Senior Social Worker - Outpatient Substance Use Disorders Program

About the role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.

Responsibilities

• Independently conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments, aiming to understand the needs of both veterans, their families, and their caregivers.
• Engage actively in the treatment planning process alongside other disciplines, ensuring the patient and family's psychosocial needs are carefully considered.
• Possess a comprehensive understanding of diverse human backgrounds, adept counseling skills, and the ability to independently implement treatment plans.
• Provide a wide array of counseling services, including individual and family counseling, helping patients and their families cope with the experiences of disability, terminal illness, and death.
• Offer consultation and education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives, and VA benefits.
• Act as a consultant to their team members, providing valuable insights and guidance.
• Expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and write policies, procedures, and practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.
• Maintain data and statistical reports to comply with JCAHO, VA, and Medical Center policies and procedures.
• Meticulously document social work interventions and activities in patient clinical records, ensuring a smooth hand-off when transferring patient care.
• Evidence of a holistic approach to care through efforts in providing wellness and prevention education.
• Utilize computer software applications for documentation, data management, and tracking essential within the framework of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with patients, families, and a spectrum of community agencies, communicating fluently in diverse cultural and professional settings.
• Show in-depth knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, encompassing acute, chronic, and traumatic conditions, as well as an understanding of common medications and their associated effects and side effects.
• Participate in continuous professional growth and self-evaluation, actively participating in professional peer reviews and case conferences.
• Provide clinical supervision to social work students or social workers pursuing advance practice licensure, sharing knowledge and expertise.
• Provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and/or continuing education programs for assigned social work staff.
• Serve on committees, work groups, and/or task forces at the facility, VISN, and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the Social Work Supervisor and/or Social Work Executive.
• Provide consultation and education to medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Work schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm.
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• Benefits: Paid time off, parental leave, childcare subsidy, traditional federal pension, federal 401K, insurance, telework, and virtual options are available.

  Qualifications

  • Basic Requirements: Master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
  • Licensure: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
  • Experience: At least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure, with one year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
  • Preferred Experience: Mental Health and substance use disorders counseling.

  Skills

  • Advanced practice skills and judgment.
  • 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.
  • Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area.
  • Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and write policies, procedures, and practice guidelines.
  • Proficiency in utilizing computer software applications for documentation, data management, and tracking.

  Benefits

  Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

  Pay

  Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

  Schedule

  Monday through Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm.

  Contact Information

  VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance