Summary The New Mexico VA Healthcare System (NMVAHCS) Behavioral Health Care Line is seeking an experienced independently licensed Social Worker to lead the Suicide Prevention program at the Raymond G. Murphy Medical Center. The primary role of the incumbent will be to provide oversite and program functioning for the clinical staff located in the Suicide Prevention program. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: The incumbents are expected to follow VACO guidelines with regards to management of patients at high risk for suicide. The functions of the case manager include: Collaboration with inpatient treatment providers to support appropriate discharge planning following recommendations for treatment of patients at high risk for suicide. Assuring that all veterans assigned to the facility high risk monitoring list are being followed for a time period not less than 90 days following hospitalization, or 90 days from the date of assignment to the high-risk list. Monitoring activities include: Face to face and/or telephone contact with the veteran to assess their safety and ongoing compliance with treatment. Providing mental health care when the veteran is not assigned to other clinical providers, including evidence based psychotherapy. If the safety of a high-risk veteran is unable to be established, or it is determined that the veteran is at imminent risk for self-harm, initiating emergency interventions appropriate to the situation, including but not limited to, contacting veteran's identified emergency contact, and/or calling 911. With patient's consent, contacting family members and/or other identified supports to provide education and involve in patient's treatment and safety planning. Contacting the veteran's primary therapist to coordinate monitoring activities, tracking appointments and coordinating enhanced care as needed. Making recommendations for referral of repeat attempters to a variety of appropriate programs such as SP2.0, Health Buddy, MHICM, and PRRC. Maintaining awareness of suicide treatment options and making recommendations to the patient's provider when new options become available. Assuring that all high-risk patients have completed a Safety Plan which documents crisis prevention strategies that the veteran agrees with. Safety Plans are completed by the veteran in conjunction with his/her primary therapist or case manager, or an inpatient treatment team. The Safety Plan will include ways to get assistance if an immediate crisis should occur, and the veteran will be provided a copy of the safety plan. Respond to consultations from the VA National Suicide Lifeline. Provide REACH VET contacts and care consistently with national guidelines and requirements. Assisting with provision of on-going Guide Training program (Operation SAVE) with non-clinical frontline staff such as clerks and telephone operators to assure that they are aware of options for patients with whom they come in contact during crisis situations. Assisting with outreach to community resources such as VSO's and other community groups to assure that they are aware of how to recognize veterans at risk for suicide and their options for getting these veterans assistance. Timely and accurate documentation, using appropriate notes and templates as defined within the Suicide Prevention Program facility as well as the Behavioral Health Care Line. May be required to maintain a caseload of patients for individual and group psychotherapy in person, by phone, and by VA Video Connect. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: AD-HOC (Employees who telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term basis) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications 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). 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: Supervisory Social Worker, GS-12 Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. 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 Supervisory Social Workers 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: Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services. Ability to provide staff training and development. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. Preferred Experience: Supervising multidisciplinary outpatient mental health teams. Strong organizational skills for managing complex systems. Providing time-limited evidence-based psychotherapy. Diagnosing various mental health disorders. Working with Veterans and/or military populations. Training and experience in Family Therapy. Experience in program development and implementing creative solutions to improve service delivery. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standards, GS-185, Veterans Health Administration. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
