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 VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf Incumbent is a Clinical Neuropsychologist assigned to the Mental Health Service Line and works under the direction of the Chief Psychologist. The clinical psychology program is designed to assist in patient care through psychodiagnostic testing and interviewing, individual and group psychotherapy, training, research, consultation, and other services typically provided by a clinical psychologist in a Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Assessment and Evaluation Administers, scores, and interprets psychological assessment techniques. Obtains and evaluates personal, educational, and vocational histories, reviews records of other services for pertinent data, and prepares evaluative reports. Incumbent interviews and evaluates patients in order to analyze historical and dynamic factors pertaining to their illness with special concern for factors relating to diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment variables. Works with patients who present particularly difficult diagnostic, prognostic, or treatment problems. When assessing or providing patient care, the employee considers the age of the patient as it relates to the ability to understand directions, to provide objective self-assessment, or to respond to any other medical milieu appropriate to the overall treatment plan. Individual Psychotherapy May plan, conduct, record, evaluate, and report on individual psychotherapy sessions. Individual psychotherapy refers to the professional process whereby the psychologist assists the patient in working through problems and formulating plans and ideas as distinct from those activities principally concerned with evaluating his potential and past history of training and experience. Group Psychotherapy May plan, conduct, record, evaluate and report on group psychotherapy sessions, as well as facilitate patient education meetings and therapy programs in addition to the professional processes outlined above in paragraph 2. May conduct family therapy sessions. Consultation. May consult with other psychologists, consultants, professional staff, medical center management, or individuals and organizations in the community, usually relating to the status of or plans for patients, problems or procedures related to the operations of the Mental Health Partners Outpatient Clinic and occasionally to problems referred by other services. Research. May review professional literature for research planning, hypothesis development, instrumentation, data, analysis, and scientific reports. May conduct research that is local, fact-finding, or basic and developmental. Training. May plan and personally participate in station-wide training programs and in the training of psychologist and other personnel. May serve on the Psychology Training Committee. Specific Functions for the Neuropsychologist Program Development: The neuropsychologist is credentialed and privileged as a licensed independent practitioner with specialized training and expertise in neuropsychology and psychology assessment procedures. Program Services: The neuropsychological/psychological assessment program may include the following elements to be implemented by the Neuropsychologist, devoted to the specific needs of the veteran population Psychologist or other staff psychologists 1. Neuropsychological evaluation and psychological assessment. 2. Competency evaluations and decisional capacity evaluations. 3. Coordination of evaluations to inpatients and outpatients. 4. Consultation to VA service providers/services regarding the cognitive functioning and psychological status of veterans. 5. Education to patients, family members, and significant others. 6. Training and/or clinical oversight of psychology interns, psychology practicum students, and unlicensed graduate psychologists. 7. Supervision of psychology technicians. 8. Managing the acquisition and maintenance of test materials. 9. Performing Compensation & Pension evaluations. 10. Provide individual, family, or group psychotherapy/counseling in conjunction with multidisciplinary treatment and discharge planning; intervention will be determined by patient needs, utilizing a variety of accepted treatment techniques. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov. the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Telework: Multiple days - will be communicated during interview process - will be required to be on station at the St. Cloud VA. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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). 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. 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-By the time of hire, the applicant must: (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. 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. OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internships-By the time of hire, the applicant must: (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. 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. Licensure-At the GS 13 level, the applicant must 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. 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). Grade Determinations: GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level (b) Demonstrated 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. (c) Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18 Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of the evaluation or examination. 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. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Applicants will be reviewed until closure date of the announcement or until the position is filled. Pay: 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 year) Parental 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 VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) 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. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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.