Clarification from the agency

U. S. Citizens Note: due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference to ALL external applicants for this job announcement.

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The incumbent serves as Staff Psychologist with full Clinical Privileges at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Psychiatry Service, Mental Health Clinic and has full, current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Psychologist at a doctoral level in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

As a Staff Psychologist, the incumbent will be assigned to the Mental Health Clinic. This psychologist has primarily clinical duties with assignment in an outpatient clinic. As a Staff Psychologist, the incumbent diagnoses mental disorders, conducts psychological assessments, treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provides adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities that may be provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies.

The incumbent consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues and may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. While the administrative tour for this position is generally 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, the nature of the role will require being available for extended hours and emergent situations on evenings and weekends. The incumbent is expected to model Recovery and its defined values in all aspects of her or his professional activities and partnerships.

Primary job functions include the provision of direct psychological patient care and of consultation services of difficult or complex cases. The incumbent determines patients' needs for psychological evaluation, specialized evaluation procedures, diagnostic procedures, individual and group psychotherapy, and specialized psychological techniques. As a fully licensed and privileged psychologist, the incumbent provides a full range of comprehensive, efficacious and evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy as well as interview based and psychological testing-based assessments as approved and credentialed by the PSB.

Individual and/or group therapy or specialized intervention for which the incumbent does not have Clinical Privileges in Battle Creek VAMC, are referred to another psychologist who is so privileged.The incumbent provides education to patients, family members, and significant others regarding relevant psychological material.The incumbent interacts and works with clinicians from other disciplines as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team. The incumbent is skillful in interpersonal relationships including conflict resolution and the ability to work collaboratively with staff from other professions.The incumbent is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the VAMC for veterans for whom the incumbent provides services. The psychologist will perform all other duties assigned by the Chief, Mental Health Clinic, even though they may not be outlined above, as long as he or she can do so without violating ethical standards and are approved, credentialed and privileged by the PSB.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0800-1630 (EST) Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.

Virtual/Remote: This is a 100% remote position.

This position 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.

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.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education Requirement - You 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 applicant is to be employed. OR, have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a re-specialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship Requirement - You 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 fulltime, 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). NOTE: 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: Candidates 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.

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).Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:

• GS-11 Level: no additional experience beyond the basic requirement.
• GS-12 Level: at least 1 full year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level, and are able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities

1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).5. 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 Level: at least 2 addition years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post-doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full, current and unrestricted license. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice:

1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to a full range of patient populations.2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.*Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed.

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Physical qualifications require the ability to sit frequently and for long periods of time. Must be able to spend long periods of time on a computer. Must have good hearing and eyesight. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, extensive reading, and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for 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; religions; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.