Staff Psychologist (BHIP)

About the role

The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Applicants must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit their EDRP application within four months of appointment.

Responsibilities

• Provides comprehensive psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans
• Demonstrates expertise in using and contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for mental disorders and/or behavioral health conditions
• Provides education to patients and family members regarding mental disorders
• Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions
• Consults with health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plans for patients to ensure care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center
• Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients
• Complies with all Service Line documentation requirements, including standards for timely completion of CPRS patient contact notes, use of required documentation templates, clinical reminders, treatment plans, and risk assessment protocols
• Adheres to all Facility and Service Line policies and practices for delivering clinical care, including but not limited to risk assessment and reduction practices for potentially dangerous behavior (suicide and violence), timeliness of care and access standards, professional conduct requirements, and CPRS documentation conventions
• Affixes to operational policies and procedures
• Assists the Team Leader and/or Program Director in the design, development, and implementation of clinical assessment and/or intervention programs
• Assists the Team Leader and/or Program Director in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs
• Complies with national and local performance measures and facilitates organizational success on these measures
• Complies with all Facility and Service Line policies and expectations concerning administrative practices
• Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Psychology Chief/Deputy Chief, Service Line Leader (or designee), Chief of Staff, and/or Facility Director
• Attends monthly Psychology Service Staff Meetings
• Participates in the Psychology Service biannual competency review process (OPPE and FPPE)
• Periodically serves on the Psychology Service Clinical Pertinence Review Committee
• Maintains current knowledge of and practices in accordance with Joint Commission requirements
• Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with provisions of Federal privacy acts and confidentiality statutes
• Follows regulations and instructions regarding release of sensitive or protected patient or employee information

Requirements

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
• 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

Qualifications

• 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
• 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:
• The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program
• The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

Skills

Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations

Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies

Incorporate new clinical procedures

Conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)

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

Benefits

Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Regular salary increases

Higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA

Annual leave: 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience

Parental leave: After 12 months of continuous employment

Pay

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases

When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior work experience or military service experience

Parental Leave: After 12 months of continuous employment