Staff Psychologist

VA Careers - Psychologist: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Staff Psychologist works for Tennessee Valley Healthcare System within PCMHI (Primary Care Mental Health Integration).

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES (80% of time)

1. Ability to diagnose mental disorders particularly PTSD and Substance Abuse and conduct psychological and/or cognitive function assessments and neuropsychological screenings.
2. Ability to treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities particularly PTSD and Substance Abuse and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.
3. Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
4. Performs evaluations for psychodiagnosis treatment planning and functional evaluations for PTSD and Substance Abuse.
5. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual and group psychotherapy family therapy consultation rehabilitation and psychoeducation.
6. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff clinical psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities.

Academic/Teaching/Training (approximately 10% of time)

1. Provides training and clinical supervision to psychology trainees psychology technicians and unlicensed psychologists.
2. Involved in Psychology Training Program and Training Committee.
3. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staff of units to which assigned.
4. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
5. May hold faculty appointments at an affiliated university.

Research/Program Evaluation (approximately 5% of time)

1. Creates monitors and analyzes program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using data-driven quality assurance processes as assigned.
2. Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system as appropriate.
3. If applicable plans and oversees the completion of personal research programs designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches.
4. Presents outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings if applicable.
5. Assists in preparation of RFPs and grant proposals as assigned.

Work Schedule:7:30am - 4:00pm Monday - Friday
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 the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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 $144000 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 #: 70937F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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.
• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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:

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 chapter 3 section A paragraph 3.g this part.)

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.

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.
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:(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
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 candidates doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicants 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.

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-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:

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. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders conduct psychological 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 behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation teaching training and research activities.

Creditable Experience

(1) Current Professional Psychology Practice. To be creditable psychological work experience can be obtained through paid or non-paid employment providing psychological work or through participating in a supervised postdoctoral psychology training program (i.e. fellowship or residency). Psychological work experience must have occurred after the doctoral degree was obtained and must have required the use of knowledge skills abilities and other characteristics associated with current professional psychology practice. Professional psychology practice includes but is not limited to the following psychology-oriented job duties: providing professional clinical services conducting research carrying out education and training activities carrying out program evaluation activities clinical consultation supervision and administration.

2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor and are generally sedentary in nature but may require occasional travel. Physical activity involves sitting standing walking bending stooping climbing stairs and carrying light items such as papers books or other supplies. The incumbent uses a computer and standard office equipment to complete tasks. The emotional demands can be stressful in working with the Veteran/Patient population and their families/caregivers. A level of self-awareness is essential.