Psychology Technician
Company
Department of Veterans Affairs - Veterans Health Administration
Location
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina
Type
Full Time
Job Description
Summary
This position is located in the Mental Health unit at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center Charleston, SC. The incumbent primarily works in the Mental Health Inpatient unit, where Veterans present for acute inpatient treatment including but not limited to assessment, evaluation, disposition and treatment of mental disorders.
Learn more about this agencyRequirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- 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
AND
Grade Level Requirements: In addition to meeting the basis requirements, you must meet one of the following minimum requirements. NOTE: The experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. The education must be supported by your transcript to be creditable. If you do not submit your transcript, your application may be rated ineligible. (Transcripts Required)
GS-07:
- Experience: One (1) year of technical work under the direction of a Mental Health Professional in a program of professional services, training or research. At least six (6) months of such experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade (GS-06) in the Federal service, or one (1) year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-05) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as conducting assessment and evaluation interviews with patients, family, and significant others to obtain pertinent information regarding the patient's history, symptoms, cognitive abilities and willingness to participate in treatment of psychological disorders; maintaining and operating the computerized psychological assessment program; overseeing daily activities of the assigned clinic and facilitates the flow of care. (This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable.)
- Substitution of Education: One (1) full year of graduate study (i.e., 18 semester hours) in psychology in an accredited college or university may be substituted for 1 year of experience and meets in full the requirements at the GS-7 level.
- Superior Academic Achievement: Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level in the qualifying curriculum detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: 1.Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision; 2.A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; 3.A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; 4.Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp.
- Experience: One and a half (1.5) years of technical work under the direction of a Mental Health Professional in a program of professional services, training or research. At least six (6) months of such experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade (GS-07) in the Federal service, or one (1) year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-06) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as conducting assessment and evaluation interviews with patients, family, and significant others to obtain pertinent information regarding the patient's history, symptoms, cognitive abilities and willingness to participate in treatment of psychological disorders; assisting the clinical psychologists with the administration and scoring of selected tests and screening protocols in accordance with defined procedures; maintaining and operating the computerized psychological assessment program; overseeing daily activities of the assigned clinic and facilitates the flow of care. (This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable.)
- Substitution of Education: One and a half (1.5) years of graduate study (i.e., 27 semester hours) in psychology in an accredited college or university may be substituted for 1.5 years of experience and meets in full the requirements at the GS-8 level.
- Experience: Two (2) years of technical work under the direction of a Mental Health Professional in a program of professional services, training or research. At least six (6) months of such experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade (GS-08) in the Federal service, or one (1) year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-07) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as assessing the patient's emotional functioning, psychosocial stress indicators, and physical adjustment; reviewing and summarizing pertinent psychosocial data for clinical psychologists; facilitating brief counseling and care management that may include behavioral therapy and psycho-educational group therapies; conducting assessment and evaluation interviews with patients, family, and significant others to obtain pertinent information regarding the patient's history, symptoms, cognitive abilities and willingness to participate in treatment of psychological disorders; assisting the clinical psychologists with the administration and scoring of selected tests and screening protocols in accordance with defined procedures; maintaining and operating the computerized psychological assessment program; overseeing daily activities of the assigned clinic and facilitates the flow of care. (This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable.)
- Substitution of Education: Two (2) years of graduate study (i.e., 36 semester hours) in psychology in an accredited college or university may be substituted for 2 year of experience and meets in full the requirements at the GS-9 level.
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.
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
- Clinical Data Collection/Documentation
- Computer Skills
- Education and Training
- Patient Care
- Psychological Assessment
- Teamwork
IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. 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.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
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 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).
Additional information
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.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (843) 577-5011.
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 85 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/.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
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.
Date Posted
07/12/2024
Views
5
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