Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. Open to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees. Note: This position may be filled as Psychologist or Social Worker (USAJOBS URL https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/885477000).

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Workplace Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) is accountable for clinical and administrative operations for Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center and is expected to adhere to service standards regarding matters of timeliness, accuracy and compliance with procedures and quality of work produced. The purpose of this hybrid position, with 80% administrative and 20% clinical time allotted is to direct the administrative and clinical aspects of the WVPP program.

Major duties include but not limited to:

• Forming and maintaining a cohesive team of staff from a variety of disciplines and supervisory chains of authority to ensure targeted and evidence-based efforts to ensure the safety of TVAMC stakeholders.
• The WVPP has oversight and administrative authority over all programming and participates in program development, implementation, and evaluation.
• The WVPP Program Manager works with the service and hospital Accreditation Committees to ensure all programming, documentation and physical environment meets or exceeds current standards.
• The essential program management responsibilities of the WVPP Program Manager include coordination of all aspects of the Workplace Violence Prevention Program for TVAMC .
• Interpreting and writing policies, procedures, and program guidelines in the development, planning, operations, and continuous performance improvement of all components of the WVPP.
• Being responsible for responding to FOIA and Congressional requests and inquiries directed to the DBC and/or the WVPP.
• Ensuring all workplace violence prevention activities within the facility take a trauma-informed approach, while also ensuring the safety of Veterans, visitors, volunteers, contractors, trainees and staff as the primary goal.
• Collaborating effectively with the Mental Health Service Line leadership, Executive Leadership Team, legal representatives, the Office of Inspector General, court officials including the Assistant U.S. Attorney, police (VA and community), and other consumers and/or community providers when necessary.
• Obtaining and maintaining PMDB Certified Trainer status, and obtaining and maintaining Master Trainer Status, which will require travel to other VHA and DoD facilities nationwide, to teach PMDB Train-the-Trainer courses.
• Leading the Behavioral Rapid Response Team (BRRT) of administrative and clinical executives such as the Chief of Staff (COS), Chief of Police, Regional Counsel, Patient Safety, Mental Health, to assess, triage and manage patient-generative disruptive behavior immediately.
• Maintaining knowledge and use of latest evidence-based risk assessment and management literature and tools, conducting clinical threat/risk assessments of Veterans and Veteran-generative disruptive behavior to determine recommendations for risk mitigation to be used in consultation with providers, clinical staff and DBC members.
• Leading a team of Administrative and Clinical Executives including Human Resource Employee Relations/Labor Relations representatives, Executive Office representative, Chief of Police or other senior-level representatives, Registered Nurse, and representative from local union and labor bargaining unit to assess, triage and manage employee-generated disruptive behavior immediately.
• Responsible for financial management of the WVPP section, including budget oversight, planning and management.
• Developing annual strategic and budget plans for the WVPP section consistent with guidance and goals from the Mental Health Service Line, Director's Office and/or Fiscal Service and oversees its execution and monitoring for complications.
• The WVPP Program Manager will dedicate up to 10% of their time to direct clinical care based on facility clinical needs and consistent with their professional discipline and credentialing/privileging.

Work Schedule: 08:00am-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Work schedule is subject to change based on agency needs.
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 62394F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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.
• 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:

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.
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.
• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

AND,

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. 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: Holds 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..
English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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).

Grade Determinations: Creditable Experience:

Quality of Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level.

Part-time Experience: Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full- time workweek. For example, a psychologist employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.

Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships: Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice. Training as a fellow or resident is creditable experience on a year-for-year basis.

Psychology Program Manager, GS-14 (Above the Full Performance Level) Experience. At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

AND,

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
• Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
• Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
• Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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.