The Senior Social Worker is the Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator for the Beckley, WV VA Medical Center primarily tasked with facilitating access to the appropriate health care provider for Veterans who experienced MST.

Duties

Direct clinical service duties include, but are not necessarily limited to: Supports the implementation of National and VISN level policies related to MST at Beckley VAMC and associated CBOCs. Ensures MST screenings are being conducted properly. Veterans who screen positive and are interested in treatment are referred to the appropriate services in a timely manner. Coordinate with the facility business office and clinical service/care lines to ensure Veterans are not being charged for MST-related care and that Veterans eligible for MST care are able to access the appropriate services. Collaborate with leadership to develop a process for evaluating facility MST-related services, to ensure there is adequate capacity to serve the treatment needs of the local MST survivor population and that services are of high quality. Monitor the organization of treatment services to MST survivors to ensure that they are provided in a way that is gender sensitive. Serves as the primary contact for Veterans and other staff members with questions about MST or local MST-related services. Acts as an advocate for Veteran MST survivors in their interactions with relevant VHA clinics and offices, intervening when necessary to ensure that MST polices are correctly implemented. Provides consultation to facility offices on processes and procedures to ensure accurate and efficient implementation of MST policies. Provides consultation on MST- related clinical issues to clinicians within the facility and when appropriate, at other locations (e.g. Veterans receiving care at both medical facility and local Vet Center) regarding treatment considerations for that provider and their patient. Regular publicizes information about the role of the MST Coordinator to facility frontline staff, such as telephone operator, to ensure these staff can assist Veterans in reaching the MST Coordinator. Provides training specific to MST screening, including how to complete the MST Clinical Reminder, for relevant service/care lines, such as primary care. Provide training or instructional resources on proper documentation of MST - related care encounters for relevant service/care lines. Communicates with the appropriate mental health and primary care service/care line leadership to publicize the importance of compliance with the MST mandatory training requirements (see VHA Directive 115.01). Collaborates with facility partners and leadership to ensure that material on MST services is visibly posted or displayed within the facility Distributes outreach materials including national MST brochures and posters, local screen savers, and business or contact cares to clinics, CBOCs, service/care lines, and frontline staff such as facility telephone operators. Conducts outreach activities and events in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April), such as a Clothesline Project. Participates in or otherwise promotes inclusion of MST specific materials in community Stand Down events, National Guard "Welcome Home" events Suicide Prevention Outreach, and other Veteran outreach events. Regularly consults with program managers and coordinators in specialty programs such as Women Veterans Care, Transition and Care Management, Homelessness, and Suicide Prevention. Periodically communications with clinical Directors in Mental Health, Primary Care, Emergency Medicine, and other clinical areas. Ensures mechanisms, are in place for communication with the facility eligibility, billing, and other relevant business offices. Develops a working relationship with Public Affairs office. Maintains communication with VISN-level MST Point-of-Contact and other MST Coordinators in VISN 5. Responds promptly to requests for information from members of the National MST Support Team Participates in MST specific email lists, and National and VISN-level teleconference calls. Provide afterhours mental health assessment and crisis intervention coverage on a rotating basis to the Emergency Room. Provide direct care services to those Veterans receiving services for trauma related care, outside of the completion of required administrative duties. Perform other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. 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. Note: 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade. 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. Experience. 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 and 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. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Ability to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and assistance needed, in collaboration with the patient, family and interdisciplinary treatment team. Ability to independently conduct psychosocial assessments and provide psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. This requires knowledge of human development and behavior (physical and psychological) and the differential influences of the environment, society and culture. Knowledge and experience in the use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. Knowledge of psychosocial treatment and ability to independently implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems to achieve treatment goals. This requires independent judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to independently provide counseling and/or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups and families. Licensed Mental Health Counselors must practice within the bounds of their license or certification. Ability to provide consultation services to other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Ability to provide orientation and coaching to new mental health counselors and mental health counselor graduate students. Ability to serve as a field instructor for mental health counseling graduate students who are completing VHA field placements. Ability to independently evaluate his/her own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies, or other organized means. I. Knowledge and skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, and tracking, especially those programs in use by VHA. Ability to administratively supervise other providers and conduct meetings. Ability to maintain a professional environment by following organizational policies, guidelines and safety standards. Ability to establish and clearly communicate guidelines and performance expectations for staff. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Grandfathering Provision. 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. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-39 Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves 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 Beckley VA Medical Center 200 Veterans Avenue Beckley, WV 25801 US
• Name: Jason Matthew
• Email: [email protected]