This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/476266200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/
First area of consideration (AOC) will be given to NAGE permanent employees, Topeka VAMC. Second AOC will be given to any additional permanent employees of EKHCS. Third AOC will be given to the public (U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals).
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
08/07/2017 to 08/25/2017
$60,487 - $112,074 per year
GS 11 - 13
2 vacancies in the following locations:
50% or less - Up to 50% travel is required to provide care to patients at their homes in the Junction City and Topeka rural area.
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
No
YN-EAEJ-17-MKB-1996439-BU
476266200
The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System (EKHCS) is a tertiary care health system providing Urgent Care, Inpatient and Outpatient Care, Research, Domiciliary Care, Nursing Home Care, and Geriatric Care to a 45-county primary service area which spans throughout Northeastern and Central Kansas and Missouri. EKHCS consists of two divisions: the Colmery-O'Neil Medical Center in Topeka, Kansas, and the Dwight D.Eisenhower Medical Center, located in Leavenworth, Kansas, as well as multiple Community Based Outpatient Clinics across the service area.
This vacancy announcement is for one (1) position with the Behavioral Health Service of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System and will be stationed at either the Topeka, KS or Junction City, KS location. The duty station will be determined upon selection.
In this role, you will function as a staff Psychologist for the Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) program. This program provides comprehensive,interdisciplinary primary care services in the homes of veterans with complex and chronic, disabling disease. In addition to primary care interventions, HBPC provides palliative care, rehabilitation, disease management, and care coordination services. HBPC targets veterans in advanced stages of chronic disease, particularly those at high risk of recurrent hospitalization or nursing home placement.
** Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based approaches in order to improve overall functioning of Veteran within home environment and coping with chronic medical diagnoses.
** Assessing and providing treatments for sub-clinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, difficulties adjusting to decreased mobility and/or independence.
**Screening for excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the patient may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication) and appropriate referral to available resources.
**Providing psychological prevention services to patients at significant risk for psychological problems.
**Providing services to the families of veterans with dementia served by HBPC, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the veteran and will allow better care for the veteran and allow the family to sustain the veteran in the home environment.
**Providing clinical services through the use of telemental health/telehome technology.
**Providing screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed.
**Performing capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently.
**Assessing patients' understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assisting staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such material to patients in a format they can understand.
**Providing individual and group interventions to support patients that are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with disability and other life transitions.
**Providing psycho-educational and supportive interventions, in conjunction with the veteran, for spouses, family members/caregivers, and others that are crucial to keeping the veteran at home.
**Providing effective interventions with couples or families, when appropriate, to relieve relationship difficulties, provide support to caregivers of veterans with dementia or other significant frailty, and/or promote collaboration with the HBPC team, for the benefit of the veteran at all times.
**Facilitating transition and adjustment to new living situations (e.g., nursing home, assisted living facility), and providing seamless intervention services, as appropriate.
**Providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance coping with medical diagnoses.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Functional Statement Title/#: Staff Psychologist (HBPC)
Physical Requirements: Physical requirements for this position include light lifting (under 15 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, hearing ability (aid permitted), and emotional and mental stability. The incumbent may also be required to work protracted or irregular hours and to work closely with others.
Basic Requirements:
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.
Grade Determinations:
GS-11: No additional experience required above the basic requirements.
GS-12: To qualify at the GS-12 level, candidates must demonstrate at least 1 year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next
lower grade level (GS-11). Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a
licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level. In addition, the
candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
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: To qualify at the GS-13 level, candidates must demonstrate at least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the 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.
References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
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.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
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, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary for new appointments.
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):
·Resume
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, etc. You will not be contacted for additional information.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1996439.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Friday, August 25, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You
may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS
account and clicking on Application Status. For a more detailed update
of your status, click on more information. Information regarding applicant
notification points
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/476266200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1996439
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?
If you are a current permanent VA Nationwide employee or a Federal Employee of another Agency, please apply to YN-EA-17-MKB-1996449-BU.