Psychology Technician

Full Job Description

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.

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/.

Major 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.