PATHWAY PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The Pathways Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. Provides students with work experience related to the career goals while offering eligibility to permanent employment upon completion. To learn more, visit: Students & Recent Graduates.
Duties
This position is part of the Pathways Internship Program and is located at an institution within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Psychology Intern works under the close supervision of the Internship Program Coordinator, who is a licensed Psychologist, and/or other doctoral level psychologists employed by the Bureau of Prisons. Initial intern selection is made by the Internship Program Coordinator at the internship site. As a member of an interdisciplinary team, the incumbent provides professional psychological services: diagnostics or assessments, therapy or treatment, research, and in-service training. The incumbent aids staff in formulating programs for inmates.
Salary
Qualifications
To be considered for the position, you must meet the following: Education: Completion of 2 academic years of graduate level education, or a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree. One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; vocational; trades; technical or high school education is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university or school to represent 1 year of full-time study. The high school curriculum must be approved by a State or local governing body. All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Special Provisions/or Interns with Previous Related Education or Experience. Previous education and/or experience may be evaluated to determine the highest grade level for which the individual is qualified. NOTE: ALL applicants MUST submit legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically transferred from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST have the following information printed on the document: School Name, Student Name, Degree, overall GPA and Date Awarded (if applicable). If you are selected for this position, you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty. Applicants must also provide documentation from the educational institution verifying current enrollment with at least a half time or full time course load in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, or university. This documentation MAY be a Current Enrollment Verification Certificate or a statement of current enrollment or acceptance letter from the college or university (which verifies all of the required information). Student Trainee work schedule may vary from minimum requirement of 12 hours per week up to 40 hours depending on school schedule and needs of agency. Applicant must have a minimum of 2.5 GPA and maintain this GPA while in trainee position. These positions are Temporary Not-To-Exceed (NTE) appointments and do not provide conversion opportunity upon successful completion of education requirements. The education MUST be from an institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications AND Selective Placement Factor: Applicants applying for this position MUST also possess the following Selective Factor. In the event you do not possess the Selective Factor, you will be found ineligible for the position. Applicant must submit one of the following: A statement from the Training Director presiding over the doctoral program validating completion of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship (AAPI) and matriculation at a clinical or counseling doctoral program. OR A copy of confirmation of completion of the AAPI and registration for the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Match (i.e. proof of payment or APPIC Match ID number). Credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities. **Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.** This position has a basic educational requirement. Individuals applying for this position must be enrolled in a degree program directly related to the position. In order to be eligible for conversion into the competitive service, the incumbent must meet the degree requirements, as governed by the Office of Personnel Management, for this position. Applicants must also provide documentation from the educational institution verifying current enrollment with at least a half time or full-time course load. This documentation may be a Current Enrollment Verification Certificate or a statement of current enrollment or acceptance letter (which verifies all of the required information). If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities. **Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.** After a conditional offer is received, all applicants must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements related to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.
Education
ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
Required Documents
Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts. Veterans' Preference Documentation: Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility. DD-214: Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge). SF-15: If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit: A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" AND all required documentation identified on the SF-15. NOTE: A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain the Veteran's Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation. For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here. If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information: The military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and The character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and Any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals. Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional). Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF- 52, MOU, etc.). If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed. To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must include: Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND Number of hours worked per week. College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable). NOTE: If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day. SF-50: If you are a current/former federal government employee, you must provide an unredacted copy of your latest SF-50. For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. USAJOBS Help Center - How to Add a Resume to Your Profile All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time on09/30/2027. If applicable see Notice for Preference Eligible Veterans Applicants Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
Benefits
Health and life insurance coverage for Federal employees depends on the type of appointment. Students hired under the Pathways Internship Program may be entitled to these benefits. If eligible, employees serving on temporary appointments will receive the same government contribution as full-time permanent employees. Temporary employees are not eligible for coverage under the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program. Students hired under the Pathways Internship Program are generally ineligible for retirement coverage. Applicants hired under the Pathways Internship Program on appointments for 90 days or more are eligible to earn annual and sick leave. As provided in 5 U.S.C. 6303(b), employees whose appointments are limited to less than 90 days may be eligible for annual leave if they have previously served for a continuous period of 90 days under successive appointments.
