Clarification from the agency

This is an Internal Announcement ONLY open to current permanent VHA Employees of the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

Videos

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf

The Psychologist (Service Chief) manages a stand-alone Psychology Service. Incumbent is supervised by the Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health Service Line.

Functions:
Administrative and Supervisory Responsibilities (75% of time)

• Professionally supervises all clinical, neuropsychologists, gero-psychologists, and health psychologists within the Mental Health Service line: Mental Health Outpatient Clinic, PTSD Clinical Team, Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, RRTP, Interdisciplinary Pain Team, Primary Care MH Integration, Health Behavior Coordinator, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, HBPC, Compensation and Pension, Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Coordinator and Memory Clinic.
• Oversees the professional practice of all clinical, neuropsychology, gero-psychology, MHRRTP, and health psychology staff, to include ensuring that all psychologists in the facility and its affiliated clinics meet the requirements of the qualification standard.
• Oversees the operation and management of the Medical Center's APA accredited psychology internship program.
• Responsible for broad program management responsibilities, which include the operation and management of key clinical, training, and administrative programs.
• Works collaboratively with the MH Service Line Chief regarding staffing, program development, program evaluation, and budget needs.
• Selects, hires and trains all psychologists who provide clinical, health, rehabilitation and neuropsychological assessment and treatment services. Interacts with HR in all matters involving psychologists including rating applications, performance-based interviewing, hiring, boarding, and disciplinary actions.
• Oversees credentialing and privileging of psychologists, including conduct of ongoing Professional Performance Plans.
• Develops functional statements, conducts performance appraisals and manages disciplinary actions regarding all personnel within the psychology service.
• Provides clinical supervision for licensure and ongoing supervision to junior staff for the purposes of professional development.
• Ensures that all professional psychology activities are carried out in accordance with the highest ethical standards and are in compliance with VA rules and regulations.
• Holds Psychology staff meetings to provide information and facilitate implementation of new Medical Center, VISN, or VACO initiatives and directives.
• Responsibilities include resource management and distribution, budget formulation and monitoring, assessing staffing levels and needs, space planning, and assessing equipment and technology needs.
• Ensures compliance with Joint Commission and CARF standards for delivery of Psychological Services.

• Provides full range of evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions such as Prolonged Exposure therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, CBT for insomnia, and CBT for depression.
• Provides evidence-based psychotherapy via tele-mental health to the home for Veterans for whom distance or travel to the Medical Center is a barrier to care. Provides tele-mental health services to Veterans at the University of Alabama Veteran's Center, and the Selma Outpatient Clinic.
• Performs psychological consultations regarding Veterans, serves as subject matter expert on the practice of clinical psychology regarding Veteran populations with PTSD.
• Serves as consultant to other Medical Center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
• Represents the Medical Center at professional community events and committees, in conferences, meetings with higher ranking managers, supervisors, and staff from other disciplines or work units, as well as with representatives of local public interest groups, congressional district offices, and employees of State and local governments.

• Specific clinical duties will be flexible based on incumbent's background, experience, and expertise. Focus will be on providing high-quality evidence-based care within the Psychology Service of the Mental Health Service Line at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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 only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

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 re- specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the 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; and,
(b) 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. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.

OR,

(3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

AND,

(4) 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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard.

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.

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:
GS-14 Psychologist, (Service Chief)
(a) Experience. In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must have at least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines.
2. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups.
4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
7. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

(c) Assignment. See under the Education Section of this Announcement.

Preferred Experience: Supervisor, Leadership experience.

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-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

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

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.