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Psychology Program Manager (Primary Care - Mental Health Integration)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Hampton, Virginia
Closing date
Dec 2, 2021
Duties

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (HVAMC), under the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service Line (MHBS). This position is aligned with the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Program and is located at the main Hampton VAMC campus.

Administrative Responsibilities
This Psychology Program Manager (Assistant Director) has full responsibility for the oversight of the practice of the 15 psychology technicians and 2 administrative support personnel in the clinical programs detailed below to ensure the highest quality of service delivery provided to Veterans throughout the Hampton system of care. Supervisory responsibilities include ongoing evaluation of staffing needs and personnel assignments, periodic updating of position descriptions and functional statements, coordination of competency evaluations, completing performance appraisals, and professional and administrative supervision as appropriate and necessary. Also responsible for PCMHI Behavioral Health Lab Measurement Based Care, The National PCMHI Competency Training Program, PCMHI Self-Management Support Programming, PCMHI Research Development and Implementation. Other responsibilities may include:
  • The incumbent has responsibility for the professional practice of staff within the programs noted above, including services conducted by trainees, consultants, and paraprofessional staff, and for ensuring that all staff meet all applicable practice requirements and standards set forth by the Center for Integrated Healthcare National PCMHI Competency Training Program.
  • The incumbent consults with and serves as a resource for other professional staff concerning the need for the development of behavioral health and health behavior services.
  • The incumbent serves as a member of the Mental Health Executive Council. This committee is comprised of an interdisciplinary membership that assists in developing, implementing, and evaluating mental health policy and programs for the medical center.
  • Other responsibilities include working with mental health policy, procedures, and initiatives that are complex in scope that interface with the programs noted above.
  • Other duties include but are not limited to resolving staff conflicts which might interfere with the delivery of services, identifying continuing education and training needs, interviewing and recommending candidates for positions, and determining disciplinary action when appropriate.

Clinical Responsibilities
  • Independently provides psychological services at all levels of complexity and consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate.
  • Will provide Health Behavior Services throughout the Medical Center, to include in Specialty Mental Health, Primary Care, and Specialty Medicine.
  • Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the medical center or healthcare system, as appropriate.
  • Conducts functional assessments by clinical interview, objective and/or projective testing, intellectual assessment, organicity screening, and behavioral observation. Interprets and integrates the findings with all other available patient data and documents in the medical record in accordance with hospital policy.
  • Plans and carries out individual, marital, and/or group psychotherapy with the most difficult cases. The psychologist functions in a way that promotes and maintains a psychotherapeutic milieu within the work area and participates in the development of treatment programs for patients served through the PCMHI BHL Hub.
  • Serves as a consultant, adviser, and resource person, not only to lower grade level psychologists, but to staff members of other disciplines, operating officials, and others concerned with patient treatment care, including community resources.
  • Establishes and maintains appropriate patient treatment records in conformance with VA, medical center, service line, Joint Commission, CARF, and other applicable standards.
  • Subscribes to and abides by the ethical standards for psychologists as described by the American Psychological Association.
  • May provide clinical supervision to Psychology trainees at all levels of training or unlicensed staff as needed.
  • Involved in Psychology Training Program and Training Committees as appropriate. May be asked to prepare and teach seminars/workshops for Hampton VA trainees or staff on topics within interest or competency area.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 to 4:30 pm. Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact tonya.searby@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
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
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process


Qualifications

Basic Requirements
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Regulations.

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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology).
OR
(2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization 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. (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. )
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. 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 Regulations.

Grade Requirements (GS-14) Program Manager

Experience. At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one-year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. Specialized experience may include but is not limited to 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; and Knowledge of clinical research literature.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Psychologist program managers have broad program management responsibilities for a specific program or programs that are designed to deliver specialized, complex, highly professional services that are important program components of the facility and that significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans. Programs include but are not limited to addiction, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), mental health compensation and pension examination (C&P) programs, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers, inpatient mental health, residential rehabilitation, domiciliary, palliative care, neuropsychology, and internship and postdoctoral fellowship training programs; management of an off campus site; psychology program oversight and coordination throughout the facility and its affiliated clinics as a psychology executive, typically at lower complexity facilities. Decisions made by the Program Manager affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. The type of program managed, and scope of responsibility are critical aspects of the assignment at this level. Responsibilities include operation and management of key clinical, training, research, or administrative programs to include full responsibility for managing the day to day activities of those programs. Responsibility may include supervision of staff but is not required. Psychologist Program Managers are responsible for strategic planning to ensure the provision of high-quality services to meet the needs of the Veterans being served and planning and developing and implementing short- and long-term goals and objectives consistent with the program's strategic plan. They have oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and deploy those resources in support of the program needs. They develop and implement programs, policies, and procedures to meet program goals, VHA policy and external accreditation requirements, and monitor outcomes using data-driven quality assurance processes, and implement strategies for improvement based on data analysis.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard. Available in the Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job including their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

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