Psychology Technician

Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Asheville VA Medical Center, within the Mental Health Service (MHS). The primary purpose of this position involves providing needed psychological and neuropsychological testing and observation for MHS to include administering selected assessments, notifying Psychologist of any patient safety risks, documenting behavioral observations, scoring testing responses, and providing raw results. Learn more about this agency Duties ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Administers and scores a wide range of assessment measures, including specifically the following assessment measures: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Instrument Second Edition / Restructured Format / Third Edition (MMPl-2, MMPI-RF, MMPI-3), Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Beck Depression Inventory- Second Edition (BDl- 2), PTSD Checklist (PCL-5), Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 4th Edition (WAIS-4), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised (BVMT-R), California Verbal Learning Test - Second Edition (CVLT-2), Trail Making Test - Parts A & B (Trails A and B), Conner's Continuous Performance Test- Second Edition (CPT-2), Grooved Pegboard, and Hand Dynamometer Prepares materials for testing and maintains an appropriate physical setting to obtain valid assessment results Maintains tests, instruments, and supplies in an orderly manner and informs Psychologist of new testing material needs Maintains files and records Organizes and enters collected patient data into computerized scoring and record-keeping systems Maintains a useful file and record system to preserve raw testing response sheets and other physical data from test administrations Utilizes knowledge of psychological and cognitive test administration, scoring and procedures Utilizes knowledge of crisis intervention techniques Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Telework: This position may be authorized for AD HOC telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as papers, books, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. ~AND~ BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Completion of a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in an appropriate social or biological science, which included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours in psychology. NOTE: You must submit copies of transcripts at the time of application. Education will not be credited without documentation. Please ensure that your transcripts show that a degree was conferred. Display copies of degrees or course listings do not provide the information needed. ~AND~ In addition to the above requirements, in order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS- 9 grade level, you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: At least two (2) years of technical work under the direction of a professional psychologist in a program of professional services, training or research. At least 6 months of this experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade in the Federal service (GS-8), OR 1 year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-7). This experience includes working with patients in a behavioral health setting or program; proficiency in the administration, scoring, and preliminary findings of various neuropsychological, psychological, psychophysiological, vocational, and behavioral test instruments or measures; knowledge of statistics, for reporting, calculation, and transposition of standard scores to aid in scoring and interpretation of assessments; conducts structured or semi-structured diagnostic clinical interviews, provides patient, family, and group counseling and participates in treatment planning. Performance of these tasks requires a practical understanding of some of the general principles, theories, methods, and techniques of psychology in order to carry out duties which are performed under the supervision of a professional psychologist. NOTE: Experience under the direction of a professional psychologist is required and MUST be documented on your resume. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. ~OR~ EDUCATION: Successful completion of two (2) full years of graduate study in psychology in an accredited college or university may be substituted for 2 years of experience and meets in full the requirements at the GS-9 level. NOTE: You must submit copies of transcripts at the time of application. Education will not be credited without documentation. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application. 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 Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.