Social Worker - Program Coordinator

Veterans Health Administration • Shreveport, LA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Social Worker - Program Coordinator is a supervisory position in the Mental Health Service Line, with a primary assignment to the Mental Health Assessment Consult Service (MHACS) program in Outpatient Mental Health. The coordinator reports directly to the Assistant Chief Mental Health and leads the multidisciplinary team responsible for reviewing, triaging, assessing, and determining dispositions for Veterans needing inpatient or outpatient mental health consultation services.

The coordinator provides clinical supervision, leadership, coordination, and administration to the MHACS clinic. The role includes staff training and development, performance and workload monitoring, quality management, operational guidance, and development of action plans to address identified deficiencies. The coordinator uses an evidence-based holistic health framework that considers biological and psychosocial factors to support safe and effective patient care, and demonstrates leadership in addressing ethical issues affecting patients and staff.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master's degree.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level; supervisory social workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and able to provide supervision for licensure.
• One year of experience equivalent to GS-12, demonstrating advanced practice in a specialty area or progressively responsible administration, professional competency, and judgment.
• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Skill in clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement.
• Ability to ensure supervised social workers provide clinical social work services.
• Ability to delegate authority, manage priorities, coordinate work, and follow up on pending issues accurately and on time.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems, develop and implement efficient solutions, and use data to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity.
• Ability to provide staff training and development.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and background/security investigation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program and complete the required application and onboarding steps.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

• Ensure supervisees have tailored performance plans and position descriptions or functional statements detailing MHACS expectations and competencies.
• Ensure MHACS staff receive training to acquire and maintain core competencies and licensure; arrange 4–6 weeks of orientation and shadowing for new providers, depending on experience and education.
• Ensure supervisees complete recommended readings and conduct monthly staff meetings for supervision, consultation, peer support, and problem solving.
• Organize work independently, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Monitor providers' practice management trends, including patient and encounter volumes, encounter rates, and common diagnoses.
• Develop and maintain MHACS clinic standard operating procedures, memoranda, and operational guidance.
• Review monitored metrics quarterly with each MHACS provider.
• Manage quality assurance and performance auditing related to consultation modalities and access metrics.
• Hold monthly individual discussions with providers whose data indicate inadequate utilization or primary care mental health integration, and seek facilitation expertise as needed.
• Develop and implement action plans to address areas of difficulty or deficiency.
• Analyze organizational and operational problems, develop solutions for efficient operations, and use data to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity.
• Ensure staff use an evidence-based analytical framework grounded in a holistic health model that considers biological and psychosocial factors.
• Demonstrate leadership in addressing ethical issues affecting patients and staff within or beyond the organization and local health care community.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to eligibility and approval, with an award of up to $200,000.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
• Child care subsidy may be available to eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior