Working as a VA Psychologist

1
Working as a VA Psychologist

• Mike Martin, Ph.D.
• Atlanta VA Medical Center
• Decatur, GA

2
Overview

• My Professional Background
• What I do
• Working with Veterans
• Likes/Frustrations

3
My Career Path (so far)

• Undergraduate Marquette University, Milwaukee,
  WI 1989-1993
• Grad School Auburn University, Auburn, AL
  1994-1999
• Internship/Residency Tuskegee VA Medical Center
  1999
• Community Mental Health East Alabama Mental
  Health 1999-2001
• Rehabilitation/Neuropsychology Roosevelt Warm
  Springs 2001-2007
• Atlanta VA Medical Center 2007-?

4
What is Neuropsychology?

• Applies principles of assessment and intervention
  based upon the scientific study of human behavior
  as it relates to normal and abnormal functioning
  of the brain
• Main functions
• Determine location and extent of brain injury
• Make comments on level of cognitive/emotional
  functioning
• Make treatment recommendations

5
What do I do?

• Mental Health Assessment Team
• Assess all new routine referrals to Mental Health
  at the Atlanta VA
• New Veterans (e.g. OEF/OIF)
• New to mental health (e.g. Vietnam Vets)
• Veterans returning to mental health after being
  out 2 yrs
• See emergency walk-ins
• Perform Compensation and Pension Examinations
• Perform Pre-Organ Transplant Examinations

6
What I do (cont)

• Supervise Psychology Residents
• Serve on Committees
• Program Development

7
Short-Term Psychotherapy Services

• Working to add short-term therapy services to the
  MHAT
• Conditions to be treated
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Grief/Adjustment
• Other conditions that can be treated in 10
  sessions or less

8
Short-Term Psychotherapy Services (cont)

• Goals of Short-Term Services
• Normalize these conditions
• Avoid referrals to Mental Health Clinic
• Help VA be more like services elsewhere

9
Working with Veterans

• Demographics
• Projected U.S. Veterans Population 23,977,000
  Female 1,731,000 7.2
• Projected Number of Living WW II Veterans (as of
  9/30/2006) 3,151,000
• Number of WW II Veterans Pass Away Per Day 1,025
• Percentage of Veteran Population 65 or Older
  38.4
• Veteran Population by Race White Non-Hispanic
  80.3 Hispanic 5.5 Black Non-Hispanic 10.7
  Other 3.5
• According to the 2000 Census there are 357,684
  veterans in the Atlanta area (out of 3,013,729
  people)

10
Working with Veterans (cont)

• All met criteria for military service at some
  point (rules out MR and early developmental
  disorders for the most part)
• All have handled a weapon at some point and many
  still own guns (important for suicide assessment)
• Sometimes secondary gain issues are apparent.
• Very diverse group

11
What I like about my job

• As part of MHAT I assess and refer. No long term
  commitment to my veterans
• It pays fairly well
• It is usually a 8-430 job
• I really like working with veterans

12
Frustrations with my job

• Assess and refer, no long-term commitments (this
  is also a downside)
• Psychology is not primary
• VA is huge and bureaucracy is everywhere
• Secondary gain issues