Social Worker - Emergency Department/Acute Psychiatry

About the role

This position is located in Gainesville, FL with the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS) Emergency Department and Inpatient Acute Psychiatry section. The social worker's responsibilities include the assessment of psychosocial and mental health problems, actively participating in multi-disciplinary treatment planning, individual and group counseling, and evidence based therapies with Veterans and/or their family members/significant others/caregivers.

Responsibilities

• Provides a range of duties to include clinical assessment, case management, discharge planning, groups work and serves as the subject matter expert related to discharge planning.
• Works within the interdisciplinary treatment team, to share in the development of a comprehensive treatment plan with the Veteran based on psychosocial assessment.
• Affirmatively assesses and determines needs for high risk suicide protocol to be implemented.
• Collaborates with PACT social workers, Suicide Prevention Coordinators, Mental Health Treatment Coordinators, Health Care for Homeless Veteran (HCHV) social workers, SATT Program, Residential Programs and other key internal and external stakeholders as appropriate for the Veterans care.
• Ensures appropriate patient centered discharge plans aimed to achieve maximum independence are prepared for Veterans.
• Develops the discharge plan through collaboration with the Veteran, family members/caregiver, and the interdisciplinary team. The social worker establishes plans, goals and evaluates outcomes of interventions.
• Plans and organizes work, coordinates with clinical interdisciplinary staff, other professional and clinical staff, and management personnel. Reviews and coordinates all phases of the continuing care for Veterans served within scope of practice and level of licensure.
• Educates the Veteran and family members/significant others/caregivers of the available VA/Community Resources, other various services/programs related to treatment and assists them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on Veterans preference. Ensures discussion on resources and referrals, along with all interventions are documented same day in the electronic health record.
• Has knowledge of psychosocial and mental health diagnoses and evidence based treatment modalities and has the ability to implement evidence based treatment modalities in working with Veterans and families.
• Provides education related to navigating the VA system, use of community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will/Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, and Life Sustaining Treatment Decisions through Goals of Care Conversations.
• Assesses, coordinates, and then facilitates the completion of appropriate paperwork for referrals to VA/community referrals to include, but not limited to nursing homes, community residential care facilities, assisted living facilities, medical foster homes, domiciliary, adult day health care, home based health care services, residential treatment and others.
• Provides individual and group evidence-based therapies and treatment appropriate to level of licensure and complimentary to interdisciplinary inpatient treatment to Veterans and their families/caregivers.

Requirements

The social worker is responsible for ensuring appropriate patient centered discharge plans aimed to achieve maximum independence are prepared for Veterans. Work duties are performed with appropriate level of licensure and within the guidelines of state licensure laws.

Qualifications

To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following:

• 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. 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. 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. 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.
• 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. 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).