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Psychologist is in the Mental Health service at the VHA Long Beach, CA. Conducts psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders, provide interventions and consult across disciplines. Works within the HBPC team, an interdisciplinary primary care team and provides psychological services to Veterans in their homes. Patients in HBPC are primarily geriatric patients with chronic, complex medical conditions who are homebound and require interdisciplinary care. 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. 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. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). 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: (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 Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internships: 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. 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. Grandfathering All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist effective February 7, 2018, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. All others who did not meet this criteria will be reviewed based on the handbook referenced below. Grade Determinations: GS-11: None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12: 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. 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. 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: Experience: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. 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, 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. Preferred Experience: Experience and/or training working with geriatric patients (preferably veterans) as part of an interdisciplinary team (e.g., primary care) a plus. Some experience and/or training with capacity assessments a plus. References: VA Handbook 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G18. PSYCHOLOGY QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0180 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work requires the Staff Psychologist to be independently mobile throughout the medical center as needed. Significant time is spent reading (charts, reports, etc.), documenting in the computerized patient record, and verbally communicating with patients, colleagues, supervisors and/or community partners. Some ambulating between campus offices/sites, bending, pushing, and lifting (moderately heavy) may be involved. The Staff Psychologist should be capable of prolonged movement and be physically capable of reading patient records/reports, documenting all clinical encounters in the patient computerized record, and to speak/communicate clearly and effectively in English. ["VA Careers - Mental Health Professionals: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMintJXa3Y VA Careers - Clinical Psychologist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77qHlLw9Xck Works with an interdisciplinary primary care team and provides psychological services to Veterans in their homes. Conducts psychodiagnostic and cognitive assessments, including assessments of capacity for medical decision-making; therapeutic interventions with patients, family members, and assisted living staff; staff/team consultation; and team development. Assess varied problems that may include depression and anxiety, coping with chronic illness, motivation/adherence issues, caregiver stress, and behavioral problems associated with cognitive disorders. Provides patients with elements of care coordination, case management, and other ancillary functions to the provision of professional psychological and team-based services as assigned. Provides consultation to professional staff within the healthcare system and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings, appropriate treatment plans for patients, and promotion of optimal working relationships between patient/caregivers and providers. Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings and develop, implement, and document the psychological treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients. Driving in the community is a key component of this position. Applies experience & training to involvement in clinical and didactic training and supervision in the specific areas of this work. Diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Work Schedule: 20 hours weekly, to be worked Mon-Fri between 8am-4pm Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized at Supervisory discretion Telework: May be authorized at Supervisory discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Miriam Ubiles, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit Position: Yes Appointment type: Permanent Employment System: Hybrid 38 EDRP: May be authorized 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. Review a sample Total Rewards package for a VA Psychologist: www.vacareers.va.gov/Home/PdfViewer?issuu=psychology_-_total_reward_of_a_va_career_flyer_9-"]

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