Social Worker - Acute Care

About the role

This position is located at Lebanon VA Medical Center within the Social Work Services service line. The Social Worker will be assigned to Acute Care Inpatient Medical Care units.

Responsibilities

• Conducts psychosocial assessments to determine needs of veterans and family members
• Participates in the treatment planning process with other disciplines
• Participates in interdisciplinary team rounding - discharge planning - and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate
• Provides individual - family and group counseling as appropriate
• Acts as a consultant to other team/staff members
• Provides consultation/education to colleagues - other team members including medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure
• Acts as liaison between VA and community resources - to include marketing and public relations duties as needed
• Provides case management to veterans and families - as needed - throughout the continuum of care
• Maintains data and statistical compilations to comply with JCAHO - VA and medical center policy and procedures
• Aids patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability - terminal illness and death
• Documents social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing electronic health record and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care
• Performs additional duties as assigned

Requirements

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Qualifications

• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• In states such as California - Washington - and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years - social workers must become licensed at the independent - master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Social Worker - GS-9 Experience - Education - and Licensure None beyond the basic requirements
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities In addition to the experience above - the candidate 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
• Social Worker - GS-11 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 - candidates 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.eacute - 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

Benefits

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11

Pay

Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Schedule

Work Schedule: 8:00 a.m- 4:30 p.m

Total Rewards

• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting)
• Federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• Telework: Not Authorized
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized