This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

This Social Worker is assigned to Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) and Same Day Access (SDA) clinics within the Acute Care Section of the Mental Health Service line at VA Puget Sound Health Care System located in Seattle, Washington. This Social Worker has responsibility to provide direct services for Veterans, their families and caregivers and ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. Duties will include: Provide a full range of services within the Social Work Scope of Practice based on Veteran needs, acuity level, and preferences for care. Services may include, but are not limited to, the following: Comprehensive psychiatric assessments and diagnostic services for Vets with a broad range of mental health issues; through assessment of suicide risk; evidence based interventions; consultation to health care providers; referral to involuntary mental health treatment; safety planning; discharge planning; education to patients and family members; resource linkage; and care coordination. Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, budgeting, activities of daily living, and recovery goals. Act as a consultant to other team/staff members and take a lead clinical role in case consultation. Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Veterans, colleagues and VA in accordance with NASW Code of Ethics, VHA Code of Ethics, and local ethics policies. This includes but is not limited to: compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality and release of information; protecting Veterans' personal identifying information. Document all Veteran care in the electronic health record in accordance with facility policy, VHA Directive 1162.05 (and revisions), and program-specific SOPs. Ensure compliance with standards and expectations of Joint Commission, CARF, and other relevant accrediting bodies. Assist program leadership in accreditation preparation and continuous readiness activities as requested. Actively participate in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting Veteran care needs and identifying the need for SOP or policy changes. Provide supervision to students, interns, or unlicensed Social Workers as requested. Maintain familiarity and responsibility for all behavioral health performance measures. Assist in development and maintenance of operational plans and strategic goals related to these measures. Responsible for participation and leadership in process improvement, system redesign, and/or other applicable workgroups and committees, to include creation of standard work documents or strategic plan implementation. Take responsibility for improving professional competencies by participating training programs and continuing education. Maintain accurate records of trainings in accordance with VA policies and state licensure requirements. Evaluate own practice through professional peer review, case conferences, and other means. Complete all mandatory VA trainings in a timely manner. Provide training, education, and consultation to trainees, VA staff, and community partners as a subject matter expert in specialized practice area(s). The Senior Social Worker may also be assigned to do the following: Coordinates admissions to acute inpatient psychiatry; including tracking open beds, pending discharges, medical/surgical patients needing transfer, outpatients needing admission and community patients needing transfer and admission. This requires close collaboration with consult staff, ED staff, American Lake Providers, 7W nursing, and community providers. Demonstrates thorough knowledge of state laws regarding involuntary treatment and works closely with Designated Crisis Responders (DCRs) when appropriate. Triage, evaluate, and manage Veterans requesting mental health services in person or on the phone. Formally supervise trainees & unlicensed staff in the provision of acute mental health assessments. Serve as a consultant and subject-matter expert to clinical staff. Actively participate in facility committees relevant to Acute Mental Health. Work Schedule: Wk1: 12:30PM-11:00PM Sun, Mon, Thurs, Fri //// Wk2: 12:30PM-11:00PM Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Yes - Compressed, See Above Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Please contact the VISN 20 EDRP Coordinator @ [email protected] Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: GS-12 Senior Social Worker Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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: VHA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, Qualifications for Social Workers. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 lbs), use of fingers, both hands required, ability to see computer screen, depth perception, hearing (aid may be permitted), excessive noise (intermittent), working closely with others, working alone.

Education

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 VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Michelle Yahne
• Phone: 503-220-8262 X53055
• Email: [email protected]