Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. NOTE: Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to ALL applicants for this job announcement.

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**This job announcement has been AMENDED to include the Exception to Licensure requirement for the GS-11 and GS-12 grade levels.**

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 12/29/2022, and applications will be reviewed every two (2) weeks, thereafter. This announcement may remain open until 6/09/2023, or once a selection is made, whichever occurs first. If no selection is reached by the current closing date, this announcement may be extended.

The clinical psychologist functions primarily in outpatient Mental Health and/or the Primary Care clinic areas. In this environment, the clinical psychologist will be a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team with responsibility for assessment, psychotherapeutic intervention, case management, training and education, and administration. However, the clinical psychologist may be assigned additional responsibilities in other locations as directed by the Psychology Executive.

Functions
(1) Clinical Responsibilities:
A. Assessment
Performs evaluations of patients in the general Mental Health outpatient clinic setting and the primary care setting. This may include intellectual/cognitive functioning, emotional adjustment, severe mental illness, personality issues, suicide issues, decision-making capacity, and level of care/placement needs. A range of assessment techniques may be employed including record review, interview, rating scales, questionnaires, standardized tests, behavioral observation, and consultation with other disciplines. Generates appropriate referrals to specialized clinical programs as warranted.
B. Therapeutic Interventions
Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions for patients.
Therapeutic modalities and techniques may include evidenced based practices, supportive psychotherapy, behavior management techniques, and / or a variety of behavioral medicine approaches such as smoking cessation.
C. Customer Service
Responds to consults within the time limits specified by Psychology Service and Medical Center policies.
Develops and maintains a reasonable caseload of patients.
Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Looks for innovative ways to increase psychology services to the medical center. Serves as a member of standing or ad hoc committees as the need or opportunity arises.
D. Documentation Maintains/submits required documentation in a timely, complete, and accurate manner in accordance with Psychology Service and Medical Center policies and procedures, without inaccuracies and/or tardiness. Develops written procedures as requested to facilitate the timely and efficient delivery of psychological services.
(2) Administrative responsibilities:
Assists in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. Completes mandatory VA training requirements in a timely fashion. Attends psychology-related training to maintain expertise in assigned work area. Attends Psychology staff meetings, Medical staff meetings, and Mental Health Service staff meetings. Complies with Psychology pertinence review procedures as well as credentialing and privileging procedures.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Education Debt Reduction Program: Eligible

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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: 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. 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.
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) 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. NOTE: Must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship
OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
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;
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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard.
Licensure: 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 to licensure requirements: See Education section below.
Board Certification: Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.
Grandfathering Provision: (May qualify for the Grandfathering Provision and is only applicable to current, permanent VA employees)
Physical Requirements.
English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level)
Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level)
Experience. At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of 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.

Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level)
Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of 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.

Assignment GS-13 - 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-18

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: This position is mostly sedentary and requires walking, kneeling, bending, standing, and light lifting. Light lifting, under 15 pounds; light carrying, under 15 pounds; reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking (1 hour), standing (1 hour), hearing (aid permitted), position is mostly sedentary.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.