Senior Social Worker-Access Crisis Team

Full Job Description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.

You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.

Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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 n 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/.

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: 1 Year of Mental Health Crisis work. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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.

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.

This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

Major Duties:

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Access Crisis Team (ACT) Senior Social Worker (SSW) is a member of a 24/7 interdisciplinary treatment team which provides crisis/mental health services to the Emergency Department (ED) and consultation to outpatient mental health services for new and returning Veterans seeking mental health services.

Additionally, the SSW also responds to crises in the community as they arise, arranging transport and notifying authorities when appropriate, but not physically going into the community.

Collaborates with other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans to ensure equity of access, service, & benefits & that the care provided is of the highest quality.

Assesses patients by phone and provides crisis counseling/intervention, including instructing the patient to present to the ED or follow-up with established providers.

Contacts local law enforcement for wellness check as deemed necessary.

Establishes and maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to mental health crisis management.

Provides education and referrals to veterans for community services, & coordinates these services, as necessary. Acts as a liaison between community & VA programs as needed.

Makes appropriate referrals, as indicated, to reporting agencies such as Department of Family Services, Adult Protective Services, police, etc.

Facilitates transfer and/or discharge from ED with appropriate continuity of care. Social workers cannot complete interfacility transfers or discharge.

Arrange & facilitate transfer of mental health patients to the SLC VAMC IPU from a variety of community placements, including from other states, which requires ACT SW to be familiar with not only the state laws of Utah but the surrounding states as well.

Completes the initial assessment, evaluation, treatment, & disposition (including involuntary holds) of Veterans in crisis with an acute and/or chronic mental illness responding to acute mental health crisis situations in the ED & the entire campus..

Assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, challenges, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.

Provides assessment, brief psychotherapeutic interventions, and treatment referrals for veterans presenting with substance use disorders.

Facilitates admissions (both voluntary and involuntary) to the inpatient psychiatric unit (IPU) and/or collaborates with community facilities for psychiatric resources, to include admission.

Social workers cannot admit. Provides clinical recommendations to ED physicians regarding appropriateness of psychiatric admissions and/or ED discharge with referral(s).

Provides education to both Veterans and family members regarding relevant mental health concerns Provide access consultation to new & returning Veteran requesting mental health care including referrals to a wide variety of services & treatments provided by the SLC VAMC.

Conduct interventions using evidence-based strategies to a full range of complex psychosocial needs in the ED.

Evaluates patients in the ED for involuntary psychiatric holds & completes appropriate paperwork.

Serves as a resource for SLC VAMC staff regarding the local laws & regulations regarding involuntary psychiatric holds.

Determines suicide & homicide risk utilizing current evidence-based research tools.

Assess & intervene in high acuity situations with dynamic psychiatric emergencies applying a high level of clinical knowledge & expertise.

Provide a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment & uses the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques.

Perform evaluations for wide array of patients representing diverse diagnostic entities.

Completes comprehensive suicide risk evaluations (CSRE), safety planning, & suicide behavior reports, Ensures adherence to facility and national risk management policies for assessment, management, consultation & documentation related to suicide/homicide risk.

Documents psychological interventions & consultation activities in the patient's clinical record utilizing the electronic health record (EHR).

Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Accountable for practice, including entering patient visits, appropriate clinical documentation, and entering consults.

Work Schedule: Variable Hours/Shifts Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.

Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Telework: Ad-hoc - May be Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 57276A