VA Caribbean Healthcare System offers a wide range of health care, services for Veterans in Puerto Rico, Vieques, Saint Thomas, and Saint Croix. The incumbent serves as a content matter expert for suicide prevention and facilitates integration of suicide prevention education throughout the community by developing and organizing community partners and coalitions aimed at reducing Veteran suicide at the state and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) level.

Duties

The incumbent is a member of a diverse, multi-professional team who works independently and has extensive experience developing and leading groups, partnerships, or coalitions addressing suicide prevention. The CEPC is a subject matter expert (SME) in state and local community suicide prevention resources and education connections. The CEPC promotes a public health approach to suicide prevention. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: The incumbent serves as a content matter expert for suicide prevention and facilitates integration of suicide prevention education throughout the community by developing and organizing community partners and coalitions aimed at reducing Veteran suicide at the state and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) level. The incumbent is responsible for developing, facilitating, and strengthening suicide prevention coalitions in the community. The incumbent will connect with VA programs and stakeholders including, but not limited to, Veterans, Veteran Service Organizations, congressional staff, media, community business partners, and community members throughout the health care system and VISN catchment areas to provide education on suicide prevention related topics and services. The incumbent serves as a SME, supporting coalitions by providing new or existing education and outreach initiatives on behalf of the assigned VA Health Care facility and the surrounding catchment area. Coalition building outreach activities include: Coalition Building/Meeting - Meet with prospective community stakeholder(s), Meet with existing community stakeholder(s), Meet with coalition leadership (remote or in person), Coalition meeting (general), Coalition subcommittee meeting, Coalition sponsored event/public meeting, Coalition evaluation activities (survey distribution, data collection, key informant interviews, etc.); Media/Marketing - Interview (print or broadcast), Social media, Campaign. The incumbent promotes a public health approach to suicide prevention. The incumbent demonstrates effective public speaking skills and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with a variety of audiences. The incumbent develops materials and training programs, in coordination with the SP team members, other facility and VISN stakeholders, and the National OMHSP office/MIRECC for staff and external stakeholders regarding suicide prevention in VHA and the facility. The incumbent collaborates in the development and delivery of education and outreach services that encompasses underserved veteran populations and expands SP coalition building in communities in the Facility's geographical catchment area, and may include regional or state events. Serves as a member of facility SP committee. The incumbent ensures the community is informed on services offered by Veteran's Health Administration and Veterans Benefits Administration. The incumbent will work to create partnerships in their communities at the state and local level. The incumbent develops and maintains current content expertise on Veteran suicide prevention. The position is primarily administrative with 10% clinical time anticipated. The incumbent performs statistical reporting, evaluation, consultation, and collaboration with non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) community partners as well as other VA health care professionals and administrators. Promotes and utilizes evidence-based guidelines at all stages of program development and implementation. The incumbent has working knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and audiovisual presentations software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The incumbent comprehends and maintains knowledge of current VA guidelines, policies, Federal regulations, and laws governing medical benefits for Veterans. Other duties as required. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm subject to change depending on the needs of the facility. Telework: as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: GS-12 Senior Social Worker Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. Selective Placement Factor (SPF): This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume. The SPF for this position is: In addition to the English Language Proficiency, you must also be proficient in basic written and spoken Spanish in order to perform the duties of this position Preferred Experience: Experience in providing presentations at VISN, National and Community level. Knowledge of current VA guidelines, policies, Federal regulations, and laws governing benefits for Veterans. Experience in development and delivery of education and outreach services that encompasses underserved veteran populations and expands SP coalition building in communities in the Facility's geographical catchment area, and may include regional or state events. Serves as a member of facility SP committee. Experience in developing and maintaining content expertise in SP through peer review, networking, internet access, published literature, national conference calls, and educational offerings and professional meetings. GS-12 Senior Social Workercandidates must have the following: Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two (2) years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one (1) year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification: Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, standing, bending, and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities, it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where they conduct interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.

Education

Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work.

Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address San Juan VA Medical Center 10 Calle Casia San Juan, PR 00921 US
• Name: Yolanda Ortiz-Davila
• Phone: (407) 664-3446
• Email: [email protected]