Career Center

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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:

• 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
• 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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j - this part
• 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: 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
• References: VA handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor
• The work is primarily sedentary - although the stress involved in dealing continually with persons in emotional distress and who may be uncooperative makes this work notably more demanding than most sedentary jobs.

Duties

• The Senior Social Worker in Ambulatory Care - located at the Eureka Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) - provides social work services to the Veteran population presenting in PACT clinics at Eureka CBOC
• Services consist of advanced skill level assessments and interventions to address complex psychosocial issues including: coping in the community - assessment of suspected abuse - especially elder abuse and issues related to capacity
• interventions such as counseling to patients and families around adjustment to disability - chronic illness - loss and end of life issues
• crisis intervention
• advance directive education
• coordination of linkages to appropriate VA or community service providers/agencies
• short-term - focused case management
• and consultation to multidisciplinary team members on the psychosocial aspects of illness and individualized patient care
• Services are timely - comprehensive - and effectively coordinated with all other healthcare providers
• Psychosocial assessment and intervention are integrated into a complex treatment plan
• Continuity of care is key
• The Senior Social Worker contributes significantly to longitudinal care
• Advanced practice social work assessment and intervention skills assure patient safety - completion of referrals - and firm hand-offs to resource agency programs and providers in the setting of complex - high risk patient presentation and care
• Volume and/or acuity require social work expertise in geriatrics including management of competency and functional decline - multiple medical and high-risk psychosocial issues
• The ability to practice independently within this context is critical
• The Social Worker demonstrates an ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession - provide consultation and guidance to colleagues - role model effective social work practice skills - teach or provide mentorship to less experienced social workers - develop innovations and practice interventions - and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure and certification Senior Social Workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level
• Senior Social Workers typically practice in a major program area with complexity
• The Senior Social Worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns
• Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics
• The Senior Social Worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans - ensures equity of access - service - and benefits to this population - ensures the care provided is of the highest quality
• The Senior Social Worker provides leadership - direction - orientation - coaching - in-service training - staff development - and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff
• They serve on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility - VISN and national level - or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor - Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services
• This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management
• This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation
• The Senior Social Worker demonstrates the ability to independently conduct a psychosocial assessment with a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - cultural - ethnic - educational - and other diversified backgrounds
• The assessment includes documentation of identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse - neglect - exploitation and/or intimate partner violence - as well as strengths - limitations - coping skills - and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the Veteran's functional status
• The Senior Social Worker develops the assessment in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team - the Veteran - available family members and significant others
• The Senior Social Worker identifies family/caregiver stressors and provides specific interventions
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm or as determined by supervisor
• Telework: Not available at this time
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact v21ccoedrp@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more