Psychology Program Manager

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care you will operate in a model with three core elements seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veterans community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor Americas Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

VA Careers - Psychologist: include but are not limited to:

• Completes psychosocial assessments and medical record documentation including Clinical Reminders in accordance with Fargo VA Health Care System policies and guidelines. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring assigned staff is knowledgeable regarding appropriate medical record documentation and documentation is completed in accordance with Fargo VA Health Care System policies and guidelines.
• Supervises outpatient social workers psychologists licensed mental health professional counselors and other mental health professionals who are performing work at various GS levels.
• Performs the administrative and personnel management functions relative to staff supervised. Observes workers performance; demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques including competency assessments performance appraisals and Scope of Practice. Provides informal feedback on a consistent basis to promote the professional development of assigned staff. Develops work improvement plans recommending personnel actions as necessary.
• Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests. Responsible for staffing/coverage in assigned areas. Incumbent provides patient care coverage when necessary to ensure that absences do not negatively impact patient care.
• Works to resolve informal complaints and grievances.
• Independently organizes work sets priorities and meets multiple deadlines.
• Incumbent is directly supervised by the ACOS Mental Health ICC regularly regarding overall management of assigned program areas and supports the strategic plan of the facility and VHA.
• Provides training supervision demonstrating the ability to evaluate the practice skills of graduate Psychology interns and unlicensed psychologists.
• Responsible for Peer Review Process in assigned areas and within Mental Health.
• Participates in all Mental Health Leadership meetings and fulfills Mental Health Leadership duties.
• Prepares Congressional Suspense and VISN Issue Briefs related to program assignments.
• Appropriately represents the Psychology Discipline/Mental Health ICC on assigned Committee responsibilities and works effectively in an interdisciplinary team setting.
• May cover the Mental Health leadership duties for brief periods.
• Position requires routine travel between CBOC sites for meetings program reviews staff support and operational assessments.

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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/examination.
• 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.
• Applicants must have a valid unrestricted State drivers license a safe driving record and be medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely.

• 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.

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:
• 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.

• 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; (b) The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship.

• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

• Internship:
• (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.

• (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;

• (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;

• (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 the employee is required to maintain board certification.)

• (e) Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidates doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicants official transcript the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program.

• Licensure: Hold a full current and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State Territory or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate psychologist at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 (c)(2)(B) for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.

• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 section A paragraph 3j.