Senior Social Worker for GLOBE CBOC is an advanced practice social worker that can be differentiated from the independent practice social worker by the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification. 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 the CSWE website to verify that the Social Work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Master's 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. 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: 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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 5005/12, Part II, Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of the community. The incumbent must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary ["Duties include, but are not limited to: Interviews Clients and Conducts Psychosocial Assessments Interview Veterans to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health Interpret and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs Makes Psychosocial Diagnoses Independently evaluate the Veteran's situation, including the Veteran's reaction and ability to deal with it, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion Plans Effective Treatment Assures the transfer of health care, both inpatient and outpatient to the appropriate VHA and community resources Provide independent consultation and makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team on course of treatment Implements Treatment Provide clinical services to Veterans and family members/ significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment Give advice, guidance, emotional support, and other assistance Provide individual and group counseling services, including psychotherapy in some settings Evaluation, Education, Supervision, Coaching, and Mentoring Establish a continuing relationship with the Veteran, evaluating progress towards goals and adjusting the treatment plan as appropriate Monitor a Veteran's progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders, and shows competent discretion in decision to adjust treatment Modify services to best meet the treatment needs of Veterans and to promote efficient practice Provide clinical supervision to lesser experienced social worker staff members Serve as a mentor to other Social Worker staff members, particularly those at the entry level Supervise Social Work graduate students and provides a training experience for them in Social Work Conduct formal workshops and classes for staff Outreach conduct active outreach to Veterans involved with the medical center and local community Comprehensive Case Management Function as an ongoing case manager by performing duties to facilitate independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care, as appropriate Program Coordination Follow applicable program guidelines and procedures, both locally and nationally Responsible for following local policies and procedures for all social work and mental health programs Actively participate in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon work experiences Responsible for improving professional skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested Maintain productivity at the established required level Coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans Document social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care Participate in a rotation of on-call social workers, including modification of tour of duty to accommodate patient care needs on weekends Travel where necessary, or as assigned in the capacity of community outreach support. The incumbent will maintain a current, unrestricted driver's license Act as a liaison between VA and community resources, to include marketing and public relations duties as needed Have advanced level of knowledge and understanding of the services and benefits available from community, State and Federal agencies Perform other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0700-1600 Telework: Yes Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Recruitment Incentives: Yes Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.