Summary

The Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) facilitates the implementation of suicide prevention strategies at a local level through education - monitoring - and coordination activities. The SPC functions as a coordinator for care of veterans at suicide risk and a consultant to the MHSL - facility leadership - program managers - and staff concerning suicide prevention strategies for individual patients - for the facility and veteran community as a whole.

Qualifications

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
• Be a citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3g this part)
• 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/
• Exception
• VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified - pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations
• This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level
• For the GS-11 grade level and above - the candidate must be licensed or certified
• At the time of appointment - the supervisor - chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification - including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification
• In all cases - social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment
• Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment
• Loss of Licensure or Certification
• Once licensed or certified - social workers must maintain a full - valid - and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment
• Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment
• 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)
• Grandfathering Provision
• The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards
• Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation
• NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS0185 social work series - they lose the grandfathering protection
• If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series - they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 Experience/Education
• The candidate 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
• Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment
• Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice
• Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty
• Licensure/Certification
• Senior social workers 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: The SPC functions as a coordinator for care of veterans at suicide risk and an advisor to the Critical Access - Recovery - & Education (CARE) Team Manager and staff concerning suicide prevention strategies for individual patients' level - and for the facility and veterans' community as a whole
• This is accomplished through: Administrative Duties for SPC 1
• The SPC is responsible for tracking and reporting all suicide attempts and completions at the facility
• 2
• The SPC is responsible for maintaining a facility \"high-risk\" list which identifies patients who have been deemed at-risk for suicide - per consultation with clinicians
• 3
• The SPC exclusively controls the Category I Patient Record Flag as it relates to suicide and limits its use to patients who meet the criteria of being placed on the facility high risk list
• 4
• The SPC maintains the list of patients who have a Category I Patient Record Flag for suicide and reviews the list at least every 90 days
• 5
• The SPC manages the Reach Vet Program and is responsible for completing all Coordinator and Provider tasks
• 6
• The SPC manages the VCL consults and assigns consults to SPC's and ensures consults are outreached and closed per National guidelines 7
• The SPC should participate in the aggregate suicide Root Cause Analyses (RCA's) and individual RCA's concerning patients who have attempted or died by suicide
• 8
• The SPC is responsible for updating and revising - as necessary - local policies related to suicide prevention training - documentation - and suicide risk assessments
• This shall be in coordination with ACOS MHSL
• 9
• Other administrative duties as assigned
• Clinical Duties for SPC: 1
• The SPC is responsible for following up on consults (within 24 business hours) received from the Veterans Crisis Line to assure timely access to care and follow-up for patients in crisis
• When needed - the SPC assists with and expedites veteran enrollment into the VA
• 2
• The SPC will contact veterans who have been identified as surviving an attempt or who are identified as being high risk
• Personal contact will be made with the veteran and the SPC will establish US mail contact with him/her in order to provide an \"enhanced care\" model of prevention which maintains communication with the veteran
• The SPC documents - when appropriate - the nature of follow-up and plans for continuing treatment in the electronic medical record
• 3
• The SPC is responsible for assisting in the suicide risk assessment (if clinical consultation is necessary) in individual patients in conjunction with the treating clinician and managing the Category I Patient Record Flag for patients at high risk for suicide
• 4
• The SPC is responsible for continued contact and monitoring with veterans that have been identified as high-risk for suicide to assure continued care and treatment
• 5
• The SPC is responsible for coordinating with providers continued contact and monitoring with veterans that have been identified as high-risk for suicide to assure continued care and treatment
• 6
• The SPC ensures that patients identified as being at high risk for suicide receive follow-up for any missed mental health and substance abuse appointments in conjunction with the clinical treatment team - and that this follow-up is documented by the MH treatment providers in the electronic medical record
• 7
• The SPC is responsible for following-up on referrals received from staff as a result of the SAVE training
• 8
• Other clinical duties as assigned
• Training and Outreach Duties: 1
• The SPC is responsible for the delivery of SAVE training - or other approved \"gatekeeper\" training - to all non-clinical staff who has patient contact
• 2
• The SPC is also responsible for the delivery of other training programs at the site by request of the facility
• 3
• The SPC is responsible for the delivery of the community version of SAVE training to community organizations that have contact with veterans
• 4
• The SPC is responsible for delivering and documenting community outreach activities every month
• 5
• The SPC is responsible for building relationships with local and state suicide prevention organizations - local crisis line organizations - and local Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs)
• 6
• The SPC should develop partnerships with their facility Transition Care Management (TCM) Coordinators - Patient Safety Managers (PSM) - Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Coordinators - local Vet Center staff - residential care teams and local mental health teams
• This partnership is to assure that patients are assessed and evaluated for suicide risk as appropriate and preventative interventions are in place
• Work Schedule: M-F 8:00am-4:30pm Occasional Weekend Outreach required Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized