Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) is an emerging discipline which works as the interface between primary care and mental health care in a blended, integrated care model. PCMHI care management assures adequate identification and treatment of a variety of emotional and psychiatric problems. The PCMHI Social Worker provides education and brief interventions to patients, monitors response to and side effects from treatment, and provides education and support to patients.

Duties

Must have a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families. The incumbent is able to independently work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral and psychosocial problems Must independently complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable Must actively participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Veterans and family as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members in the development and implementation of treatment goals and interventions Must possess a working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures including acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses, common medications and their effects/side effects and medical terminology May facilitate action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner. Community placements can involve but are not limited to referrals to contract nursing homes, Community Living Centers, residential care homes, inpatient and outpatient hospice services Must serve as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA staff members and community resources in order to ensure thorough delivery of services Must possess knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide educational classes, and/or supportive groups for Veterans and families Must provide consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs and advance directives. This includes the incumbent's knowledge of the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community programs. Provides follow-up of patient progress and treatment adherence with assessments and communication with their primary care team Must maintain knowledge of Veterans benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies Must possess skills and knowledge to provide case management services to Veterans and their families throughout the continuum of care Must possess and demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds and the ability to remain organized Is able to maintain a level of productivity and quality consistent with the complexity of the assignment and consistent with Social Work and other standards Provides patient education in areas such as depression, anxiety and substance misuse to patient with an emphasis on health promotion and functional restoration If needed, assesses patients for use of appropriate telehealth devices, follows procedures for ordering through Prosthetics Service, documents installation and education in the computerized medical record Acts as a resource to educate stakeholders on PCMHI practices/programs Provides various services within the PCMHI program model, that includes: care management, medication monitoring, watchful waiting, brief alcohol intervention, and referral management Is responsible for supporting Is responsible for supporting the mission, policies and procedures of Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health administration (VHA), and appropriate Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and the facility Is willing to serve on committees, work groups and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the BHS Supervisor Is responsible for furthering one's own professional growth through continuing education and for ensuring continuing education appropriate to the are of assignment Is able to provide assistance with the orientation and learning of less experienced social workers and if interested, to serve as a preceptor for Social Work Students Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Senior Social Worker/PD000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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. 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. (Copies for transcripts must be provided with application) 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. (Copies of License and Certification must be submitted with application) 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). The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If Social Workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. Senior Social Worker: Grade Determinations GS-12 level: Education and Experience - 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. Social Workers at the GS-12 grade level are experts in their specialized area of practice. Social Workers at his level 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 - Social Workers at this grade level 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 {KSA's} - In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSA's: 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 Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker, available in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 Wilmington VA Medical Center 1601 Kirkwood Highway Wilmington, DE 19805 US
• Name: Heather Shipp
• Phone: (302) 333-6713
• Email: [email protected]