The Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the Veterans Health Administration is Responsible for providing strategic guidance directed toward improving the quality of mental health care for over one and a half million Veterans nation-wide. The Social Work Program Coordinator serves as a content matter expert for community-based suicide prevention and facilitates integration of suicide prevention education throughout the community. 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). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and 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: Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39, Dated September 10, 2019. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019. ["Major duties include, but are not limited to: Develops, facilitates, and strengthens community-based interventions for suicide prevention at the community, state, and VISN levels. Serves as a subject matter expert in public health and suicide prevention, supporting partnerships and coalitions by providing new or existing community education and outreach initiatives on behalf of the assigned VA Health Care facility and the surrounding catchment area. Develops VHA-community partnerships by meeting with prospective community partners and/or establishing formal relationships between the VHA and local partners to facilitate suicide prevention in the community. Develops and provides suicide prevention related media/marketing, including interviews (print or broadcast), social media postings, and communication campaigns. Hosts outreach awareness tables on suicide prevention at community events. Leads meetings with prospective and existing community stakeholders focused on Veteran suicide prevention. Demonstrates effective public speaking skills and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with a variety of audiences with a focus on suicide prevention. Provides leadership with the suicide prevention team in the development and implementation of suicide prevention educational programs and initiatives. Demonstrates military cultural competence in collaborating with and supporting Veterans and Veteran Service Organizations in the community. Demonstrates strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, working with staff and stakeholders at all knowledge and proficiency levels. Promotes and utilizes evidence-based guidelines at all stages of program development and implementation. Seeks opportunities to broaden the network of outreach to the Veteran population to achieve optimum saturation in the catchment area. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday. Subject to change per agency need. Telework: AD-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:56276-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.