Duty location to be determined during interview process; Duty location will be at either Brockton, MA, West Roxbury, MA or Jamaica Plain, MA campus. This Social Worker-Health Behavior Coordinator position is located at the VA Boston Healthcare System, within the Chief of Staff Service/Whole Health section. This position is a Full time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The Health Behavior Coordinator (HBC) serves several roles. The HBC trains, mentors and guides primary care and other staff members to support patient self management of health-related behaviors via effective health behavior coaching and the use of motivational interviewing and other empirically-based communication and health behavior management approaches. The HBC has a significant role as a consultant for clinical staff members who promote patient self-management of health behavior. In addition, the HBC works closely with the HPDP Program Manager to develop new or adapt existing VHA programs, guide implementation, and coordinate evaluation strategies to determine the efficacy of health promotion and disease prevention programs at the medical center and CBOCs. In this role, the HBC serves as co-chair of the facility HPDP Program Committee. The HBC has clinical responsibilities related to health promotion interventions. The incumbent works with medical center staff to assist with increasing whole health transformation and health promotion and disease prevention activities throughout the hospital. The incumbent provides education, coaching, and consultation to clinicians on the use of patient-centered communication, whole health clinical care, health coaching, and motivational interviewing. Clinical Responsibilities 1. Serves as a clinical consultant to the medical center staff on health behavior coaching and whole health clinical care. a. Maintains awareness of and provides consultation on the evidence basis for health behavior interventions, to promote health and prevent disease, and effective coaching methods by medical center staff. b. Works with Primary Care to provide specific training and consultation to facilitate effective health behavior coaching (i.e., healthy lifestyle coaching to support patient self-management) and build and maintain competencies in health behavior coaching. c. Contributes to training of primary care team and others in evidence-based methodologies to effectively communicate with, motivate, coach, and support patients in being aware of relevant health risks, clarifying personal goals for health promotion and disease prevention change, developing individualized patient self-management plans, and maintaining these healthy behaviors. 2. In collaboration with the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program Manager (HDPD-PM) and others, plans, develops, adapts, implements and assesses efficacy of health behavior interventions for the promotion of general health and to address health risk behaviors as part of disease prevention and chronic disease management (e.g., weight loss and maintenance, tobacco use cessation, promoting patient self-management interventions targeting issues such as increasing participation in regular exercise, healthy eating, sleep hygiene). 3. Contributes to behavioral health programs such as MOVE! 4. Performs specialty health psychology assessment/intervention (e.g., pre-bariatric surgery, MOVE! patients with particular behavioral issues, patients with unique or complex problems impacting their health promotion/disease prevention self-management plans). 5. Provides supervision of social work trainees conducting direct clinical care. 6. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. 7. Remains involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. Work Schedule: Full time Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4;30pm Telework: Available at the discretion of Supervisor Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PDF04890 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required NOTIFICATIONS: This position is in the Excepted Service. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA Boston Healthcare campuses and CBOC's. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) will be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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. 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 the CSWE website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of social work. Licensure. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Grade Determinations/Minimum Qualifications for GS-12 (1) Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. (2) Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. (b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. (c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. (d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). (e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. Preferred experience: Experience working with VA Contracts. Experience in Medical Research. Experience working with veterans experience homelessness. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the Medical Center and CBOCs is required. Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Applicants must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others.

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 Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 US
• Name: Robert Spinney
• Phone: 7748264814
• Email: [email protected]