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
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.)
English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English.
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.
OR
2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are applying for.
OR
3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
Internship Requirement.
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).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.
Candidates 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.
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 REQUIREMENTS
Experience.
At least three (3) years of experience, with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-13 level, as a professional psychologist in diagnosing mental disorders, conducting psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treating mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and providing adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, consulting with medical staff on a wide variety of patient care issues and may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
- Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet 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.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit:
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14.
Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospital, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.