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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Psychologist (Psycho-Oncology) Near Las Vegas, NV

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: Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• 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. 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
  • 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. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. OR
  • Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND
  • Internships:
    • 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:

• Staff Psychologist, GS-11
  • Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Staff Psychologist, GS-12
  • 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
  • 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 - Psychologist Qualification Standard, GS-0180, Veteran Health Administration, dated February 7, 2018.

Preferred Experience: Preferred applicant has Oncology Experience.

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: Work is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items such as books, files, or laptop computer.

Responsibilities:

Work Schedule: Tour of duty to be established upon selection
Telework: Authorized per Agency policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Position functions as a Psychologist within the Behavioral Health Service at VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS) and will be located at the Medical Center. The Psycho-Oncology Psychologist will directly support the behavioral health needs of veterans within the Oncology Clinic. The Psycho-Oncology Psychologist provides immediate, direct and onsite access for behavioral health consultation, assessment, and behavioral health treatment as clinically indicated. Treatment interventions by the incumbent are short term and occur within the Oncology Clinic setting. These interventions may include a combination of consultation, individual, group, and/or couples and family treatment modalities.

Veterans requiring behavioral health interventions come from a wide geographic area and present with simple to complex psychosocial and/or medical needs. Those cases clinically determined to require longer term or more intensive interventions will be referred to the appropriate level of care on the behavioral health continuum. The Psycho-Oncology Psychologist's interventions will be focused on holistic approaches for recovery and may therefore require additional consultation or referral to reach each Veteran's recovery goals.

Duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Conducts initial and comprehensive psychosocial assessments of Veterans referred by the Oncology Clinic staff.
• Assesses high risk factors, acuity and need for services.
• Based on a comprehensive assessment, the incumbent uses professional judgment and advanced practical skills to make a clinical diagnosis and prognosis.
• Treatment provided by the Psycho-Oncology Psychologist will be short term, problem-focused and as part of the care provided by the Oncology Clinic.
• Provides insightful assessment of cases involving behavioral health diagnoses, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses and determines if effective treatment can be provided with a short-term intervention or requires a longer term intervention.
• Coordinates and provides behavioral health treatment for Veterans receiving care at the Oncology Clinic; actively contributes to the oncological treatment regarding goals, objectives and interventions for psychosocial and clinical treatment; and recommends adjustments to the Veterans treatment plans and interventions based on any changing needs and/or responses to interventions.
• Provides short term individual, family and group therapy services in accordance with the needs identified in the assessment and treatment plan.
• Responsible for all entries in the Veteran's medical record (CPRS) and timely completion thereof, including discharge summaries and patient encounters.
• Fully accountable for practice, including Veteran visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting productivity standards.
• Participates fully in peer review, assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided in the organization.
• Serves as a consultant, liaison, and point of contact for programs within Behavioral Health Services, throughout the hospital, and within the community.
• Participates in a variety of meetings, local, VISN, ad hoc/work group, and national committees/community networking activities as directed by the Chief of Behavioral Medicine Section or Chief of Psychology.
• Participates in education/CME lectures, research, specialty care programs, and/or clinics as assigned by the Chief of Behavioral Medicine Section or Chief of Psychology.
• Participates in research as appropriate through case finding and referral of patients to clinical investigators engaged in research or through participating in research studies.
• Provide and, where appropriate, referring patients, families and significant others for counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention.
• Promote patient independence and achievement of optimal health through appropriate psychosocial education and community referrals.
• Involved in the Psychology training programs, the training of social work interns, psychiatric residents, medical students, nursing students, and other trainees, as appropriate.
• Other duties as assigned by management.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and may be posted up to September 30, 2024. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be December 19, 2023. 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.

Job Summary