Staff Psychologist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Retirement

Telework: Ad hoc

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Tampa, FL is seeking a qualified psychologist to join the VHA program. This open continuous announcement covers staff psychologist positions at GS-11/12/13, with possible licensure and board certification requirements.

The role involves diagnostic assessment, psychotherapy, and consultation across inpatient and outpatient settings. Applicants must meet VA education and internship requirements and be eligible for licensure.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology from APA, PCSAS, or CPA accredited program.
• Eligible for licensure to practice psychology in a U.S. state.
• Completion of an APA/CPA accredited internship or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional psychological services, assessments and diagnoses.
• Develop and implement individualized treatment plans for patients.
• Consult with medical staff on patient care issues and program needs.
• Participate in program evaluation, research activities, and quality improvement.
• Adhere to VA policies, standards and documentation requirements.

Skills

Citizenship

English Proficiency

APA/CPA Accredited Program

Licensure

APA Internship Accreditation

Board Certification

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology (APA/PCSAS/CPA)

Job description

Summary

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.

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: 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 policy
• 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
• 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: 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 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
• 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
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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: The physical demands of the work are generally minor
• The work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings
• There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another - equipment and room set-up - and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities
• The incumbent will be expected to successfully negotiate various functional requirements (i.e. - lifting - ambulating - reaching above their shoulder(s) - the use of hands or fingers - sitting - standing - repeated bending - using stairs or elevators - functional vision - clear speech - hearing - and emotional stability) and environmental factors (i.e. - working independently and at times closely with others - moving about the campus for appointments and/or meetings) for the position - with or without the use of adaptive devices - technology - or reasonable accommodations that are more thoroughly evaluated in the current version of Certificate of Medical Examination - U.S. Office of Personnel Management Optional Form 178 (OF178)
• Use of fingers may be required to operate computers.

Duties

• This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until October 16 - 2026 - or positions have been filled
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be April 15 - 2026 - with subsequent cut-off dates
• Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled
• Psychologist are either licensed at the Doctoral level to practice independently in the provision of psychological services consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate - or are in the process to obtain this status
• They are assigned to any VHA Program and setting - including inpatient or outpatient medicine - surgery - mental health - neurology - rehabilitation medicine - geriatrics - Vet Centers - and the VHA National Center for Organizational Development
• Staff Psychologist diagnose mental disorders - conduct psychological and/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 biofeedback - psychological hypnosis - and environmental interventions
• They consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues
• Staff Psychologist may be involved in program evaluations and/or research activities
• Additional duties include but not limited to: Providing a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnosed mental disorders - particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients
• Providing education to patients - family members - and significant others
• Providing comprehensive - evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions - including individual - family - and group psychotherapy
• Providing consultation to professional staff within Tampa VAMC and community providers - concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients
• Developing - implementing - and documenting the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients - including prompt completion of clinical reminders
• Assisting the program director or coordinator in the design - development - and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers
• Adhering to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team - established by the affiliated Psychology Chief and/or Service Line Director
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates upon review and approval by management - available funding - and in accordance with agency policy
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact [e-mail] - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more 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
• 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) Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement # 71979F (GS-13) - 71142F (GS-12) - 71312F (GS-11) Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.