Social Worker - Acute Medicine/Surgery

About the role

The incumbent is a Clinical Social Worker assigned to Medicine/Surgery Units located at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center located in Gainesville - FL. The Clinical Social Worker's responsibilities include the assessment of health - mental health and psychosocial problems - often at a time when the Veteran is experiencing crisis. Clinical Social Worker will review and coordinate all phases of continuing care for Veterans while they are inpatient as well as ensure follow up post discharge.

Responsibilities

• Conducts psychosocial assessments - establishes treatment and discharge plans - to include goals and executes treatment and discharge plans
• Evaluates outcomes of interventions
• Works with a wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic - cultural - ethnic - educational - and other diversified backgrounds
• Affirms the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members to formulate and implement a treatment/discharge plan - identifying the patient's problems - strengths - weaknesses - coping skills - and assistance needed
• Works with patients and families who are experiencing emotional - medical - and social problems utilizing individual - group - and family counseling skills
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with clients - staff - and representatives of local community agencies
• Collaborates with other service providers in assessing/reassessing the Veteran's needs during inpatient stay and makes appropriate warm hand off referral to the Veteran's assigned PACT - Specialty Clinic and/or other appropriate clinical social worker for follow up post discharge
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures to include acute - chronic - and traumatic illnesses/injuriescommon medications and their effects/side effectsand medical terminology for the purpose of ensuring a comprehensive assessment of biopsychosocial barriers to health and well-being
• Documents social work interventions and activities timely and as directed by standard operating procedures in the patient's electronic medical record and ensures appropriate warm hand off when transferring the patient's care to another service/clinical setting
• Working knowledge and skill in the use of word processing - data management - electronic health record - MS Office and other computer software
• Knowledge of veteran's benefits and services relating to special programs - service-connected compensation - non-service connected pension
• Social worker facilitates referrals based upon veteran's needs and eligibility
• Social worker may serve on committees - councils - workgroups - and/or task forces
• Social worker serves as liaison to community agencies and networks with agency representatives as related to assigned job duties for facilitating continued patient care in another setting
• Communicates effectively - both orally and in writing - with people from varied backgrounds

Qualifications

• 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
• 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)
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level
• GS-9 Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified - pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations
• VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent practice level
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of the Social Worker Qualification Standard - GS-0185 - September 10 - 2019 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series and grade held - including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Experience: None beyond the basic requirements
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): You must demonstrate all of the following KSAs on their resume and in their experience

Skills

• 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
• 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

Benefits

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Pay

Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Schedule

Monday - Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM

Physical Requirements

• Moderate lifting up to 44 lbs.
• Carrying objects up to 15 lbs.
• Frequent reaching above shoulder - use of fingers - hands and legs
• Walking & standing up to 8 hours
• Bending and climbing
• Able to hear whisper
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment with a lot of sitting - standing and walking up to 5 miles per day on the job
• The incumbent must be physically - emotionally and mentally stable in order to efficiently perform the essential functions of this position without hazard to themselves or others.