Senior Social Worker

Summary

The Senior Social Worker is assigned to the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP), this is position serves patient population with complex health and mental health problems. This position involves clinical and administrative duties in the Outpatient Mental Health Section and requires specialized knowledge of psychiatric emergency diagnosis, intervention, and treatment.

Duties

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"The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below."

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Applies advanced professional social work methods and evidence-based intervention strategies to a full range of patient problems
• Utilizes advanced knowledge of social work intervention and behavioral health to provide advice and consultation to professionals representing a variety of disciplines
• Provides direct patient care that may include psychiatric and/or substance abuse assessment, individual, group and/or couples treatment for a variety of psychological/emotional diagnoses
• Provides intensive social work services requiring the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of social work skills
• Carries full professional responsibility for cases presenting a wide range of psychosocial and environmental problems
• Makes independent clinical decisions and recommendations for actions that can have serious impact on the lives of the people services
• Performs administrative functions such as serving as an Evidence Based Therapy Champion and/or as the Team Leader for BHIP Team meetings
• Communicates team needs to supervisory staff,
• Maintains accurate records of clinical interventions
• Practices independently, exercising initiative and independent judgment in day-to-day activities
• Collaborates with divergent multidisciplinary team members in a manner that enhances coordination of comprehensive patient care
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Subject to change based upon the needs of the agency.)

Compressed/Flexible:Not Available

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 0000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
• "Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement."
  
  

Qualifications

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States.
• 
  
  Licensure: Candidate must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. [Copies of licensure/certification must be submitted with application packet]
• Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work. [Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Conferral of degree(s) must be stated on transcript(s). Unofficial transcripts(s) are acceptable]
  
  

Preferred Experience:- Experienced in Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program


Grade Determinations:

GS-12 Senior Social Worker Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, applicants 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.

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.
  
  

Assignments. 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 such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard.



Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Infrequently, assignments may require prolonged standing. The selectee may carry light items, such as books, files, or a laptop computer. Duties require ability to walk distances, communicate verbally in a clear manner, which includes normal hearing and manual dexterity.

Education


IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.



Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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