The Senior Social Worker reports directly to the Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Social Worker Supervisor. The Senior Social Worker is tasked to work in the Emergency Department, Medical Units, meet with Veteran walk ins to BHS and perform tasks as needed at Wilmington VAMC with responsibility to provide direct services for adult and geriatric Veterans and their families.

Duties

The incumbent will conduct biopsychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members Be an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines Participate in discharge planning with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate Submit consults to other VA hospitals and refer to local community-based hospitals for acute psychiatric care and substance abuse detox Assist with discharge planning on in-patient medical floors after during and after regular business hours Provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate Provider will complete assigned Veteran Intakes Complete mental health consult tasks and audits as directed Provide consultation/education to Veterans and families on community resources, advance directives, and VA benefits Act as a consultant to other team/staff members Act as liaison between VA and community resources, and provide case management to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care Provide a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work practices which includes individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate Address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area Provide wellness/prevention education and facilitate Patient/family support groups as appropriate Supervise the practice of social work students or at times act as a Social Work Preceptor, as needed Coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans Participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the BHS Social Work Supervisor Maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission (JC), VA and medical center policy and procedures, as well as satisfying BHS needs for data collection Assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death Document social work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS and ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care Social Worker documents in accordance with Social Work and Medical Center policies, and the requirements of JC. This may include documentation of screening and/or biopsychosocial assessments within the time frame required. Progress notes are timely and reflect all pertinent information and outcomes regarding ED interventions Responsible for maintaining accurate record of relevant trainings and participate in continuing education in accordance with VA policy and state licensure The Social Worker has the ability to evaluate his/her own practice through professional peer review, case conferences and other organizational means The Social Worker will complete all mandatory VA trainings in a timely manner Receive training and utilize tele-mental health services as needed to assist the Wilmington CBOCs Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Interdisciplinary Treatment Team in the Wilmington VAMC, colleagues and VA in accordance with NASW Code of Ethics, VHA Code of Ethics, and local ethics policies, which includes but is not limited to compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality and release of information, and protecting Veterans' personal identifying information Must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary Other related duties as needed. Work Schedule: Wednesday to Saturday, 10am - 830pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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. Language: Applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Education: You 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. You Must Upload a Copy of Your Conferred Transcripts With Your Application Licensure: Senior Social Workers (GS-12) 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/ You Must Upload a Copy of Your License With Your Application Specialized Experience GS-12: In addition to the basic requirements, you must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, GS-11, which is directly related to the position to be filled. You also 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. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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. 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 area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. 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. 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. 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). References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Wilmington VA Medical Center 1601 Kirkwood Highway Wilmington, DE 19805 US
• Name: Heather Shipp
• Phone: (302) 333-6713
• Email: [email protected]