This Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Social Worker position is administratively aligned with the Mental Health Service located at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. PCMHI is a component of the interdisciplinary Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The PCMHI SW is assigned both as a Colocated Collaborative Care (PCMHI CCC) behavioral health consultant, as well as a Collaborative Care Manager (PCMHI CoCM) in Primary Care. This is a combined PCMHI CCC and PCMHI CoCM position.
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. 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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and writtenEnglish to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: Social Worker, 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 GS-11. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
The PCMHI CCC social worker provides brief, evidence-based interventions, education, and consultation services to Veterans, Primary Care Providers (PCPs), and allied PACT members. The PCMHI social worker works collaboratively within PACT to promote prevention, early identification, and treatment of most mild to moderate behavioral health and health behavior concerns as part of routine primary care. These services are provided in the outpatient Primary Care setting, in person and via telehealth, within a collaborative, interdisciplinary practice setting. The PCMHI CoCM social worker provides evidence-based, condition specific (e.g., depression), protocol-driven services to collaboratively assist PACT providers in treating common mental health and health behavior concerns in primary care. PCMHI CoCM services include patient education, activation, behavioral interventions, monitoring of medication adherence and response, as well as other protocol-driven services. These services are provided in the outpatient Primary Care setting, in person and via telehealth, within a collaborative, interdisciplinary practice setting. Duties include, but are not limited to the duties below: PCMHI CCC SW Clinical Practice: The PCMHI CCC social worker provides functional assessment, triage, brief intervention, education, and consultative services regarding a wide range of possible concerns. The PCMHI social worker maintains competences in the following core domains: PCMHI CCC Clinical Practice Management: Collaborates with PCPs and the interdisciplinary PACT to support high quality, effective, and coordinated service delivery at the patient and programmatic levels Utilizes intermittent visits and flexible patient contact strategies to support brief but longitudinal PCMHI care as part of PACT Performs other related clinical duties, as assigned, to meet patient needs Documentation Skills: Writes clear, concise notes that are optimized for collaboration within PACT based on the PCMHI CCC functional assessment and follow-up visit guidelines Consultation and Interdisciplinary Team-Based Skills: Engages in PACT huddles and meetings to cultivate collaborative team functioning and serve as a subject matter expert for behavioral health considerations Provides education to PACT on behavioral health and health behavior issues, as well as tips to promote effective patient communication, motivational enhancement, and behavior change Administration Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces, as endorsed by supervisors Participates in SW privileging, educational and peer review activities, in accord with SW and medical center policies Academic/Teaching/Training Supervises SW students in accord with training program policies and accrediting agency requirements Provides staff and student didactic training and consultation as requested in content areas of scholarly and/or clinical expertise Research/ Program Evaluation May participate in program evaluation and/or research activities, as endorsed/assigned by supervisors The PCMHI CoCM SW is an integral part of the PCMHI team. Duties include: Patient outreach and engagement in treatment Patient contact is frequently provided via telephone and written correspondence, however face-to-face care is within the scope of this position Initial assessment of the Veteran, including the following: Administration of validated patient reported outcome measure Review of assessments and documentation completed by others Obtain missing pertinent information from providers, patients, and medical records Routine use of a patient registry, including: Entry of all Veterans receiving PCMHI CoCM into a registry (e.g., Behavioral Health Lab software) Use of a registry to ensure patient follow-up, track engagement in PCMHI CoCM protocols, and monitor treatment response Participation in weekly caseload consultation with the consulting PCMHI Provider with Prescribing Privileges Actively seek out additional ad-hoc consultation as clinically indicated Continuously collaborate with the entire PCMHI team to ensure high quality, effective, Veteran-centered services at the patient and programmatic levels. Effectively communicate with patients, families, caregivers, VA leadership, and members of the interdisciplinary team Participate in PACT Huddles Participate in PCMHI Staff meetings Participate in VISN and National calls Other duties as assigned to support PCMHI and MH ICC operations Work Schedule: Monday-Friday: 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized