Duties

The Sleep Medicine Psychologist at will be assigned to Sleep Medicine Section. The psychologist's primary duties involve the provision of evidence-based behavioral treatments for a wide array of sleep disorders. As assigned by the Section Chief, clinical duties will include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)
• Assessment and management of PAP adherence with interventions including, but not limited to, motivation, psychology and desensitization.
• Collaborate and coordinate patient care with CPAP technicians through a PAP adherence programs.
• Chronotherapy for circadian rhythm disorders, and nightmare management strategies such as IRT (imagery rehearsal therapy) or ERRT (exposure, relaxation re-scripting therapy)
• Behavioral interventions for hypersomnia
• Facilitate coordination with other providers on aspects of Veteran mental health care relevant to sleep, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.
• Sleep consult review, triage, and completion of electronic consults.
• Direct patient care in outpatient sleep clinics, involving both individual and group clinics.
• Perform comprehensive history, review of systems, biopsychosocial assessments and sleep-focused physical exams ,CSSRS, CSSRE as applicable, discuss use of medications impacting sleep/wake. Assist with reducing use of medications that negatively impact sleep and daytime functioning.
• Develop and implement individualized care plans.
• Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center.
• Indirect patient care including returning telephone calls, responding to patient emails, reviewing clinical data including prescriptions, communicating results to patients, and communicating with primary care providers and other referring specialists as appropriate.
• Participation in the management of inpatient sleep consultations.
• Interpretation of HSATs, sleep diaries, and actigraphy. Any sleep testing interpretation must be done under the supervision of a board-certified sleep medicine physician.
• Assessment and management of PAP adherence with interventions including, but not limited to, motivation, psychology and desensitization.
• Collaborate and coordinate patient care with CPAP technicians through a PAP adherence program.
• Will have knowledge of, and ability to apply, advanced professional psychological theories and techniques to the full range of patient populations.
• Assists the Team Leader and/or Program Director in the design, development, and implementation of clinical assessment and/or intervention programs.
• Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the affiliated Team Leader, Program Director, and/or Service Line Leader.
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services.
• Complies with national and local performance measures and facilitates organizational success on these measures at the team level.
• Complies with all Facility and Service Line policies and expectations concerning administrative practices, including but not limited to leave authorization, responding to Suspense items, and completing TMS educational requirements.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Remote: This is a 100% remote position.
Functional Statement #: 91862-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact VISN10HREDRPSLRP@va.gov , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

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.

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.

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.

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. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. 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. AND
• 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
• HA 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. 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.

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:

Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level)
Experience : None beyond the basic requirements.

Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level)
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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities : In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

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.

Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.

Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).

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.

Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance Level)
Experience : At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities : In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.

Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.

Knowledge of clinical research literature.

References: VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II, Appendix G18

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.

Physical Requirements: Generally, the work does not involve special physical demands. Duties are performed in several medical center areas and incumbent must be able to travel to treatment areas with ease. The majority of time is spent working at a desk utilizing the computer or phone. It involves the frequent use of office equipment including the telephone, copier, personal computer, printer and mainframe terminals. There is the potential for extended periods of sitting, standing and carrying items weighing up to 20 pounds, i.e., medical records and manuals. Transporting patients in both wheelchairs and on stretchers. The incumbent is expected to use proper preventive ergonomic techniques to perform duties.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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

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.

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.

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.