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The New Mexico VA Healthcare System Behavioral Health Care Line is seeking a Senior Social Worker licensed at the Advanced Practice level in their State of Licensure for a position in the Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) Program. MHICM is a comprehensive, intensive case management program for Veterans with a diagnosis of serious mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Psychosis or Major Depressive Disorder with Psychosis. 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 Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Licensure: Candidate 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. Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Senior Social Worker Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, applicants 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. 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. Assignments. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. 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. They 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, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard. Physical Requirements: The work involves standing, stooping, lifting (perhaps greater than 50 pounds), sitting, pulling, assisting patients as needed. Additionally, moving patient and supplies and pushing patient as needed. The Social Worker is required to work at a computer work station to complete his/her documentation of incidents involving patients and the progress in the patient's overall program. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) - RANGE (Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (MHICM - RANGE) Program is a comprehensive, intensive case management program for Veterans with a diagnosis of serious mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Psychosis or Major Depressive Disorder with Psychosis. The goal of MHICM - RANGE is to provide intensive clinical case management services to Veterans who have chronic, severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses. The program is characterized by high staff to patient ratios, service delivery in the community, practical problem solving approach to the work and offers a high degree of continuity of care. The program utilizes an interdisciplinary team treatment approach and MHICM - RANGE clinicians serve as the primary outpatient psychiatric providers. The Senior Social Worker functions as a highly experienced subject matter expert on a multidisciplinary case management team within the New Mexico VA Healthcare System. This senior social worker serves assigned Veterans, and provides ongoing, intensive psychotherapeutic case management services to reduce inpatient medical and psychiatric hospitalization, while optimizing the Veteran's ability to function independently in the community. The client population's illness is chronic in nature, refractory to resolution and requires ongoing monitoring to maintain stability. This Senior Social Worker exercises independent judgment and functions autonomously in providing individually tailored services to meet the needs of the veterans on a one-on-one basis or in a group setting. This Senior Social Worker functions as the immediate and most visible point of contact to assure continuity of care and will initiate contact with other disciplines and teams regarding the coordination and delivery of services to the Veterans enrolled in the MHICM - RANGE Program. This Senior Social Worker possesses and utilizes advanced knowledge and mastery of theories and modalities used in specialized treatment and provision of complex clinical services to clients with serious psychological problems on a regular and continuing basis. This Social Worker exercises advanced and expert skills in specialized interventions and treatment modalities to include individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management interventions, crisis intervention and suicide prevention. This Social Worker employs independent judgement in the performance of program goals through frequent home visits, provides medication monitoring, crisis/stress management as well as develops, collaborates and fosters linkages to community resources and can creatively develop resources necessary to maintain Veterans in the community. This Senior Social Worker demonstrates advanced practice skills and abilities to independently provide veterans and their family members with community outreach, counseling, therapy, treatment and direct services and referral to VA and community resources. All work is conducted by the incumbent independently, without oversight or monitoring, by supervisory or managerial staff. This Social Worker demonstrates a professional mastery of knowledge and skill to provide a variety of psychological, rehabilitation, social work, counseling and mental health techniques including but not limited to individual, group, vocational, educational, substance abuse and readjustment counseling. This Social Worker will be skilled in developing treatment/recovery plans which focus on strengthening the Veteran's ability to address acute and chronic problems and will use recovery-based clinical skills to enhance Veteran's ability to direct care. This treatment/recovery plan will then be presented and discussed with the treatment team. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required"]

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