The incumbent is assigned to the Salem Veterans Affairs Health Care System (Salem VA HCS) Salem, Virginia and at the outpatient clinic location in Lynchburg, Virginia. as a part of an interdisciplinary team. Social Work Services are carried out in full accordance with specific program goals and broad objectives of the VA health care system. Incumbent provides direct patient services through the Primary Care - Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) program.

Duties

DUTIES: Primary Care: The incumbent will complete PC-MHI Competencies training and will demonstrate these skills by providing brief, focused functional assessments and therapy to Veterans managed in PACT. The primary responsibilities of in this role are to provide brief assessment and intervention support to the Patient Alignment Care Team (PACT), with an emphasis on integration of mental health services within primary care. It is expected that the incumbent will successfully coordinate service delivery with Primary Care staff and other Mental Health Providers as appropriate. The incumbent applies advanced strategies to the assessment and treatment of emotional and behavioral problems encountered among patients in the primary care setting, with an emphasis on promoting good health practices, improving adherence to medical regimens, and addressing mental health difficulties that contribute to or result from medical illness. Incumbent incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Incumbent independently works with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Incumbent is seen as an expert and leader among peers in the psychosocial care of medically complex patients and frequently offers consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment and care coordination of complex patients. In addition, the incumbent will work as a care manager to provide telephone care management, monitor patients, provide education and support, and influence adherence to guidelines by providing "on-time, on-target" information to primary care providers, and collaboratively making appropriate care decisions. Clinical Functions: Independently provides a full range of assessment and evaluation services appropriate to the primary care setting, especially in the areas of emotional and behavioral problems Provides a range of advanced interventions consistent with training and expertise, with special emphasis on brief and evidenced-based interventions found to be effective in primary care settings including crisis intervention and safety assessments Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the primary care setting and the specific presenting mental or behavioral health issues Provides consultation services for primary care providers to maximize the effectiveness of their interventions in reducing health-risk behaviors and enhancing health-promoting behaviors, with a significant emphasis on a prevention-oriented model of care Supports primary care provider (PCP) decision-making, building on PCP interventions and improving PCP-patient working relationships Provides clinical care management when appropriate directly to an assigned cohort of patients Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues to include patient's decision-making capacity regarding health care Develops person-centered, culturally sensitive treatment plans to address mental health needs of patients Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients Provides consultation and training to Primary Care Service Line staff in the identification and management of common mental and behavioral health disorders that present in a primary care setting Meet with VA, community, and professional organizations and individuals as needed to carry out assigned developmental and implementation responsibilities Be mindful of keeping their supervisor apprised of problems and recommended solutions to problems encountered in the incumbent's area of responsibility Administrative Functions: Be responsible for supporting the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record and demonstrates knowledge and skill in the use of software applications for drafting documents and data management, as well as other computer systems in use by the VHA Work Schedule: 7:45am-4:30 Monday-Friday Telework: At Supervisor Discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

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. 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. Social Workers Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: GS-11 Experience and Licensure. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. OR Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) 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 (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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 Full Performance Level] Assignments. This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to: inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Duties include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Incumbent independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. In collaboration with the Veteran, family/caregiver, and interdisciplinary treatment team, the social worker facilitates the delivery of health care services. The social worker identifies family/caregiver stressors, conducts assessment and provides specific interventions. The incumbent provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. The social worker links the Veteran with services, resources, and opportunities, in order to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, and well-being. The social worker conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety plan as appropriate. The social worker provides interventions independently with Veterans and their families/caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, behavioral health, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems. They provide a range of interventions and treatment modalities which may include individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy. They independently formulate and implement a treatment plan including measurable, achievable goals identifying the Veterans' needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Social workers serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility and VISN level or in the community. They provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans offering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills. The social worker establishes and maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to the Veteran/Military population Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 11 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Salem VA Medical Center 1970 Roanoke Boulevard Salem, VA 24153 US
• Name: Kera Madden
• Phone: 540-982-2463 X2770
• Email: [email protected]