Senior Social Worker

Summary

The incumbent is assigned as a Senior Social Worker in the Integrative Medicine (IM)/ Pain Clinic specializing in Mental & Behavioral Health Integration (MBHI). The incumbent will work at the interface between IM and mental health care in an integrated care model. The position is assigned to the Mental Health Service and requires extensive work with Veterans diagnosed with chronic pain - other medical conditions - and mental illness.

Qualifications

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.

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
• Education
• Must 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Masters of 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
• Current state requirements may be found by going to
• 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: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 Experience/Education
• The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which - one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment
• Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice
• Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty
• Licensure/Certification
• Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination - unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California - which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations
• This includes individual - group - and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area - utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes
• (d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area - as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills
• (e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession - and to write policies - procedures - and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• Physical Requirements: Work is primarily performed in an office setting in the IM located at the Dayton VA Medical Center
• Work is mostly sedentary
• however - the incumbent must follow appropriate safety procedures as there will be some periods of walking and may involve light lifting - turning - or moving hands - arms - feet - and legs to operate hand and foot controls
• The position requires the use of office equipment such as computers - keyboards - telephones - fax machines - and photocopy machines
• Visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity are required
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• May be exposed to infected patients and/or contaminated materials and will be required to take appropriate safety and protective measures.

Duties

• VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties: Conducts brief functional assessments (20-30 minutes) - including routine standardized measures - triage decisions - and same-day warm handoffs
• Provides short-term - evidence-based - problem-focused behavioral interventions using flexible - intermittent contact strategies
• Collaborates with veterans/families and the interdisciplinary team to develop treatment goals - ensure safety (risk assessments - safety plans) - and determine appropriate levels of care
• Coordinates referrals to specialty mental health and community-based services - and maintains follow-up through calls - letters - and ongoing monitoring
• Responsible for furthering own professional growth through education - appropriate to area of assignment - and providing coverage for other clinical staff - as appropriate within the MHS
• Maintains a level of productivity and quality consistent with facility and Social Work standards and the complexity of the assignment
• Adheres to - supports - and contributes to the development of operational policies and procedures of the IM clinic - MHI - MHS and the Medical Center
• Executes ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program - which is reported to the Integrated Care Program Manager
• Serves on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility - VISN - and/or VA Central Office levels - especially in an effort to improve local chronic pain programing and outcomes
• Keeps supervisor appraised of problems and recommended solutions to problems encountered in the incumbent's area of responsibility
• Participates in appropriate service/facility meetings and Social Work meetings
• Shares knowledge and experiences gained from own clinical practice and education relevant to the field of Social Work
• Complies with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program and safety policies and procedures The incumbent performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday
• 8:00am-4:30pmPay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and 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 available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 92212

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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.

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