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. Program 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. 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: Required. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA policy. No person will be appointed to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Education - must have ONE of the following (further details in Education Section): 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 - must have ONE of the following: 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 not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that a graduate psychologist provides 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. 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-11 (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed above. Staff Psychologist GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience: At least one (1) 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. 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. 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. ****Selective Placement Factor (SPF): This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume. The SPF for this position is: In addition to the English Language Proficiency, you must also be proficient in basic written and spoken Spanish in order to perform the duties of this position. However, your documents must be submitted in English. Preferred experience (through education or experience): Knowledge regarding the complex, multifactorial and individual-specific nature of pain; the relevant and evolving theories and science for understanding pain; the terminology used to describe pain and associated conditions; and the ability to communicate info to patients and other practitioners. Ability to identify appropriate evidence-based psychological treatment options in collaboration with the patient, share decision-making with team and the patient and family; develop a comprehensive, integrated treatment plan; promote health and self-management. Assessment of individuals with pain and related symptoms using appropriate approaches. Education and experience may include formal training obtained in an accredited internship in Health Service Psychology with emphasis in Health Psychology and having completed a Postdoctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with specialization in Health Psychology. Specialty certification in Clinical Health Psychology by the American Board of Clinical Health Psychology (ABCHP) or, at a minimum board-eligibility, is preferred. Providers with certification, training, and experience in working with individuals with chronic pain is preferred. Examples include but are not limited to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pain, Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain, Mindfulness-based stress reduction, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Hypnosis, Biofeedback. ["The incumbent provides a wide range of psychological services within the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service (PM&R), Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program (IPRP) at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System in the San Juan Medical Center. The incumbent serves as a Health Psychologist within IPRP with a focus on treating the psychological sequalae of chronic pain. Clinical Health Psychology is the specialty that applies scientific knowledge of the inter-relationships among behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social and biological components in health and disease to the promotion and maintenance of health; the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of illness and disability; and the improvement of the health care system. Psychological interventions used may include behavioral therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pain, Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain, Mindfulness-based stress reduction, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy among others. The psychologist is administratively assigned to the Mental Health & Behavioral Health Sciences Service (MH&BHS), Psychology Section to provide services at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System within the PM&R Service, IPRP. The psychologist is responsible for tasks as assigned by the Psychology Profession Section Chief. More specifically, the duties can include, but are not limited to: Treats Veterans with chronic pain using evidence-based interventions to manage their pain most effectively. Has thorough understanding of the Veteran's pain experience including where and when it occurs, and what factors may affect it by completing full behavioral pain assessments. Uses evidence-based psychotherapy that include individual, family and couples sessions or through group therapy sessions. Provides psychoeducational groups are part of the options offered. Group topics may include: orientation to Veterans and their families in developing a better understanding of the pain condition and how it impacts their emotional health and coping and cognitive strategies, mind-body awareness to cope and manage pain and/or relaxation and breathing exercises. Performs professional work describing human behavior, determining the reasons for that behavior and predicting and/or modifying the behavior. Assesses patients upon admission process, during course of treatment and termination along with the interdisciplinary team to assist them with strategies for pain management. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for each individual admitted to IPRP. Assists the interdisciplinary team in developing a comprehensive treatment plan of the patients served. Assists the team in treating the client in pain with best strategies, taking into consideration the client's emotional/psychiatric needs. Regularly reports case progress to team members and provides recommendations. Provides advice to other staff professionals in an attempt to promote and preserve therapeutic environment for individual patients. Encourages or establishes standard for general therapeutic techniques in dealing with patients. Administers, scores, and interprets a wide variety of cognitive and personality psychological tests for differential diagnostic purposes and to offer recommendations for management or treatment of patients. Renders a written report of findings. Serves as an authoritative source of information in the use and interpretation of psychological tests. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Telework: Ad-hoc available (emergencies only. Not recurring) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 62356F, 62355F, 62354F Staff Psychologist EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Once selected, contact VISN8CCOE@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Additional Benefits Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child."]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.