Staff Psychologist (BHIP)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

37-50 days of annual paid time off

Paid parental leave

Child care subsidy for eligible employees

Federal insurance programs

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Staff Psychologist in Memphis, TN. The position requires a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited program and the ability to provide a full range of psychological assessments and treatments. Responsibilities include consulting with medical staff, designing clinical programs, and ensuring patient care. Applicants must have a valid license to practice psychology and prior internship experience. The position offers competitive salary, paid time off, and comprehensive federal benefits.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Proficient in written and spoken English.
• Completed a doctorate in psychology from an accredited program.

Responsibilities

• Provides psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders.
• Offers education to patients and families.
• Implements evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions.
• Consults with community providers regarding treatment plans.

Skills

Knowledge of professional psychological treatments

Ability to provide professional advice and consultation

Knowledge of clinical research literature

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology

Accredited internship program

Full, unrestricted licensure to practice psychology

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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement – per VA Handbook 5005 – Part II – Chapter 3 – Section A – Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. – chapter 73 or 74 – to serve in a direct patient‑care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education Requirement:
  1. You must 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.
  2. OR – have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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; (b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are applying for.
  3. OR – have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally‑accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship Requirement: You must 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, if a new VHA psychology internship program is in the process of applying for APA accreditation, it may be accepted provided that such program was 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, if a VHA facilities offered full‑time, one‑year pre‑doctoral internships prior to PL 96‑151 (pre‑1979), it is considered acceptable; or, if an applicant completed an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed, they may be considered eligible 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. 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: Candidates 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.
• Board Certification and Loss of Credential:
  1. Board Certification – the board certificate must be current, non‑restricted, and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.
  2. Loss of Credential – a psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. Once board certified, a psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment.
• At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists.
• 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‑13 Specialized experience – you must also have at least two additional years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS‑12 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post‑doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates either active professional practice that was paid or unpaid employment and/or a full‑current and unrestricted license.
• 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.
• 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.
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard.
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS‑13.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• Provides a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients.
• Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others.
• Provides comprehensive, evidence‑based psychotherapeutic interventions – including individual, family, and group psychotherapy.
• Provides consultation to professional staff within VA Medical Center at Memphis and to community providers concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients.
• Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients – including prompt completion of clinical reminders.
• Functions independently as a member of the VA Medical Center at Memphis Medical Staff – with full clinical privileges.
• Assumes complete professional responsibility for clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.
• Assists the Mental Health Clinic supervisor or coordinator in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers.
• Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team established by the Chief of Mental Health Service.
• Assists the Mental Health Supervisor or coordinator in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data‑driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program.
• Facilitates liaisons with other health‑care programs to effectively coordinate services.
• Complies with national and local performance measures – including timely health‑care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients.
• Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures – including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check‑out procedures.
• Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Service Line Director (or designee) and facility Director.
• Attends regular Psychology Service staff meetings, Medical Staff meetings, and complies with Psychology Service peer review procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Work Schedule: Monday‑Friday, 8:00 am‑4:30 pm.
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign‑on Bonus): Not Authorized.
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized.
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.
• Contact [e-mail] - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA.
• 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); selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience.
• 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: Not available.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Functional Statement #: 50189‑F.