Psychologist (Program Manager)- Inpatient Mental Health

Summary

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

Duties

Highly qualified candidates will be those with long term care experience. Major Duties of this position include, but are not limited to; Administrative Responsibilities (80%): The Program Manager (PM) oversees and ensures program compliance with VHA, JCAHO and other regulatory and accrediting standards, particularly ensuring that safety standards for IMH units are met and exceeded. The PM develops and monitors treatment program content to ensure that it is evidence based and comprehensive enough to meet the biopsychological needs of all Veterans served by the program, regardless of age, gender, or warzone, then develops short- and long-range goals and plans for the programs and implements policies and procedures to ensure goal attainment. S/he will oversee the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within assigned program units using data-driven quality assurance processes The PM will be responsible for managing the admission and discharge processes to ensure optimal patient flow and coordinated transitions between levels of care. The PM is responsible for resources and financial management, budget formulation and monitoring, assessing staffing levels and needs, space planning, and assessing equipment and technology needs to provide optimal service delivery to Veterans. Supervisory Responsibilities: The PM provides direct or indirect (through subordinate supervision) administrative and professional supervision of subordinates. The IMH has a multidisciplinary staff of approximately 19 FTEE (made up of psychiatrists, psychologists, physician assistants, social workers, recreational therapists, and peer support specialist) that report directly to the PM as well as matrixed responsibility for nursing staff (RNs, LPNs, and NAs) and fractional FTEEs of chaplain, pharmacist, and dietician that work in IMH units. The incumbent should demonstrate skill in interpersonal relationships to facilitate cohesion and communication among the interdisciplinary team members, and mediate conflicts as they arise. The PM will be responsible for assessing qualification and abilities of current and prospective employees. The PM should demonstrate the ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations and demonstrate skill in working collaboratively with other disciplines and supervisors. The PM has line and staff authority for resource allocation within the area of responsibility. Clinical Responsibilities (20%): The PM should demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to appropriately utilize evidence-based practices and clinical-based guidelines, and the ability to guide staff in using these tools. The PM will provide a full range of psychodiagnostics services, including psychological testing, and uses the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. He or she will perform consultations and evaluation in Veterans referred to IMH. The PM will provide a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual therapy, couples/family therapy, and group therapy. Preceptor Responsibilities: The PM will oversee or be involved in the training of psychology trainees, as well as trainees from other health professions, as appropriate. Other Responsibilities-The PM should demonstrate the ability to: Organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines Establish and monitor production and performance of priorities and standards Deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view Analyze organizational and operational problems and develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm (Nights and/or weekends may be required due to the nature of the work) Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Qualifications

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 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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). 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.[OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.] AND Internships (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,