The Senior Social Worker for the Psychiatric Emergency Clinic (PEC) will provide Mental Health services to the Veteran population that present to the Emergency Department with mental health issues and/or crises or who call to the Psychiatric Emergency Clinic in crisis as part of Durham VA Health Care System.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Services include provision of high-quality assessment and evaluation, diagnosis, case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or non-VA community service providers/agencies as needed by the patient. This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the Psychiatric Emergency Clinic (PEC) or other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate. As this position is scheduled in early mornings, late evening and weekends, the social worker also assists Veterans and their families with other services including discharges, advance directives, lodging, homelessness, and other issues when they are the only social worker scheduled in the medical center. Functions or scope of assigned duties include but are not limited to: The Senior Social Worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The Senior Social Worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. The Senior Social Worker will serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, or Chief of Social Work Services. Screening/Assessment - The Senior Social Worker independently evaluates Veteran referrals to PEC. Based on the clinical impressions, the Senior Social Worker uses professional judgment and advanced practice skills, while working within the interdisciplinary treatment team, to determine best course of action in addressing the precipitants that led to the PEC referral. The Senior Social Worker demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment and skills needed for severing Veterans with acute mental health needs particularly those dealing with issues of severe mental illness, substance use and the assessment of high-risk factor. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The Senior Social Worker is responsible for developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family as it relates to the referral to PEC. The Senior Social Worker has skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This may include individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. The Senior Social Worker has the ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. The Senior Social Worker has the knowledge of developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the PEC, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Crisis Intervention - The Senior Social Worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. This Senior Social Worker has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the mental health clinic at the VA Health Care System. Education/Health promotion and prevention - The Senior Social Worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team members and learners for identified health education needs. The Senior Social Worker has the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the PEC. Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services -The Senior Social Worker will review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran being referred for emergency mental health services. The Senior 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. Work Schedule: 10-hour tours; between the hours of 7:00a.m.-11:00p.m. (Tour of duty subject to change at the need of the service) Compressed/Flexible:Available Telework: Ad-Hoc telework may be available at the discretion of the Service Chief or equivalent Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. 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/. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education: 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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: Suicide Screening/Safety Planning Acute Care/Emergency Room Patient Treatment Substance Use Disorder Treatment Crisis Intervention Risk Assessment Mental Health Diagnosis References: VA HANDBOOK 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: 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. The Social Worker 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 Social Worker 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Durham VA Medical Center 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC 27705 US
• Name: Tierra White
• Phone: 919-827-2514
• Email: [email protected]