The Assistant Chief of Mental Health Service (MHS) is directly responsible for the effective management, functioning, and coordination of patient care services throughout all areas of the medical center where MHS staff are assigned. Incumbent works with the Chief, MHS and other service line administrative and clinical personnel to develop, evaluate and maintain effective mental health services and programming throughout the medical center and in selected community-based settings.

Duties

The service provides extensive outpatient mental health services through the Mental Health Clinic (MHC) including treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through the PCT, Military Sexual Trauma, substance use disorders, traumatic brain injury, treatment for Serious Mental Illness (SMI)through medication management, evidence-based therapies, couples therapy, neuropsychology evaluations, and Peer Support Specialist services. In addition, the service also offers Mental Health Intensive Case Management Program Rural Area Network Growth Enhancement (MHICM RANGE),Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program including transitional and supportive employment programs, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), Substance Abuse Aftercare, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration Program, Suicide Prevention, Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) and Mental Health Emergency Department Walk-In Clinic. Additional services include health promotion and disease prevention, homeless Veteran programs, geriatric services, and community outreach. Duties include, but not limited to: Provides leadership, guidance, and coordination of multidisciplinary staff to ensure the provision of comprehensive and quality services to meet the needs of Veterans served. Goals follow the mission/vision of the Veterans Administration (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), Western North Carolina VA Health Care System and program direction of the Mental Health Service Plans and schedules work in a manner that promotes a smooth flow and even distribution. Coordinates, plans, and schedules with staff, the Section Chiefs, and customers as appropriate. Identifies need for changes in priorities and takes action to implement such changes. Oversees all operational aspects of the MHS including hiring, business operations, strategic planning, development and implementation of policies and procedures, and budget management, and exercises a very wide latitude of independent judgment in these duties. Serves as Coordinator of the MHS Performance Improvement Program. In this capacity, the incumbent works closely with the medical center 's Quality Management (QM) Manager and functions as the liaison between the QM Office and MHS. Provides information and direction to MHS staff regarding performance improvement and accreditation (Joint Commission and GARF) issues, assists in MHS preparation for accreditation visits, and provides timely, thorough, and accurate performance improvement reports to the MHS Chief. Provides leadership in hiring of new staff members for each program, which may include constructing job announcement(s), preparing functional statements or position descriptions, rating applications, interviewing, and selecting final job candidates. Serves on decision-making committees and task forces at the medical center. Conducts diagnostic evaluations by clinical interview, objective and/or projective testing, intellectual assessment, organicity screening, and behavioral observation. Interprets and integrates the findings with all other available patient data and writes these outcomes incomprehensive psychological evaluations. Functions independently as a member of the medical staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Remains thoroughly cognizant of the latest professional techniques and developments in the assigned specialty area and is able to apply them, when suitable to their work. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4:00PM Telework: Ad-hoc; at discretion of Service Chief Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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 Requirement:You must 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. Grade Determinations: Minimum Qualifications: Social Worker (Assistant Chief) GS-14: Experience/Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. 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. Licensure/Certification: Must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice. Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the GS-14 grade level, size, scope, significance and impact are greater than the GS-13 grade level. The assistant chief social worker responsibility includes management of large, complex, social work services within the organization. The assistant chief social worker provides supervision to social work service, with multiple sections or programs across the health care delivery system as well as supervisors. Social work service includes staff members of different grades, as well as multiple disciplines, various treatment sites and at locations close to and distant from the medical center. Preferred Experience: Strong supervision skills References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Duties performed require some physical effort such as sitting, standing, driving, walking, bending, typing, and carrying of light items such as papers, files, books, or reports that do not require special physical demands. The work requires typical safety precautions associated with working in the community and mental health care settings, such as, patient physical or verbal interactions, driving a Fleet vehicle, working with office equipment, and avoiding real or potential accidents. The work may also require occasional travel to local area satellite facilities and/or out of town/state for required/suggested training, conferences or meetings.

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 Charles George VA Medical Center 1100 Tunnel Road Asheville, NC 28805 US
• Name: Christina Trull
• Phone: 828-318-6521
• Email: [email protected]