Clinical Psychologist - Wilmington, United States - Department of Veterans Affairs

Description

Summary

The Chief of Psychology is assigned to the Behavioral Health Service (BHS) of the Wilmington Veteran Affairs Medical Center (WVAMC).

The Incumbent will provide clinical activity in addition to administrative tasks.

The incumbent will oversee/ supervise psychology staff and provide administrative oversight to the BHS staff located in the Wilmington VAMC and five Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

The incumbent will serve as Program Manager over several BHS programs.

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

04/17/2024 to 05/17/2024

• Salary

$141,749 - $184,276 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 14

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Wilmington, DE 1 vacancy
• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent -* Work schedule

Full-time -* Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

14

• Job family (Series)

0180 Psychology

• Supervisory status

Yes

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CBSZ HLS

• Control number

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This job is open to

• The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

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Duties

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.

Major duties include, but may not be limited to:

• Assists with managing Behavioral Health Services at the Wilmington VA and the five associated CBOC's. Services include general outpatient mental health clinic services as well as evidence-based treatment for Post Traumatic Disorder, Military Sexual Trauma and Substance Use Disorders.
• Supervises BHS staff, including psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed clinical social workers, peer specialists, and nurses to ensure program quality. Works in close collaboration with the fellow clinical leaders of Psychiatry, Social Work, and Nursing to ensure each staff member is meeting all requirements for clinical competency.
• Supervision of psychology interns and practicum students
• Manages operation of key clinical programs to include full responsibility for the day-to-day activities of the Wilmington VAMC and associated CBOC BHS programs and is instrumental in enhancing services.
• Provides oversight for various BHS programs.
• Employs strategic planning to ensure the provision of high quality services to meet the needs of the Veterans being served and planning, and developing and implementing short- and long-term goals and objectives consistent with the program's strategic plan.
• Monitors administrative and programmatic resources and deploys those resources in support of the program needs.
• Provides a full range of psychological assessment and treatment services of psychological disorders for a wide range of patients.
• Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others about psychological disorders and treatments.
• Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan, including assessments, for an assigned caseload of patients.
• Executes ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the Psychology and BHS services.
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate.
• Is responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, VISN, and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies (such as The JC) and monitoring entities (such as NEPEC), as appropriate.
• May perform other duties as directed.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday


Telework:
Not Authorized


Position Title/Functional Statement #:
Chief Psychologist /000000


Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:
Maybe Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized


Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required

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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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• 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)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

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: 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.

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 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 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: 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.
• 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:

GS-14 Service Chief:

Experience:

At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level (Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the 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).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
• Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
• Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
• Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

References:
VA HANDBOOK 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G18

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.

Physical Requirements:

Light to moderate lifting, up to 44 pounds; light carrying, under 15 pounds; reaching above shoulder, use of both hands and fingers required, walking/standing 6-8 hours; both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability; ability to work alone.

Education


IMPORTANT:
A transcript must be submitted with your application.

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

Pandemic Telework Program:
Due to COVID-19, the VA is currently in an expanded telework posture.

If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area.

Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement.

[Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable.] At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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).

Grandfathering Provision:

All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard 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.

• Employees grandfathered under this provision for this revision may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions or beyond the assignment currently held for those being grandfathered to assignments above FPL.
• Psychologists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• Psychologists initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

*
NOTE: If psychologists who are grandfathered under this provision leave the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.

As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

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Eligibility 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 Evaluated

You 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members:

Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.