Psychologist Opportunity - In beautiful Sheridan, Wyoming

Clinical Responsibilities

• Responsible for the in-depth psychosocial assessment as part of the overall assessment of the patient. Identifies problems/needs from the assessment to be treated and develops the individual treatment plan. Provides individual professional input and addresses the social aspect of the patient's situation with the treatment team.
• Assists Veterans and the treatment team in navigating problems in the residential milieu.
• Handles all case management as assigned for the duration of the Veteran's admission through post-discharge follow up.
• Conducts therapeutic counseling in accordance with specific guidelines and handles crises, regularly with minimal supervision.
• Develops and conducts lectures and educational presentations for patients related to various specialty aspects of general mental health, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
• Educates the veteran, their families, and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the veteran and family on the preferred option.
• Develops, organizes, and implements a wide variety of outpatient aftercare treatment for patients and their collaterals.
• Transports veterans to assist them in assessing resources or taking care of essential business on occasion. Worker must know
  the patient and be comfortable in providing the needed transportation. Government vehicle will be used as well as all processes, trainings, and requirements related to Government vehicle use.
• Serves as subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources.
• Substitutes for other clinicians when needed or assigned.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Enters all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate/approved formats and templates. This information must be entered in a complete, confidential, and professional manner to ensure information on the patient is shared with other VA staff.
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies.
• Attends all appropriate staff meetings, team meetings, committee meetings, or group meetings and perform other duties as required.
• Collaborates in the performance improvement process and complies with performance measures as required by the appropriate program offices and local policies.
• Provide coverage responsibilities in the absence of other clinicians to ensure timely access and coordination of care.
• Completes the continuing education hours needed for maintaining Professional Licensure.
• Demonstrates professional behavior that conforms to VA regulations and policy, State and Federal laws, and ethical codes of appropriate professional accrediting organizations.
• Participate in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed.

Enriching Elements

• May provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including trainees seeking licensure.
• Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staffs of units to which assigned.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate
• Offers consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in specialty areas, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective clinical practice skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.
• May serve on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces as assigned or requested.
• May be assigned represent the Medical Center or Healthcare System at professional/program community group/events and committees.

Work Schedule: M-F, 07:30am-4:00pm
Compressed/Flexible:Available; Discussed with service when required for clinical programming needs.
Telework: Ad-hoc as needed
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51233-A, 51234-A, 51235-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact Linda Orchard, linda.orchard@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator, for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Since April 1922, the Sheridan VAMC has been a mental health care and primary care facility for men and women who have served their country. In 1898 the grounds that are now the Sheridan VAMC were set aside by President William McKinley to be a military fort. The fort was named after Brigadier General Ranald Slidell Mackenzie. The first troops to the fort in 1901 were Buffalo Soldiers who used the fort for rest and retraining. By World War I, the fort was closed and ready for demolition. However, former President Taft, who after leaving office was appointed to the Supreme Court, was able to get the fort transferred to the Bureau of Health as a hospital for men coming home from WWI with battle fatigue or what is known today as PTSD. The hospital opened in April 1922 as a 300 bed facility. By the end of World War II, the facility had 900 beds.

Today the Sheridan VAMC has 208 beds and serves nearly 12,500 Veterans yearly. The Medical Center boast eight Community Based Outpatient Clinics, located strategically across Wyoming. Each clinic, along with the Medical Center, is staffed to provide a wide range of health and mental health services.
The Sheridan VAMC serves Veterans across Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain Region. In addition to our main Medical Center in Sheridan, five Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) are strategically located around the state to provide services closer to your home. The CBOCs are located in: Casper, Gillette, Riverton, Rock Springs, and Powell, Wyoming. One outreach clinic is located in Afton/Star Valley and two Primary Care Telehealth Outreach Clinics (PCTOC) are located in Evanston and Worland.

Academic Partners

Though the Sheridan VAMC is not a typical teaching hospital we are affiliated with the the following schools;

• Eastern Washington University: Doctorate, Physical Therapy;
• Idaho State University: Masters, Physician Assistant; Doctorate of Pharmacy;
• Missouri State University: Doctorate, Physical Therapy;
• Rocky Mountain College: Masters, Physician Assistant;
• Sheridan College: Associate Degree, Registered Nurse;
Associate Degree, Dental Hygiene; Associate Degree Pharmacy Technician;
• University of Montana: Doctorate, Physical Therapy; Doctorate of Pharmacy;
• University of North Dakota: Doctorate, Physical Therapy; Masters, Physician Assistant;
• University of Washington: Third year Medical Student Clerkship site for
Medicine; Fourth year Medical Student medicine elective site;
• University of Wyoming: BS, Social Work; Masters, Social Work; Psychology Student Clerkships; Doctorate of Pharmacy; Bachelors of Science in Nursing, Masters of Science in Nursing;
• Creighton University, Doctorate of Pharmacy;
• Casper College Occupational Therapy Assistant;
• Walla Walla University, Masters of Social Work;
• Idaho State University, Doctorate of Physical Therapy;
• Walden University, Masters of Science in Nursing

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 paid Federal holidays per year
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service

144 miles N of Casper; 130 miles S of Billings; 156 miles E of Cody

Sheridan looks right at home where the Rockies meet the plains, its deep roots evident in its well-preserved historic downtown. The Bighorn Mountains cast afternoon shadows in this direction, across the ranches in the foothills where dude ranching was defined and perfected. One of the largest of Wyoming's small towns, with about 16,000 residents, Sheridan, named after Civil War general Philip Sheridan, retains its small-town charm with century-old buildings along Main Street and the mansions of cattle barons.

The source of prosperity in more recent times lies in the massive coal deposits to the north and east. After decades of production, the big strip mines are in a slow decline, and tourism is on the rise, with an influx of adventurous mountain bikers, rock climbers, paragliders, snowmobilers, and cross-country skiers who are lured by the Bighorns. Ranching these days is less about beef and more about providing saddle time for vacation dudes and retreats for wealthy corporate kings. Or queens -- Queen Elizabeth of England, who has distant relations here, stopped by in the 1980s, and like any sensible horsewoman would, she dropped by King's Saddlery, known worldwide for hand-tooled tack and ropes.