and Extended Care service with a primary assignment to the Home-Based Primary Care Program(HBPC). The incumbent will provide a full range of psychological services to patients. The incumbent will use evidence based interventions to help patients manage behavioral associated with behavioral medicine problems and promote medical compliance. The incumbent will function as a full member of the HBPC team.

Duties

Major Duties: Provides screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other Axis I condition, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based approaches. Assesses and provides treatment for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties, and excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs. Provides psychological prevention services to patients at significant risk for psychological problems. Provides services to the families of veterans with dementia being served by HBPC, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the veteran and will allow better care for the veteran and allow the family to sustain the veteran in the home environment. Provide screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed. Performs capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently under a licensed Psychologist until supervised. Assesses patients' understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assisting staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such material to patients in a format they can understand. Provides individual and group interventions to support patients that are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with disability and other life transitions. Provides psychoeducational and supportive interventions, in conjunction with the veteran, for spouses, family members/caregivers, and others that are crucial to keeping the veteran at home. Provides effective interventions with couples or families, when appropriate, to relieve relationship difficulties, provide support to caregivers of veterans with dementia or other significant frailty, and/or promote collaboration with the HBPC team, for the benefit of the veteran. Facilitates transition and adjustment to new living situations (e.g., nursing home, assisted living facility), and providing seamless intervention services, as appropriate. Provides behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance medical compliance. Promotes communication/interactions between medical team members, patients, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process. Assure that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished. Provides clinical services using tele-mental health/tele-home technology where available. May be involved in Psychology Internship Training Program or training of practicum students under layered supervision with a licensed Psychologist until licensed. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients. Assumes responsibility for professional development by attending relevant training and regularly reviewing the literature to improve clinical competencies and meeting professional continuing education requirements to maintaining current competence and licensure Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance process. Completes all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate in a timely manner, and under a licensed Psychologist until licensed. Serves on Medical Center and committees or task forces as assigned. Participates fully in quality care reviews, assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided in the organization. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday: 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: This position is not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: An incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates 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. Education. Applicant 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 applicants are 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; 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. Applicants 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. 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. Applicants 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. period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. 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: Staff Psychologist GS-11/12/13 GS-11 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed above. GS-12 Experience: Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 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. GS-13 Experience: Applicants must have at least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Knowledge of clinical research literature. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18,Psychologist Qualification Standard GS-0180 Veterans Health Administration. 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. Physical Requirements: Involve active listening, reading, observing, and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, walking, speaking, writing reports, writing policies and procedures, writing clinical notes, using office equipment such as computers, telephones, fax machines, photocopy machines and travel throughout the catchment. Must also be able to perform CPR and remain current in BLS certification

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 Bob Stump VA Medical Center 500 Highway 89 North Prescott, AZ 86313 US
• Name: Ian Quentin
• Phone: 928-445-4860 X6720
• Email: [email protected]