Social Worker - Acute Medicine
What you'd do
The incumbent is responsible for the management, coordination and provision of social work services to Veterans and their families on the Acute Medical/Surgical/ICU and provide coverage of Emergency/Urgent Care. The social worker often functions as a care coordinator/case manager with a panel of Veterans to ensure that their health care meets their needs, as defined by the Veteran.
Major duties
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: 1. will conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of veterans and family members. 2. is an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines. 3. will participate in discharge planning with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. 4. will provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate. 5. will provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits. 6. will act as a consultant to other team/staff members. 7. will provide consultation/education to medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure. 8. will act as liaison between VA and community resources as needed. 9. will provide case management to veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care. 10. will provide a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work practice which includes case work, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate. 11. will address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area. 12. will complete suicide assessment and safety planning procedures. 13. may provide wellness/prevention education and facilitate patient/family support groups as appropriate. 14. will coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for veterans. 15. will participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the service manager. 16. will maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission, VA and medical center policy and procedures. 17. will assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death. 18. will document social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing electronic medical record system and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care. The incumbent demonstrates the capacity to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues and stakeholders, and role model effective social work practice skills. Apart from providing consultation and case management on difficult and complex clients. Additionally, the incumbent may represent social work and social service issues in care line, facility or community committees and workgroups. Demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and provide supervision for licensure. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
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: 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. Education Requirement: 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 Requirement: 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/. Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. 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: GS-9 (Entry Level): Experience and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the applicant's resume must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. GS-11 (Full Performance Level): Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the applicant's resume must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.
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