Psychologist Program Manager

DutiesTotal-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdfPsychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdfResponsible for clinical & administrative aspects of the ICMHR Program for the Northern Region.Has the responsibility to provide leadership, guidance & supervision to the mental health providers in the ICMHR program including psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, nurses, peer support staff, trainees of respective disciplines & support staff members in ICMHRResponsible for strategic planning to ensure the provision of ongoing, high-quality services to meet the needs of the Veterans as well as planning, developing, and implementing short- and long-term goals and objectives consistent with the program's strategic plan. The work requires administrative knowledge of mental health settings as well as understanding of evidenced-base care modalities for those with an SMI diagnosis, the nuances of interdisciplinary team roles and the impact of the Recovery Model (SAMHSA)Monitoring workload & quality of care for all licensed and non-licensed providers in ICMHR. The incumbent provides direct supervision to Social Work, Peer Support & Psychiatry staff in the RMR ICMHR program.Providing direct recovery-oriented patient care to Veterans with SMI in the community or in clinic locations within their scope of practice and licensure requirements.Ensures all Veterans in program are engaged in recovery-oriented treatment planning.Finding and implementing ways to eliminate or reduce barriers to care, promote team building, and improve business practices.Collaborating with interdisciplinary referral sources for transitional planning.Responsible for the identification of qualified candidates for vacant positions, rating of performance appraisals, and ongoing supervision of staff in the program.Establish guidelines and performance expectations for all supervised staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system.Evaluate workers' performance; demonstrate & conduct work performance critiques.Hears and works to resolve employee's complaints.Monitors quality of care and productivity of supervisees and addresses way to improve.Responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by taking positive steps to assure the accomplishment of affirmative action objective and by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices in regard to race, color, religion, sex, and affirmative action for the area under incumbent's supervision.Implementing programs, policies and procedures to improve the quality of recovery-oriented care and Program goals.Works as a liaison with all other services to ensure overall clinical and administrative goals are met. The Program Manager must possess the analytical ability to research, assemble, and compile information & data, evaluate the results against appropriate standards, and recommend corrective action where indicated.Provides 10% FTE to implementing the VHA Early Psychosis Intervention Coordination (EPIC) program to identify individuals with early psychosis & provide them with guideline concordant services designed to lessen the severity of emerging psychotic disorders.Develops & implements information systems to track service activities including referrals, inpatient days, patient demographics, utilization & patient satisfaction.Ensuring ongoing readiness for accreditation for the Joint Commission (TJC) as well as the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pmRecruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate.Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not AuthorizedEDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact anthony.salas3@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn morePay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per yearParental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VAInsurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)Telework: Not AvailableVirtual: This is not a virtual position.Functional Statement #: 55800-OPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not AuthorizedRequirements Conditions of EmploymentYou must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.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. QualificationsBasic 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 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.]
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.Grade Determinations:Psychology Program Manager, 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.Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following 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: Preferred clinical experience in working with Veterans with serious mental illness within the intensive community mental health recovery (ICMHR) or mental health intensive case management programs (MHICM). Preferred supervisory experience that includes clinical and business operations. Alternative experience may include assertive community treatment (ACT) program or share caseload model of care.Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit .
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing and walking. Some travel is required as the incumbent is required to conducted monthly active outreach in the community which may require traveling long distances. The emotional demands can be stressful in working with high-risk for suicide veteran population and their families. A high level of self-awareness is essential. Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.
EducationIMPORTANT: 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 informationDuring 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.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
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Review our benefitsEligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.How You Will Be EvaluatedYou 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, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
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.
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