Staff Psychologist (Inpatient)

Summary

The VA Puget Sound Healthcare System is recruiting for Staff Psychologists - Inpatient to perform duties in at the VA hospital in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). See "Duties" below for more information. This is an open continuous announcement. See "Additional Information" below.

Duties

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026 or until filled. Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis. A RECRUITMENT OR RELOCATION INCENTIVE MAY BE AUTHORIZED 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. Duties and Responsibilities: 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. Develop policies, procedures, and guidelines related to the management and provision of care of patients related to the management of care. 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/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized if starting on or before 11/15/2026. 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. Child Care 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. EDRP: Position(s) listed under this Open Continuous Announcement (OCA) MAY be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Applicants selected for an EDRP-eligible position will be notified in their conditional job offer. The selectee must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit an 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 review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply. Learn more

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: (1) 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 (4) Internships. (a) Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at th