Summary

The WVPC is a seasoned clinician with advanced clinical skills and knowledge in medical - psychiatric - geriatric and rehabilitation specialties. Incumbent is knowledgeable about chronic disease self-management - care management - and systems navigation.

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
• Education: (1) 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 (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
• OR (3)Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• AND Internship: (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
• 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
• 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
• 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)
• GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) Experience
• At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate 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
• Preferred Experience: Candidate must have training in Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD - have clinical experience treating PTSD - have senior project management experience in leading development of native mobile applications - have experience in writing public health education materials for PTSD - have experience with testing and issue-tracking software - have experience working with software developers - have experience leading qualitative interviews with Veterans with PTSD - have experience leading teams of graphic designers and software developers - have experience leading teams of subject matter experts - and have experience maintaining mobile applications with significate numbers of active daily users
• References: VA handbook 5005 Part II appendix G18 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13
• Physical Requirements: This position requires moderate lifting and carrying - use of fingers - reaching above shoulders - and hearing (aid permitted).

Duties

• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
• Telework: May be available at supervisory discretion
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
• Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
• Workplace Violence Prevention Coordinator (WVPC) provides training in the evidence-based progressive management of disruptive behavior (PMDB)
• they assess violence risk using empirically validated risk assessment tools such as the Violence Risk Assessment Inventory (VRAI)
• they use functional analysis to target and reduce problem behaviors by patients - visitors - and staff and provide services in serious - complex - and complicated cases that typically have been challenging for other licensed independent practitioners (LIPs) - nurses - and nonmedical staff to manage
• WVPC provides consultation to services - teams - and workgroups throughout the VAPAHCS system on the prevention - reduction - and management of disruptive behavior
• They may also be involved in program evaluation
• WVPCs may also be called upon to assist with a variety of administrative functions for the programs in which they work - for Psychiatry Service and for the Health Care System
• Major duties include but not limited to: The WVPC is trained as a PMDB trainer and provides PMDB training to staff as part of New Employee Orientation (NEO) and for refreshers
• The WVPC works with DBC and ETAT members to understand a disruptor's history and risk level - maintains awareness of disruptive patients with PRF - and can respond to requests for consultation from units regarding individual disruptors
• The WVPC also works with the Office of Community Care to determine appropriateness of consults for disruptive individuals
• The WVPC conducts VRAIs as needed to assess or update the assessment of risk for individual Veterans who are recommended for PRF - or who already have a PRF
• VRAIs are charted in CPRS and are reported to DBC
• It is the responsibility of the WVPC when gathering information from or on a patient - to attend to risk factors for violence - to call attention to them - and to ensure they are addressed
• WVPCs will also educate other clinical personnel to be sensitive and responsive to risk factors - as necessary
• The WVPC assesses the safety of the home situation of Veterans through interviews with Veterans and their family/friends - and reports abuse/neglect or other unsafe situations to Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services as appropriate
• The WVPC manages the list of patients who have PRFs and is aware of their needs and fluctuating risk for disruption
• They can consult with staff across the facility - at the appropriate level - for how to manage these individual disruptors based on history and current risk level
• WVPC is able to work with interdisciplinary treatment teams in different areas to develop behavior management plans based on their assessment - setting achievable plans that can be summarized succinctly
• These plans are reviewed and updated if there is a change in the patient's behavior or risk level
• In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency - staff will follow the protocol of the program at this VA facility
• The WVPC is trained in the use of the Disruptive Behavior Reporting System (DBRS) and can use this interface to enter reports - collect data - and consult with staff on how to use this system
• They help develop and revise standard operating procedures/policies with the rest of the WVP team and facility to ensure these SOPs and policies are effective and appropriate.