Staff Psychologist Assessment Health Psychology Compensation & Pension

Summary
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.
This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency
This vacancy announcement is open to current permanent employees of the agency.
You may also apply to Job Announcement Number CBTA-12138685-23-GGB
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Duties
General Description
This Staff Psychologist position is a full-time position with primary duties (60%) to occur in Behavioral Medicine in Health Psychology Assessment and secondary duties (40%) to occur in Mental Health Compensation & Pension. The position is part of the Behavioral Medicine Division and Psychology service, both are part of the Mental Health and Behavioral Services (MBHS) line within the Durham VA Health Care System (VAHCS). The incumbent's responsibilities in Behavioral Medicine include providing behavioral health assessments for the growing population of Veterans being seen within the Durham VA HCS.
The incumbent's responsibilities in Mental Health Compensation & Pension are focused on conducting assessments from referrals from the Veterans Benefits Administration and referrals from treating providers and Veterans who need a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQs) completed. For both duties, the incumbent has responsibilities focused on review of records, a patient interview, administration of psychological testing instruments, scoring and interpretation of test data, and report writing. The psychologist may also provide supervision to Psychology practicum students, interns, and/or postdoctoral fellows.
In terms of discipline-specific and other clinical practice issues, the psychologist directly reports to a designated supervisory psychologist within the Behavioral Medicine Division for MBHS and, ultimately, the Chief of Psychology (Durham VAHCS).
Primary (Clinical) Responsibilities in Behavioral Medicine

1. Provides a full range of specialized services at all levels of complexity for patients within the Behavioral Medicine Division, with service delivery to include behavioral health specific assessments, including but not limited to, transplant, bariatric and spinal cord stimulator assessments.
2. Provides intakes for patients within Behavioral Medicine Division, which may include evaluation and treatment planning for patients with chronic pain, sleep, or other chronic health conditions.
3. As a health psychologist, psychological consultation to other psychologists, in addition to other professional staff within Durham VAHCS.

Secondary (Clinical) Responsibilities in Mental Health & Compensation & Pension

1. Provides a full range of specialized assessment services at all levels of complexity for patients in Mental Health Compensation & Pension.
2. Provides psychological diagnostic assessments with use of personality testing (e.g., PAI, MMPI), malingering testing (e.g., SIMS, MENT, SIRS-2) and measurement-based care (PCL-5, PHQ-9, GAD-7)

II. ENRICHING ELEMENTS
A. Academic/Teaching/Training

1. May contribute to the didactic training series for Psychology interns, postdoctoral fellows, and staff.
2. May contribute to the didactic training series for trainees and staff for medical residents and for other disciplines.
3. Professional development mentorship: May provide research &/or professional development mentorship to psychology interns and fellows.

B. Research/Program Evaluation

1. May contribute to the establishment and maintenance of patient tracking and treatment outcome databases to enable ongoing program evaluation.
2. As requested, analyzes and interprets program evaluation data related to clinical or educational / training programs.
3. May engage in non-funded or VA funded research per approval of the supervising psychologist and Chief of Psychology.
4. As applicable, may publish results of research in scientific, peer-reviewed journals and/or present research findings at scientific meetings present outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings.

C. Other Significant Responsibilities

1. With approval, may serve on Medical Center, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces.
2. May represent Psychology / Mental Health programs in various workgroups and committees at the Medical Center.
3. May actively participate in leadership roles on local, state, and national professional organizations.
4. As assigned, may represent the Medical Center or Psychology / Mental Health at professional organizations / community group events or committees.

Work Schedule: M-F 8am to 4:3pm or 7: 30 to 4pm
Telework: Reg Teleworks 6+ Days/PP
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
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.
• 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).
• 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
BASIC REQUIREMENTS.
The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are
prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all
applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following:
a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not
possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g, this part.)
b. Education
(1) 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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific
specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require
special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology,
counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS
accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in
clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There
are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant
with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment.
OR
(2) 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:
(a) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral
program; and,
(b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which
the applicant is to be employed.
NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion
of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship.
[Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and
who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard
are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.]
[OR
(3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution,
with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.]
AND
(4) Internships(a) 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
(b) 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
(c) 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
(d) 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(e) 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.]
c. 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.
(1) 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.
Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following
criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level)
(a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
(b) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological
or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide
adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research.
Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level)
(a) Experience. At least one 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.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the
candidate must demonstrate all of the following 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.
(c) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological
or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide
adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct r...