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Current, permanent VA employees or Federal employees from another agency should apply under CBST-11854061-23-AK. This position is located in Social Work & Care Transitions (SW&CTS) Service at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS). This VA Medical Center provides healthcare services to over 70,000 Veterans throughout most of Arkansas. The Clinical Deployment Teams are created to enhance VA disaster preparedness and response to disasters. 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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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/. 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. Preferred Experience: - At least 2-3 years of medical social work experience. - Prior experience working on an interdisciplinary team. - Prior experience working in an Emergency Department or other Crisis Intervention role. - Prior experience working with patients who may have Substance Use and/or other Mental Health needs. - Prior experience with completing suicide risk evaluations and/or other crisis intervention. - Demonstrated ability/experience in working without close supervision or support. - Works well with others, using a team approach to meeting program or agency goals. - Proficient in Microsoft Office (especially Word & Excel) and other software programs. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds), light lifting (under 15 pounds), moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking, standing, operation of crane, truck, tractor, or motor vehicle, hearing (aid permitted), mental and emotional stability. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services). A current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state-issued Driver's License. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The duties of the Senior Social Worker in the Social Work Service include but are not limited to: Clinical Deployment Team members must: Be available to deploy with 72 hours' notice within 2 windows of time per calendar year, for up to a month at a time Work in a high-stress environment, possibly in austere conditions or an emergency setting Treat or provide direct patient care within the requirements of practice/privileges/licensure Participate in CDT training activities and demonstrate readiness to apply professional skills to a range of emergency situations Ensure qualifications and required certifications are maintained, including Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), or Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification Maintain CDT physical readiness requirements, vaccinations, and safety precautions related to infection control The CDT Senior Social Worker (during deployment) will: Independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members. Formulates and implements a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed, in collaboration with the patient, family, and interdisciplinary treatment team. Independently provides a full range of assessment and evaluation services appropriate to the care setting. Provides psychosocial treatment to various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. Works with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues to include patient's decision-making capacity regarding health care; Develops person-centered, culturally sensitive treatment plans to address the needs of patients. Creates action plans to ensure assessment and crisis intervention services are maximized based on circumstances and availability of resources. Conducts crisis intervention strategies, including assessment and diagnosis. Conducts outreach to vulnerable populations, including disadvantaged areas. Identifies impacted Veterans and connect them with VA and community resources. Assists with locating family members and loved ones. Assists with contacting hospitals or other relevant locations to locate medical records or emergency documentation Provides subject matter expertise in all phases of disaster response plans, including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Non Deployment Functions/Duties: The Senior Social Worker will: Completes Psychosocial Assessments for assigned population. Performs specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness, including adjustment to chronic or life-threatening diagnoses. Incumbent incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Communicates with team members to ensure coordinated treatment program and ensure timely and cost-effective outcomes. Acts as a consultant and resource for community agencies and other VA Medical Centers. Provides educational information to veterans and their families regarding treatment related issues. Educates referral sources, community agencies, Veteran Service Organizations and other interested parties regarding the scope and management of this patient population. Participates in goal sharing groups that address performance improvement monitors. Provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy or counseling and advanced level case management interventions for assigned populations. The incumbent will assist in mitigating any medical or psychiatric crises arising in presenting veterans, within the scope of social work practice, and participate in developing crisis management and safety plans to minimize the event of future crises. Provides advanced level case management to assist the Veteran with psychosocial issues, which impact the Veterans' quality of life. Actively participates in case conferences, meetings, Interdisciplinary Team Meetings, or presentations involving problems or issues of considerable consequence or importance to assigned patients population. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required A current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state-issued Driver's License."]

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