The Polytrauma/SCI Coordinator is assigned to work on the Polytrauma Support Clinic Team. The Alexandria VAHCS Polytrauma Support Clinic Team's mission is to provide coordinated health and rehabilitation services to active duty service members and veterans who have experienced severe injuries resulting in multiple traumas, including spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, amputations, combat stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Duties

The Polytrauma/SCI Coordinator provides ongoing comprehensive social work services to returning combat service members, veterans and their families over the course of time VHA health care services are being provided. Duties include but not limited to: Utilizes a system to identify SCI/D patients served by the facility and community who belong in this special disability group. Serves as the point of contact for all inquiries regarding the SCI program. Develops a procedure for referrals between the SCI Center and local VA and/or community hospitals and facilitates appropriate and timely inter-facility transfers. Responsible for management of the nationwide Spinal Cord Dysfunction (SCD) Registry for the facility to include the entering, editing, compiling, analyzing, and updating of Registry data. Ensures registration of appropriate veterans for clinical, administrative, and outcome purposes. Researches community resources (local, state, and national) that are available to provide continuity of care and to enhance the quality of life of the veteran. Explores long term care placement options in the community, i.e. assisted living facilities, nursing homes, handicapped accessible housing, and state veterans' homes. Establishes collaborative relationships with physicians, nurses, and other disciplines to foster their involvement in the care of veterans with SCI. Manages the daily operation of the SCI program and provides modification of service patterns to enhance customer satisfaction. Functions as the Social Work member of the interdisciplinary SCI treatment team. Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with SCI Veterans and their families. Serves as part of the facility multidisciplinary Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) team. Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved scope of practice. Ability to determine priority for services and provide specialized treatment services. Work Schedule: 8:0am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:502-00539-F 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. 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. 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: Experience collaborating with other facilities and community stakeholders. Experience with program coordination. Experience working with medically vulnerable persons. References: VA Handbook 5005 Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

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 Alexandria VA Medical Center 2495 Shreveport Highway Pineville, LA 71360 US
• Name: Grace Jackson
• Phone: 725-780-8676
• Email: [email protected]