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. Learn more 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: 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. Grade Determinations: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level) (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist. GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level) (a) Experience. At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 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 a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).5. Ability to 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. (c) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. 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 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee will sit to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items (such as books, papers), accessing transportation, and/or driving a government vehicle. ["Recruitment/Relocation incentive of may be authorized for Eligible, Highly Qualified applicants. VA Careers - Psychologist:https://www.vacareers.va.gov/Home/PdfViewer?issuu=vhamarketing_totalrewardsbrochure_external_11.9_50 CLINICAL DUTIES The incumbent conducts group, individual, marital, and family therapy. In providing these varied forms of psychotherapy, the psychologist utilizes high technical skills in appropriately recognizing and responding to nuances in verbal, motor, psychomotor, and psychophysiological manifestations of emotional conflicts. All clinical activities will be consistent with the incumbent's specific clinic privileges. The incumbent is knowledgeable about and willing to engage in Evidence Based Therapies. Clinical duties include performance of both routine and extensive or specialized psychological evaluation of patients. When engaged in psychodiagnostic evaluation, incumbent independently conducts and documents clinical interviews and assessment results. The incumbent is familiar with, selects from, and administers a wide variety of psychological evaluation instruments to determine the presence of psychiatric symptoms or conditions, documents the results of such assessments, and provides diagnostic information and recommendations for treatment and management. The incumbent performs Compensation and Pension evaluations, when needed to do so. Weekend duties and extended tour duties may be required of this position. Travel to CBOC's may also be required. OUTCOMES DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS Ongoing evaluation and assessment of current therapeutic programs, analysis and integration of this information leading to program modification or development of new programs, and basic clinical psychological research pertinent to the psychological functioning and treatment of Veterans is essential to the institution. The measurement and analytical skills of a clinical psychologist are uniquely fitted to this task. Therefore a portion of the incumbent's time can be devoted to gathering, managing, and assessing data to ensure that the quality of care is high and is constantly improved. EDUCATIONAL DUTIES A portion of the clinical psychologist's time is devoted to supervision of psychology interns and students in their various practicum assignments and research activities. A portion of the incumbent's time may be devoted to the clinical instruction of University of South Dakota School of Medicine medical students and psychiatric residents during classroom and clinical training with the medical school and during rotations at this hospital. Incumbent may also be involved in the psychology internship training program at the Sioux Falls VAHCS. As an expert in human psychology and relationships, the incumbent may provide specialized training and workshops to enhance institutional functioning, including participation in patient management conferences, conflict resolution workshops, and other special duties as requested by management. RESEARCH DUTIES In accordance with the special professional research skills that psychologists possess, the incumbent may perform ongoing evaluative functions directly or as a consultant to other services to provide planning, data gathering, or statistical analysis in accordance with the scientific method. All such work will be consistent with station policy and missions with prior approval by Mental Health Site Director. Research involving human subjects will be reviewed through the appropriate IRB prior to gathering any data. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm- weekends may be needed depending on the needs of the department.\nTelework: ADHOC\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 000000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov., the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]