Job opening: Staff Psychologist - Behavioral Medicine and Neuropsychology Service
Salary: $122 158 - 166 865 per year
Published at: Dec 12 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
Truman VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.
Duties
VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf
The Staff Psychologist for whom this functional statement applies is assigned to the Behavioral
Medicine and Neuropsychology Service (BMNS) within the Behavioral Health (BH) Service Line at
the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital. The incumbent serves as a co-located
provider within Primary Care and is a member of the primary care clinic's health care team.
The Truman VA is a level 1C Medical Center, which provides both outpatient medical and mental
health services at the main facility and at each of the seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics
(CBOCs).
Duties may include but are not limited to:
Clinical Responsibilities:
Provides a full range of psycho diagnostic services, including psychological assessment and
psychological testing of patients. He/She selects the optimum battery of tests or procedures
to gain the appropriate information in each case. He/She oversees the administration and
scoring of psychological assessment procedures, interprets and reports the findings of the
evaluation in the medical record in a timely fashion, and integrates the findings to inform
treatment planning for patients.
Utilizes appropriate therapeutic techniques or combinations of techniques to provide
Evidence-Based and Recovery-Oriented treatment to Veterans with complex mental health
needs within outpatient and inpatient settings. The incumbent provides the full range of
therapeutic interventions, including education, individual and/or family psychotherapy, and
group psychotherapy to patients, family members, and significant others, as clinically
indicated.
Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for patients
assigned to the primary care team, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. The
incumbent formulates a mutually agreed upon treatment plan, which includes measurable
goals, objectives, and treatment methods based upon the psychological assessment. The
treatment plan is used to direct a course of treatment, is individualized to include patient
preferences, and reflects a multidisciplinary approach to care (as clinically indicated).
Provides consultation to professional staff within the Truman VA and to community
providers concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for
patients. The incumbent draws upon his/her knowledge of current research literature as well
as patient-centered factors to determine recommendations.
Functions independently as a member of the Truman VA Medical Staff, with full clinical
privileges. The Staff Psychologist assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her
clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.
Administrative Responsibilities:
Assists the Supervisory Psychologist in the design, development, and implementation of
clinical programming, and assists Supervisory Psychologist in the execution of ongoing
program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the
effectiveness of clinical programming.
Regularly attends and actively participates in BMNS Team meetings. Incumbent also attends
and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Service Line Chief
(or designee) and facility Director. The incumbent regularly attends Psychology Service staff
meetings, Medical Staff meetings, and complies with Psychology Service peer review
procedures.
Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the
Supervisory Psychologist and/or Service Line Chief. He/She complies with national and local
performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical
reminders for all patients.
This positions is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact
[email protected] the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Authorized
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: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English.
Education: Must possess one of the following:
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. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. 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
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: You 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.
Grade Determinations:
GS-13 (Full Performance Level) Requirements:
Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, do you possess at least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
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.
Assignment: This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.
Reference: VA Handbook 5005/103 PART II Appendix G18 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.
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 Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital
800 Hospital Drive
Columbia, MO 65201
US
- Name: LaDell Holloway
- Phone: 317-914-2416
- Email: [email protected]