Psychologist- Outpatient (EDRP & Sign on Bonus Approved)

Summary The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information - refer to Required Documents below. Education Debt Repayment and a recruitment/relocation incentive (sign on bonus) has been approved for this position.

Qualifications – 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; b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are 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

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 addition to meeting the basic requirements as stated above – you must have the following: GS‑13 Level – at least 2 additional 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 or non‑paid employment and/or

2) a full - current and unrestricted license

Knowledge of – and ability to apply – professional psychological treatments to a 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

*Experience is only creditable if it is post‑doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed

Reference: Psychologist Qualification Standard

Physical Requirements:

Light Lifting (under 15 lbs)

Light carrying (under 15 lbs)

Straight pulling (1 hr)

Walking (2 hr)

Standing (2 hr)

Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously

Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other

Hearing aid permitted

Duties

There are NO Remote or Virtual work options for these positions

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) – a student loan payment reimbursement program

You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment

Program Approval – award amount (up to $200‑000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application

Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply

Duties of this position may include – but are not limited to: Psychological assessment and consultation – Psychological assessment may involve interviewing and/or testing of patients

The incumbent will be available to consult with other staff members and make recommendations of the types of psychological evaluations that would be beneficial

He/She will oversee the administration and scoring of psychological assessment procedures – interpretations and report the findings of the evaluation in the medical record in a timely fashion

He/She will assist in integrating the findings into the treatment plan for patients

Psychological treatment – The incumbent conducts psychological and/or brief/basic neuropsychological assessments and can treat mental health problems in patients in an inpatient mental health care setting – applies principles/techniques of behavioral health to patients being treated for medical/mental health conditions – including assisting patients with improving health behaviors, smoking cessation, pain management, adherence to recommended treatments, managing chronic or terminal illness and assisting in or developing new therapy groups and practices

Research – Although this is a clinical position – the incumbent psychologist has the opportunity to develop hypotheses and research designs and prepare or implement research programs on his/her own time

Individual research protocols must be submitted for approval to the Committee on the Protection of Human Subjects as well as the Medical Center's Research and Development Committee – and the local Investigational Review Board (IRB) (Ann Arbor)

Outcome or other types of research‑focused programming may be required by the Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) and official time will then be allocated as needed to complete any required research directives

Any VACO protocols will have been preapproved by a national IRB and can be implemented as soon as available

The psychologist may serve as a consultant to other staff members on their research projects and may be asked to collaborate with others under the same criteria noted above

The incumbent may be asked to present and/or share – any or all pertinent information – obtained in the educational activities noted above – that were supported in part or totally by the BCVAMC with other staff

Education and training – The incumbent may provide clinical supervision to psychology students – including Postdoctoral Psychology residents or Psychology Interns in the American Psychological Association (APA) approved predoctoral internship at Battle Creek VAMC – if mutually agreed upon with the Service Chief

In addition – the psychologist may conduct seminars – case conferences or other educational meetings in his/her area(s) of expertise

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 Program Manager – Inpatient Mental Health – 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: Mon‑Fri 8:00am‑4:30pm

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Approved for highly qualified candidates – EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive

Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov – the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance

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