Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Miami VA Healthcare System facility employees only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The Miami VA Healthcare Systems (MVHCS) is a general medical, psychiatric and surgical facility. It is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and limited research. Comprehensive healthcare is provided through primary care and long-term care in the areas of dentistry, extended care, medicine, neurology, oncology, physical medicine, psychiatry, rehabilitation and surgery. The Miami VA Medical Center is part of the Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8), which includes facilities in Florida and Puerto Rico. The Miami VA Medical Center also supports eight (7) Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) throughout the State of Florida which provides a wide range of primary care and community-based outpatient mental health services.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Overseeing Psychological Support Service (PSS), coordinating psychological service with PSS Lead and team, for staff, patient and families during crises and disasters.
• Representing Psychology at medical Staff Professional Standard Board, Clinical Service Chiefs Council, Directors Staff Meeting and other Miami VA Healthcare System entities.
• Performing psychological consultations, screenings and evaluations.
• Providing a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual and group psychotherapy, psychoeducation, treatment planning, and participation in therapeutic community.
• .Responsible for all Psychology staff recruitment and selection, and competency evaluations, performance appraisals, setting workload and documentation goals and guidelines, clinical assignments, supervision, scope of care and privileging, and supervisory disciplinary issues.
• Responsibilities include oversight of approximately fifty doctoral staff psychologists, multiple psychology/mental health technicians, multiple peer specialists, clerical staff, pre-doctoral interns, post-doctoral residents and practicum students.

Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance):Not authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V8_EDRP_Miami@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement # 30017F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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: All applicants must meet the following basic qualifications.

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.
• English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• 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; 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.
• Internship:
  • 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: 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: In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet one of the following grade requirements to qualify for a specific grade level.

GS-15 Experience: At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level. Examples of qualifying experience include, but is not limited to: the ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines, Ability to supervise and manage subordinate employees effectively, Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and ability to established and monitor production and performance priorities and standards . In addition to these qualifications, you must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) to qualify for this grade level:

1. Ability to supervise and manage a large group of professional staff effectively.
2. Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with supervisors from other units.
3. Ability to accurately apply the qualification standards, assesses the potential of current and prospective employees, and promotes their professional development.
4. Ability to develop appropriate productivity standards for professional staff, often across multiple program lines.
5. Knowledge of the goals and objectives of the medical center and VISN and ability to communicate these to subordinates.

While we no longer require essay-style responses to our KSAs, you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the KSAs that are necessary to successfully perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training you possess; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim.

Preferred Experience- These preferences are highly desired but are not required:

• 5 or more years of supervisory experience

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

This position is being filled above the full performance level at GS-15 grade level.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary in climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation as required by VA Handbook 5019. This evaluation is administered by VA Occupational Health.

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.