This position is located with the Neuromodulation Clinic of the Mental Health Service at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) in Palo Alto, California. The Psychology Technician provides support to the Neuromodulation Clinic delivering clinical neuromodulation treatment (e.g., transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS).

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; Positions patients properly and comfortably in accordance with the neuromodulation device configuration; 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 (ear plugs) and ensures they are worn properly; Activates the device to deliver neuromodulation in accordance with the prescribed "dosage" as determined by the Attending Psychiatrist or qualified designee; Provides eyes-on monitoring of the patient and device during neuromodulation delivery for possible adverse events or problems arising due to the device, coil placement or other unexpected problems; Provides monitoring of patients after self-administration of rapidly acting antidepressants (i.e., esketamine) under the supervisor of the attending Psychiatrist or qualified designee; Checks vital signs prior to self-administration of esketamine and at 20, 40, 90 and 120 minutes after self-administration; Provides daily screening and monitoring of neuromodulation patients which includes changes in medication, sleep status, mood or anxiety related to neuromodulation therapy; Assesses for use of substances and utilizes knowledge of medical/substance use that is relevant to neuromodulation therapy; Performs daily screening for suicide; Obtains vital signs (temperature, blood pressure and heart rate) and their changes and observes the general well-being and mental status of patients undergoing treatment; Administers rating scales for patients which includes maintaining sufficient rating scale packets, administering them, collecting scores and reviewing results for immediate clinical needs (i.e., report of active suicidal or homicidal ideation with a plan) and contacts the attending Psychiatrist if this occurs; Drafts daily notes in the medical record, documents the procedures performed under the appropriate note title and following established forms, filled with relevant data from the treatment; Monitors consultation requests and schedules patients with the attending Psychiatrist or qualified designee; Schedules patients for neuromodulation therapy and reminds new patients of upcoming dates or their treatment; Contributes to approved neuromodulation research protocols and program evaluation projects; Adheres to professional/ethical standard and codes of conduct; and Performs other duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency Requirement: 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 perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ Basic Education Requirement: You must possess a bachelor's degree (or higher) with a major in an appropriate social or biological science, which included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours in psychology. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~AND~ In addition to meeting the English Language Proficiency and the Basic Education Requirement, to qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of technical work under the direction of a professional psychologist in a program of professional services, training, or research. 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. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: You must havesuccessfully completed at least one (1) full year of graduate study in psychology in 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: CommunicationManages and Organizes InformationPsychological AssessmentPsychology 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 able to move expeditiously from place to place in the medical center. Patients may require physical assistance and support when they are brought for examination. Equipment weighing up to 50 pounds my need to be moved. The person in this position must be able to sit and attend intensively to patient behavior over periods lasting seral hours. The person in this position must maintain excellent personal health, since the position requires long exposures to person having primary or secondary viral and other infections. The person in this position observes normal safety precautions, with special attention to patient safety, such as ensuring a clean and organized workspace and the absence of potential trip or fall hazards in the office area. The person in this position must attend to patient comfort level and provide opportunities for breaks as needed. 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]