Clinical Psychologist
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Summary New York Harbor, Manhattan Campus, is seeking a qualified full-time Suicide Prevention Coordinator Clinical Psychologist to join our Medical Service. Responsibilities Duties This position has assigned duties as a Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC; 0.75 FTEE) and as an Inpatient Psychologist (0.25 FTEE). As part of the NYH Suicide Prevention team, the SPC will provide services for patients at high risk for suicide and other adverse events, including consultation, monitoring, treatment coordination, and education. As an SPC, this position is responsible for a variety of performance improvement metrics and implementation of national guidelines related to Suicide Prevention. In their assignment to our acute inpatient psychiatry unit, this position will provide coordination, management, and intervention for HRL and other veterans admitted to the unit, as well as clinical supervision of psychology interns who rotate on the unit. Major Duties and Responsibilities: SPC: Management and monitoring of facility High Risk List (HRL), including care coordination to assure patients at high risk for suicide are engaged in treatment and receiving appropriate follow up. Management and monitoring of veterans at risk for adverse outcomes identified by the REACH Vet algorithm, and appropriate outreach and follow up to veterans and providers. Consultation, outreach, and education related to suicide prevention for providers, other VA staff, veterans, family members, and community agencies. Care coordination and follow up for veterans across settings (e.g., outpatient care, emergency room, acute or residential care units), including assessment of psychosocial needs, completion of suicide safety plans, and referral to appropriate MH services, medical services, and housing and benefits assistance, both within and outside VA. Dissemination, organization, and, where possible, provision of evidence-based interventions for crises and suicide prevention. Assurance of compliance with Joint Commission, VA, and OIG policies and standards related to suicide prevention and transmission of facility data to VISN and VA national offices on suicide attempts and at risk individuals for tracking and quality assurance purposes. Coordination of regularly scheduled environmental rounds on inpatient and residential units to identify elements of the care process and/or architecture that may present safety risks, and follow up as needed. Development and implementation of an ongoing education plan for veterans, providers, other VA staff, Veterans Service Organizations, family members, and community partners on risk factors, assessment, and treatment options related to suicide prevention Provision of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement to monitor the effectiveness of suicide prevention programming. Response to Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) consults as needed. Within the scope of privileges granted, providing a full range of mental health services (triage, assessment, evaluation, intervention, report writing, treatment planning, and disposition) and expert consultation to other disciplines, units, and teams providing care oriented to veterans at high risk for suicide. Inpatient Psychologist: Function as part of interdisciplinary team on our locked, co-ed inpatient psychiatric unit for patients requiring acute intervention and stabilization. Participation in daily rounds, weekly team meetings, and case conferences. Provision of group psychotherapy (skills based and/or process-oriented). Facilitation of unit community meetings. Provision of clinical supervision to psychology interns who conduct admission evaluations, behavioral monitoring, short-term psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, crisis intervention, care coordination, and discharge planning for patients on the unit. Demonstrated experience and interest in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, consultation, outreach, training, and education, and strong written and oral communication skills is required. A broad clinical knowledge base and experience with patients at high-risk for suicide and other adverse events is required. Demonstrated experience with evidence-based interventions, particularly Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), is strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience working in acute inpatient, ER, or residential treatment settings with patients with severe and persistent mental illness is required. In addition, at least 2 years of experience as a licensed psychologist providing clinical supervision for psychology trainees at various levels (externship, internship, fellowship) is required. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday- Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 AM Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21L47-A Requirements 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. 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). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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 Qualifications: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. ยง 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following: 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.) 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: 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. Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internship: 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. 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: Holds 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. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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. Grade Requirements: Creditable Experience: 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. Part-time Experience: Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full- time workweek. For example, a psychologist employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service. Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships: Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice. Training as a fellow or resident is considered to be creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. GS-13 Experience: At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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. 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).Preferred Experience: Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. 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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
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