*****A recruitment/relocation incentive may be offered to highly qualified candidate(s).***** 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 will provide Mental Health services to the veteran population served in the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Programs (BHIP) at the Guayama VA Clinic of the VA Caribbean Health Care System.

Duties

Senior Social Worker will have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, especially in crisis intervention and working with an interdisciplinary team and using short-term, solution focused counseling with individuals and families who may be in crisis, education and referral for resources and benefits, case management and post- intervention follow-up. The incumbent tasks include, but are not limited to: Performs specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness. Incumbent incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. The incumbent has technical, administrative and clinical responsibility in the department, including crisis intervention, provides psychosocial services, conducts thorough suicide assessments, completing the CSRE and safety plans as indicated, evaluates for needed follow-up services, makes community referrals, assists with providing wrap around support to Veterans discharged from the Emergency Department and are pending follow-up mental health or substance use disorder appointments and provides psychosocial consultation to staff, as appropriate. It is the responsibility of the social worker, working within the interdisciplinary treatment team to develop a treatment plan with the veteran based on this assessment. Incumbent is responsible for developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran/family. Coordinates Discharge Planning activities on the assigned program involving patient and significant others in order to facilitate this process. Throughout the course of treatment, the social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. The social worker is responsible for educating the veteran and/or caregiver of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker. The incumbent is responsible for using the current social work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans. The social worker will refer the veteran to needed services. The incumbent will educate and encourage the veteran/family to advocate on own behalf when appropriate and feasible, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. The incumbent is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. In case of an involuntary admission, the social worker is responsible to proceed with the proper communication with Court, in order to ensure State Mental Health Law requirements for involuntary admission. Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications. Social worker will educate the veteran, their families and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the veteran and family on the preferred option. The incumbent will provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits. Will provide the veterans and their caregivers with Evidence Based Therapy/Supportive counseling. The incumbent will assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death. The incumbent will collaborate response to request certifications. The incumbent will enter all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record. The incumbent will work closely with the Senior Leadership in Behavioral Health Sciences to identify processes that improve patient flow, admissions, psychosocial consultation and discharges as they relate to social work consultation for patients seen for mental health and substance use disorder care. The incumbent will participate in committee assignments and will attend all appropriate staff meetings and perform other duties as required. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm, Monday - Friday, may include some evenings, weekends, holidays and on-call duties (Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor. The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care needs). Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 61009F Senior Social Worker (BHIP) Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized - As determined by Facility/Agency 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. GS-12 Senior Social Workercandidates must have the following: Experience/Education: 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. Preferred Experience: Experience in completion of Comprehensive Risk Assessments and management of crisis interventions in the VA facilities and in the community. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty The full performance level of this vacancy is 12.

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]