Career Center

There are two vacancies for this position in either the Coralville, IA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) or the Davenport, IA Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC). Suicide Prevention Coordinators are clinically trained and dedicated fulltime to Suicide Prevention Program implementation at the VA medical facility. 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/. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 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. Documentation is required if part of your state's requirements for providing supervision for licensure is beyond your licensure only (example: certification of continuing education credits) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs (document with written demonstration of KSAS must be included with application, see required documents section): 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 ["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. 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. Learn more EDRP is ONLY eligible for the Coralville, IA CBOC location The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. The position is responsible for facilitating the implementation of suicide prevention program (SPP) using public health approaches at a local level through education, outreach, monitoring, care and coordination of activities related to suicide prevention. The Suicide Prevention Coordinator serves as the VA medical facility subject matter expert and point of contact for matters related to suicide including prevention, intervention, post-vention efforts, suicide death and behavior reporting, education and outreach. This position is a Social Worker within the Iowa City VA Health Care System. Duties include but are not limited to the following: Tracking and reporting on Veterans who have attempted suicide or are at high risk for suicide Responding to referrals from the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) and self-referrals from other sources Ensuring that all VA staff members have received discipline-appropriate suicide prevention training (VA S.A.V.E. training or equivalent. Collaborating with community organizations and partners to increase awareness of suicide prevention best practices and providing training to individuals who have contact with Veterans Providing subject matter consultation to providers on available resources for suicidal individuals, as well as expertise and direction in the areas of system design to prevent deaths by suicide. Working with providers to ensure that monitoring and treatment is intensified for high-risk patients while making sure that those who are at elevated risk receive education and support about approaches to reduce risks Reporting to OMHSP on Veterans who attempted or died by suicide and sending OMHSP requested data, which is used to determine characteristics and risks associated with these groups of Veterans Ensure Iowa City VAHCS follows prescribed practice related to the activation, management and deactivation of High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flags (HRF-PRF). Assist, as needed, with clinical outreach contacts related to VCL consults, REACH VET outreach, flag reviews, post-discharge f/u or any other contacts necessary to meet clinical needs and program requirements. Ability to select the pertinent techniques for data collection and identify aspects of successful program operations that can be used for improving this and similar programs, including the ability to utilize a variety of fact-finding techniques The incumbent uses judgement in meeting patient needs by selecting and adapting various therapies in accordance with the guidelines. Significant deviations from the guidelines are referred to the supervisor. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining case records in a manner consistent with medical center, JCAHO, and other applicable standards. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm OR Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm\nTelework: The occasional use of telework may be authorized\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: Social Work Program Coordinator #000000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]