Clinical Psychologist (Health Behavior Coordinator)

Join our Team at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Reno, NV as a Clinical Psychologist (Health Behavior Coordinator)! 

• Plans, develops, adapts, implements and assesses efficacy of health behavior interventions for the promotion of general health and to address health risk behaviors as part of disease prevention and chronic disease management.
• Serves as the lead clinician in tobacco use cessation programs
• Provides HPDP-related clinical services, such as specialty health psychology assessments and interventions.
• Contributes to training of primary care team and others in evidence-based methodologies to effectively communicate with, motivate, coach, and support patients in being aware of relevant health risks, clarifying personal goals for health promotion and disease prevention programs, and developing individualized patient self-management plans.
• Serves as a subject matter expert in health coaching, MI, patient self-management, and health behavior change; supporting the integration of health behavior change elements into clinical programming.
• Works with Ambulatory Care Service leadership to provide specific training, guidance, and mentoring of Primary Care Nurses and others to facilitate effective health behavior coaching.
• Collaborates with PACT, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration, and other Mental Health staff to ensure effective coordination of behavioral and mental health interventions as well as to develop and integrate behavioral interventions (e.g., pain, sleep, stress, biofeedback) that help Veterans in their efforts to adopt healthy behaviors and reduce risky behaviors.
• Provides and develops content expertise on preventive health as it relates to the Healthy Living messages and goals, including supporting smoking and tobacco use cessation clinical initiatives.
• Develops and/or makes available relevant education and training programs for all Primary Care and other Service Line providers to ensure that culturally competent care is provided.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff on issues related to the function of health behavior assessment and interventions to promote health and prevent disease, and may provide in-service and/or invited grand round presentations to the medical center staff in areas directly related to the mission of the HPDP programs.
• Leads, coordinates, and delivers NCP-supported MI training programs and provides ongoing follow-up skills training to PACT clinicians and other clinical staff, as needed.
• Provides supervision and training to psychology trainees, interns, and other staff as assigned, promoting excellence in clinical practice and fostering professional growth.

Benefits and Features

• Expected Salary range from $142,752 to $185,580 (negotiable based on candidate's qualifications, credentials and experience).

• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
• Telework: This position is eligible for telework on an Ad- Hoc Basis.
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment):

We encourage you to consider VA employment in Reno, NV. We offer both a mission you can put your heart into and a home for fun, new experiences. Join a team that values a healthy home/work life balance and be rewarded by your role in keeping the promise to those who served.

The Reno campus operates 64 hospital beds, 60 Community Living Center beds, 14 ED beds, 12 ICU beds and 14 inpatient psych beds, in addition to four Community Based Outpatient Clinics and one rural outreach clinic. Academic affiliations for VASNHCS are the University Of Nevada School Of Medicine and the East Bay Surgical Program at the University of California, San Francisco. Approximately 45 medical, surgical, and psychiatry residents rotate annually through VASNHCS. Reno VA has 4 surgical suites in addition to cystoscopy and urology anesthesia suites. Approximately 50-55 cases per week are performed in orthopedics, general, ENT, urology, vascular, thoracic and GYN surgical specialties/subspecialties.

Work with an interdisciplinary team of health professionals in a patient centered care environment with one of the most advanced electronic medical records reporting systems in the country. In addition to the generous benefits, VA physicians are not burdened with the costs of office overhead or liability protection.

Move to the scenic and exciting city of Reno, Nevada! Located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Reno is minutes away from beautiful Lake Tahoe. Outdoor adventure and fun are synonymous with Reno, as the city offers a myriad of open-air activities: water/snow skiing, snowmobiling, camping, hiking, fishing, golfing, mountain climbing/biking, off-roading, and rafting. There are fifteen ski resorts in the Reno/Tahoe area, including Squaw Valley and Northstar. Reno/Tahoe is also home to two dozen golf courses, including the PGA tour course Montreux. Reno/Sparks plays host to numerous local events, such as Farmer’s Market, Chili Cook-Off, Rib Cook-Off, Hot-Air Balloon Races, Street Vibrations, Artown, and the world famous Hot August Nights. Local casinos, clubs and bars provide for an entertaining nightlife in this 24-hour town. In addition, art and culture are pervasive in Reno. The Stremmel Art Gallery and Artown reveal the creative side of the "Biggest Little City…" The University of Nevada, Reno has the state’s only medical school, which includes 16 clinical departments and offers M.D. and Ph.D. programs.

Residents of the Reno area enjoy all four seasons, the desert climate is temperate in the fall and spring, hot in the summer and cold/snowy in the winter. Reno offers big-city shopping to boot! The Summit Sierra lifestyle center is the city’s premier shopping destination. The outdoor mall offers stores such as Apple, Buckle, Coach, Dillard’s, GAP, Guess, Hollister and Pottery Barn. Reno is listed as one of the hundred best cities in America to raise a family by Best Life and MSNBC. Reno was ranked the 9th best city to live in by Sperling &,,,,,, Sanders. Finally, Nevada has a favorable tax climate and does not have a state income tax.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 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 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• 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