"Incentive: Recruitment (or relocation) Incentive Authorized for highly qualified applicants: Amount and service agreement dates pending review and agency approval" **Amended to Extend Closing Date** West Palm Beach VA Medical Center is looking for Psychologist who would work within Mental Health & Behavioral Science Service and duties would include working with and clinically supporting the Suicide Prevention Program as well as providing direct patient care. Applicants pending the completion of educational, or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship 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. 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and, the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship 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 96-151 (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. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. 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 and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. Staff Psychologist GS-13 (Full Performance Level) Experience: At least two (2) years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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. 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 Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Physical demands are generally minor, and the work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another, equipment and room set-up, and ambulation related to physical inspections of facilities. The incumbent will be expected to successfully negotiate various functional requirements (i.e., lifting, ambulating, reaching above their shoulder(s), the use of hands or fingers, sitting, standing, repeated bending, using stairs or elevators, functional vision, clear speech, hearing, and emotional stability) and environmental factors (i.e., working independently and at times closely with others, moving about the campus for appointments and/or meetings) for the position, with or without adaptive devices, technology, or reasonable accommodations that are more thoroughly evaluated in the current version of Certificate of Medical Examination, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Optional Form 178 (OF178). Use of fingers may be required to operate computers. ["Psychologist Suicide Prevention duties include but no limited: Assists Suicide Prevention Coordinator in the management of patients enrolled at the facility that are identified as high risk for suicide, including conducting risk assessments, drafting safety plans, initiating health and welfare checks, and reviewing high-risk status. Contacts veterans who are flagged high risk and are non-compliant with attendance to scheduled mental health and substance abuse appointments. Follow up on all calls made to the Suicide Prevention Hotline from veteran's who received care through the West Palm Beach VA. Provides group and individual interventions to patients in support of suicide preventions efforts. Provided additional support to the Suicide Prevention Program by tracking, trending and assisting with specific data reports, data collection, and data analysis for performance improvement. Assists Suicide Prevention coordinator with staff and patient education regarding suicide prevention, including but not limited to Operation SAVE and Suicide Awareness Week education activities. Independently performs care coordination functions, assists with outreach efforts, identifies and screens patient's psychosocial needs. Independently conducts psychosocial assessments and develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family member(s) and the interdisciplinary treatment team. Provides crisis intervention services, identifies the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Provides consultation services to other staff members regarding appropriate management of high risk veterans. Assists in the design, development, and implementation of clinical activities within - the MH&BS service, to include program development. Adheres to operational policies and procedures established for the MH&BS and Psychology Section. Assists in the execution of on-going program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. Complies with CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check-out procedures (e.g. entering diagnostic and procedure codes). Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Mental Health Clinic, the Chief of the Psychology Section, the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service Chief, and the Chief of Staff. Attends regular Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service and Psychology Section Staff meetings as possible, Mandatory Medical Staff meetings, and complies with Psychology Peer Review procedures. Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces, including participation in assigned RCA committee activities as needed. Represents the Medical Center at professional/program community group/events and committees. May be called upon to participate in \"Outreach\" programs to veterans in the community. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, with rotating tours of duty as needed. Telework: Available upon Service approval Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Psychologist Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: 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."]

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