Staff Psychologist (Inpatient)

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

• The duties listed are GS-13 Full Performance Level, GS-11 and GS-12 duties will differ in complexity and level of supervision.
• The High Intensity Psychiatric Unit (7W Inpatient Mental Health) is a 16-bed acute crisis stabilization program with an average length of stay of six days.
• The staff psychologist will provide direct patient care for Veterans with a broad range of presentations including mood disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, substance use disorders, personality disorders, and cognitive disorders.
• Direct Patient Care: Perform diagnostic evaluations for mental health disorders, including sub-specialized psychological assessments as clinically indicated for veterans hospitalized on a 16-bed acute inpatient mental health unit.
• Deliver a full range of brief individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapeutic interventions utilizing evidence-based practices.
• Consultation & Collaboration: Collaborate with multidisciplinary staff (attending, fellow, and resident psychiatrists, medical students, nursing, and social workers) on patient care issues and providing treatment to high acuity patients.
• Age-Specific Interventions: Assess, interpret, and provide care tailored to the cognitive, emotional, and physical maturation needs of diverse veteran age groups (ages 18 to end-of-life).
• Teaching & Training: Provide clinical instruction and supervision to psychology practicum students and interns as required.
• Program Coordination: Responsible to develop and implement recovery-oriented inpatient group programming for the unit.
• Academic setting: The inpatient mental health unit is a teaching site for Psychology interns, Psychiatry residents, Addiction Psychiatry fellows, medical students, and successful applicants are eligible to pursue an academic appointment at the University of Washington.
• Research and innovation: There is ample opportunity to become involved in research at VA Puget Sound within our Psychology or Psychiatry divisions and for the development of new research projects.
• Provide education to patients and family members regarding mental disorders and best practices approaches to treatment.
• Provide evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the psychologist, which may include individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation.
• Provide consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center.
• Develop policies, procedures, and guidelines related to the management and provision of care of patients related to the management of care.
• Support implementation of policies as well and is responsible for implementation and planning.
• Develop, enhance, and track new initiatives, monitor effectiveness, and modify as needed to meet care needs.
• Co -lead development and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) required to meet Joint Commission standards.
• Provide education, training, and supervision for trainees including the psychiatry residents, addiction psychiatry fellows, addiction medicine fellows, psychology fellows, chaplain fellows, and various trainees from the social work department in the provision of group therapy on the inpatient unit.
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Mon
• Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm.
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized.
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.
• Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 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).
• 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.
• Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 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: Not available.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Functional Statement #: 000000.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Requirements

• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: 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
• Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

PREFERRED OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Clinical expertise: This position requires expertise in treating the full gamut of mental health disorders in an interdisciplinary setting. Training and experience with evidence-based psychotherapies such as CBT, IPT, ACT, MI, and DBT are strongly preferred. EDUCATION: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. If selected for this position, you must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. IMPORTANT: This position has a positive education or training requirement. An unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of the required degree or program is required and must include the name of the school, your name, date conferred or completed, and degree or certificate type. 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/.

Required Documents

• To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript
• If you are claiming
• Facility, Agency, Federal Employee, or
• HPT Eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent (not more than 1 year old) Notification of Personnel
• Action, SF-50 (Not an award SF-50). Your
• SF-50 must include: Position title, pay plan/series/grade Tenure code Position Occupied
• Type of appointment (Competitive or Excepted) Within Grade Increase, General Adjustments, or Promotion SF-50's are best, Award SF-50's do not include this pertinent information.
• Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document.
• This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.
• RESUME REMINDER: Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title Month & Year start/end dates (e.g.
• June 2016 to
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Grade, if applicable, for all
• Federal positions you have held
• Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume.
• Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all questions by addressing your work experience in detail.
• Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications.
• To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title.
• If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy.
• We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
• The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
• Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
• Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) License CV or Resume with no page limit Other (2) Other (3) Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript