Psychology Program Manager

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.

Program 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.

Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
Program Management/Administrative Responsibilities 1.

Has direct administrative supervision of clinical and administrative staff, trainees, and volunteers, including staff psychologists, senior social workers, psychiatrists, and program support assistants.

2. Has clinical supervisory oversight of all clinical staff, trainees, and volunteers assigned to perform duties in ADTP. 3. Responsible to oversee the day-to-day operations of the ADTP staff. This includes collecting data, keeping administrative records, monitoring Veteran and program clinical indicators, thresholds, and performance measures.

The incumbent is responsible for preparing reports and statistics for VASNHS, VISN, and national use, as well as drafting responses to Congressional inquiries.

4.

Serves as a consultant, liaison, and point of contact for programs within Behavioral Health services, throughout the hospital, and within the community.

5. Participates actively in Performance Improvement (PI) activities, including taking lead on ADTP related SAIL measures. 6.

Is responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the VA Medical Center, VISN, and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies, such as the Joint Commission, and monitoring entities, such as NEPEC, as appropriate.

Consults with others to offer research guidance and to stimulate new research directions. 7. Serves on VA Medical Center, VISN, and/or national VA committees or task forces. 8.

Represents the VA Medical Center at professional/program community group/events and committees, in conferences/meetings with higher-ranking managers, supervisors, and staff from other disciplines or work units, and/or with representatives of local public interest groups, congressional district offices, and employees of State and local governments.

9. Other duties as assigned. Clinical Responsibilities (60% of time) 1.

Incumbent provides a full range of psychotherapeutic interventions including individual therapy, group therapy, family counseling, and psychoeducational classes to address identified psychological needs of patients presenting to ADTP.

Best practices, practice guidelines, and evidence-based treatment protocols are utilized to the extent feasible in all therapeutic interventions. 2.

Provide a full range of psychological assessment services (excluding neuropsychological) to clarify the needs of the Veterans and to facilitate development of a holistic treatment plan.

3. Collaborate with other specialties within ADTP to create a holistic, recovery-based treatment plan with Veterans. 4. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. 5.

Consults with and serves as a resource for other professional personnel concerning the need for and development of psychological services.

6. Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals. 7. Complete all clinical charting and documentation required by the health care system in a timely manner. 8. Participates actively in Performance Improvement (PI) activities. 9. Adheres to HIPPA, privacy regulations and VHA Directives related to release of information.

Training/Research/Program Evaluation:
1.

Involved in the Psychology training programs, including the APA-accredited predoctoral psychology internship program, current university affiliated psychology practicum training with University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), and GS-11 and GS-12 Graduate Psychologists.

2. Involved in the training of social work interns, psychiatric residents, medical students, APRNS, and nursing students, as appropriate. 3.

The incumbent is responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the VASNHS, VISN and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies such as the Joint Commission and CARF.

4. Presents outcome data/research results at VA and national scientific meetings as appropriate. 5.

May represent the Medical Center at professional community groups/events and committees, in conferences/meetings with higher ranking managers, supervisors, and staff from other disciplines or work units, and/or representatives of local public interest groups, congressional district offices and employees of State and local governments.

Work Schedule:
Monday to Friday

Compressed tour authorized Compressed/Flexible:
Compressed tours available

Telework:

Available Virtual:
This is not a virtual position

Functional Statement #:
000000, GS-14.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:
Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.

Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
Not Authorized 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.

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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.

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.

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 (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 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.] 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.

Board Certification.

Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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.

The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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.

Grade Determinations:
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining grades. GS-14 Experience.

At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs): 1.

Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. 2.

Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.

3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view. 4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. 5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. 6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. 7.

Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Preferred Experience:

Supervisory experience Leadership Program management / coordination Substance Use / Addictive Disorders Treatment experience Reference: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103, PART II, APPENDIX G18.

PSYCHOLOGIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD, GS-0180, Veterans Health Administration, February 7, 2018. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit 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. Education

IMPORTANT:
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education

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:
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

For further information, visit:
Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), for more information.

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