Employment of bachelor's-level psychology technicians in the Veterans Administration

Author: Jordan, Edward J. JR

Source:
In: Is psychology for them? A guide to undergraduate advising. Woods, Paul J.; Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association, 1988: 149-152
Psychology Services in the Veterans Administration (VA) employs persons with bachelor's degrees primarily under the position title "psychology technician". VA's hiring standards specify that psychology technicians must possess "a bachelor's degree 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." In qualifying for a psychology technician position, an applicant may substitute graduate education in psychology for experience. This study surveyed chief psychologists in the VA in order to ascertain job possibilities for psychology majors and to explore the VA's hiring and utilization practices. Judging from this survey's results, the best advice for the new psychology baccalaureate is "Get more education." Opportunities for a bachelor's-level technician exist, but they are stable at best and may in fact be declining. It remains to be seen whether the possible decline could be overcome by an overall increase in hiring of psychology technicians.