Apply to the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Psychology Internship - Southern Arizona VA Health Care System
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Southern Arizona VA Health Care System

 

Apply to the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Psychology Internship

MATCH Number (General Program): 111211
Applications due: November 9

Accreditation Status

The predoctoral internship at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. The last site visit was completed on July 12, 2013. Given the global pandemic and related travel restrictions, all APA reaccreditation site visits were cancelled or postponed in 2020. Our next site visit will occur in October 2021 and our APA accreditation remains in place throughout this extended reaccreditation process.

Any questions on accreditation status of the internship may be addressed to the Commission on Accreditation (COA):

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation Education Directorate

American Psychological Association

750 First Street NE

Washington, D.C. 20002-4242

202-336-5979

www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Application & Selection Procedures

The Application Process:

The deadline for receipt of completed application materials is November 9.

The following materials must be submitted:

  • A completed APPIC Application for Predoctoral Psychology Internship (AAPI). The AAPI is available for completion at the APPIC Web site: www.appic.org. The APPIC Verification of Internship Eligibility needs to be verified by your Director of Clinical or Counseling Training. The AAPI should include:
  • A curriculum vitae.
  • Official transcripts of your graduate academic records.
  • Three letters of recommendation from faculty in your academic department or from practicing clinicians who know your work in psychology (e.g. externship agency, etc).
  • For additional questions please contact the Director of Training at the e-mail and address below.
  • The internship observes strictly the guidelines regarding the computerized internship matching program adopted by APPIC and the Council of University Directors of Clinical and Counseling Programs. Please go to the APPIC website for the latest information about the application process, www.appic.org. For more information or clarification, contact the Director of Training.

Beth Zeiger, Ph.D.

  • Interim Director of Psychology Training (11-116)

    Southern Arizona VA Health Care System

    3601 S. Sixth Ave.

    Tucson, AZ 85723

    (520) 792-1450, extension 2-3401

    Email: elizabeth.zeiger@va.gov 

Internship Program Admissions

Eligibility requirements for internship:

  • Enrollment in good standing in a doctoral training program in clinical or counseling psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association or Canadian Psychological Association.
  • Completion of at least three years of graduate study in psychology.
  • Sufficient academic progress that completion of the doctorate degree within two years of the beginning of the internship is feasible in the opinion of the Director of Training.
  • United States citizenship. (see section below on Eligibility Requirements for All VA Programs)

Minimum Number of Hours and assessment reports at Time of Application:

  • 500 hours of a combination of intervention and assessment hours (including proposed hours for current year)
  • At least 5 integrated psychological reports with adults

The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System is an Equal Opportunity Employer.   The Psychology Internship Program places a high value on diversity and encouraging cultural competency. We select and welcome candidates from a diverse group of geographic areas, background, and experiences.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adheres to all Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies.  As a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Health Professions Trainee (HPT), you will receive a Federal appointment, and the following requirements will apply prior to that appointment

Eligibility Requirements for All VA Programs

  • U.S. Citizenship. HPTs who receive a direct stipend (pay) must be U.S. citizens.  Trainees who are not VA paid (without compensation-WOC) who are not U.S. citizens may be appointed and must provide current immigrant, non-immigrant or exchange visitor documents.
  • Social Security Number. All VA appointees must have a U.S. social security number (SSN) prior to beginning the pre-employment, on-boarding process at the VA.
  • Selective Service Registration. Male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the Selective Service by age 26 to be eligible for U.S. government employment, including selection as a paid or WOC VA trainee. For additional information about the Selective Service System, and to register or to check your registration status visit https://www.sss.gov/. Anyone who was required to register but did not register before the age of 26 will need to apply for a Status Information Letter (SIL) and request a waiver. Waivers are rare and requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the VA Office of Human Resources Management. This process can take up to six months for a verdict.
  • Fingerprint Screening and Background Investigation. All HPTs will be fingerprinted and undergo screenings and background investigations. Additional details about the required background checks can be found at the following website: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/10450.html.
  • Drug Testing. Per Executive Order 12564, the VA strives to be a Drug-Free Workplace.  HPTs are not drug-tested prior to appointment, however are subject to random drug testing throughout the entire VA appointment period. You will be asked to sign an acknowledgement form stating you are aware of this practice. See item 8 below. 
  • Affiliation Agreement. To ensure shared responsibility between an academic program and the VA there must be a current and fully executed Academic Affiliation Agreement on file with the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). The affiliation agreement delineates the duties of VA and the affiliated institution. Most APA-accredited doctoral programs have an agreement on file.  More information about this document can be found at https://www.va.gov/oaa/agreements.asp (see section on psychology internships). Post-degree programs typically will not have an affiliation agreement, as the HPT is no longer enrolled in an academic program and the program is VA sponsored.
  • To streamline on-boarding of HPTs, VHA Office of Academic Affiliations requires completion of a Trainee Qualifications and Credentials Verification Letter (TQCVL). An Educational Official at the Affiliate must complete and sign this letter. For post-graduate programs where an affiliate is not the program sponsor, this process must be completed by the VA Training Director. Your VA appointment cannot happen until the TQCVL is submitted and signed by senior leadership from the VA facility.  For more information about this document, please visit https://www.va.gov/OAA/TQCVL.asp
  • Health Requirements. Among other things, the TQCVL confirms that you, the trainee, are fit to perform the essential functions (physical and mental) of the training program and immunized following current Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and VHA policy.  This protects you, other employees and patients while working in a healthcare facility. Required are annual tuberculosis screening, Hepatitis B vaccine as well as annual influenza vaccine. Declinations are EXTREMELY rare. Please be aware that this position is required to participate in the seasonal influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs and are a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP receive the COVID-19 vaccination and annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption has been granted. HCP in violation of these directives may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.
  • Primary source verification of all prior education and training is certified via the TQCVL. Training and Program Directors will be contacting the appropriate institutions to ensure you have the appropriate qualifications and credentials as required by the admission criteria of the training program in which you are enrolled.
  • Additional On-boarding Forms. Additional pre-employment forms include the Application for Health Professions Trainees (VA 10-2850D) and the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF 306).  These documents and others are available online for review at https://www.va.gov/oaa/app-forms.asp. Falsifying any answer on these required Federal documents will result in the inability to appoint or immediate dismissal from the training program. 
  • Proof of Identity per VA. VA on-boarding requires presentation of two source documents (IDs).  Documents must be unexpired and names on both documents must match.  For more information visit: https://www.oit.va.gov/programs/piv/_media/docs/IDMatrix.pdf

Additional information regarding eligibility requirements (with hyperlinks)

Trainees receive term employee appointments and must meet eligibility requirements for appointment as outlined in VA Handbook 5005 Staffing, Part II, Section B. Appointment Requirements and Determinations. VA Handbook/Directive 5005

Selective Service website where the requirements, benefits and penalties of registering vs. not registering are outlined: https://www.sss.gov/Registration/Why-Register/Benefits-and-Penalties

Additional information specific suitability information from Title 5 (referenced in VHA Handbook 5005 – hyperlinks included):

Specific factors. In determining whether a person is suitable for Federal employment, only the following factors will be considered a basis for finding a person unsuitable and taking a suitability action:

(1) Misconduct or negligence in employment;

(2) Criminal or dishonest conduct;

(3) Material, intentional false statement, or deception or fraud in examination or appointment;

(4) Refusal to furnish testimony as required by § 5.4 of this chapter;

(5) Alcohol abuse, without evidence of substantial rehabilitation, of a nature and duration that suggests that the applicant or appointee would be prevented from performing the duties of the position in question, or would constitute a direct threat to the property or safety of the applicant or appointee or others;

(6) Illegal use of narcotics, drugs, or other controlled substances without evidence of substantial rehabilitation;

(7) Knowing and willful engagement in acts or activities designed to overthrow the U.S. Government by force; and

(8) Any statutory or regulatory bar which prevents the lawful employment of the person involved in the position in question.

Additional considerations. OPM and agencies must consider any of the following additional considerations to the extent OPM or the relevant agency, in its sole discretion, deems any of them pertinent to the individual case:

The nature of the position for which the person is applying or in which the person is employed;

The nature and seriousness of the conduct;

The circumstances surrounding the conduct;

The recency of the conduct;

The age of the person involved at the time of the conduct;

Contributing societal conditions; and

The absence or presence of rehabilitation or efforts toward rehabilitation.

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