Job opening: Senior Social Worker-Oncology
Salary: $98 863 - 128 523 per year
Published at: Aug 21 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
The Eastern Colorado Health Care System located on the Fitzsimmons Campus in Aurora, Colorado is currently recruiting for one GS 12 Senior Social Worker to work in the Oncology Service.
Duties
Senior Social Worker duties in Oncology duties include, but aren't limited to the following:
Applies specialized knowledge of issues w/ various cancers in oncology that Veterans & their families face: including treatments, psychosocial concerns & tells them about available community resources, such as cancer support groups & educational programs & has a general knowledge about military toxic exposure benefits
Provides specialized treatment w/ complex physical & mental illness followed by Oncology team
Provides a variety of psychosocial services in outpatient/inpatient settings
Administers supportive counseling & appropriate case management services to address Veterans psychosocial needs throughout all phases of cancer diagnoses/treatment
Incorporates complex multiple causation for differential diagnosis, including making psychosocial & psychiatric diagnoses w/in approved clinical privileges/scope of practice
Conducts psychosocial assessment for wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational & other diversified backgrounds using National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress thermometer w/ all new oncology patients in active treatment
Performs social work transplant evaluations for all bone marrow/stem cell transplant candidates
Educates Veteran on how to cope w/ cancer diagnosis & gives instructions for self-relaxation, coping strategies, resources & referrals
Facilitates a variety of oncology support groups
Assesses treatment options considering Veteran's financial, familial & other pertinent circumstances
Participates Inter/Intra agency collaboration w/ Veteran's cancer care involves multiple entities
Provisions resources & referrals, i.e. transportation to/from appointments
Assists w/ end of life planning/preference, designation of care Advanced Directives, Life Sustaining Treatment goals & preferences note.
Conducts discharge planning; for placement in, in/out patient residential care facilities, skilled nursing facilities &/or alternative options
Addresses what impact cancer may have on an individual's overall functioning level of intimacy, body image, living as a survivor with uncertainty of remission
Advocates for home hospice/home health upon Veteran's request
Obtains adaptive equipment for Veteran's home to assist help them increase his/her/their level of safety
Provides individual, group, & family psychotherapy & advanced level case management interventions used in treating Veterans w/ serious medical/psychiatric disorders w/ concurrent cancer diagnoses
Uses advanced knowledge of psychosocial treatment modalities; & has ability to implement treatment modalities, provide counseling, or psychotherapy for individuals, families & groups to achieve treatment goals
Offers suggestions based on professional judgement/skills to provide support, assist Veteran with problem solving, or if necessary, perform crisis intervention techniques
Develops/implements methods for measuring the effectiveness of social work practices & services in the Oncology specialty area, utilizes outcome evaluations to improve treatment services.
Consults/mentors w/ colleagues, staff & students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in specialty areas, rendering professional opinions based on experience & expertise & role models effective social work practice skills in the special area
Provides supervision for licensure/specialty certifications
Performs case finding functions/outreach, identifies/screens patients for psychosocial needs
Coordinates community-based services, including information/referrals for additional services from other VA, government & community agency programs
Documents all clinical & administrative tasks associated w/ Veteran care according to VHA, federal & state, law, policy, procedure &/or guidance in a timely manner
Completes Reports of Abuse/Neglect according to VHA & State deadlines and reporting requirements according to applicable licensure board & NASW Code of Ethics
Demonstrates I Care values to internal/external customers
Protects printed/electronic files containing sensitive data according to laws, federal regulations, VA statutes & policy; protects data from unauthorized release, loss; alteration, &/or unauthorized deletion; follows applicable regulations & instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc
Performs other duties as required
Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm Monday-Friday
Telework: Ad hoc telework may be available for the highly qualified applicant
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD554-57-997-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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:
U.S. Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English
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). 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to the social worker position GS-0185 series in the 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 http://vaww.va.gov/ORHM//T38Hybrids.
Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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 Determination Requirements:
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.
AND
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.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1) 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.
2) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
Preferred Experience: Experience facilitating groups, working with multidisciplinary teams and knowledge, understanding and experience of the treatment process and available resources for Veterans with hematology/oncology needs and end of life issues.
References: VA Handbook 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39.
The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-12.
Physical Requirements:
Primarily light and sedentary duties, occasional moderate physical demands
Able to sit at desk for prolonged periods of time-typing/using mouse & keyboard
Frequently engages in light to moderate physical activities including sitting, walking, bending and carrying supplies up to 35 pounds
Must be able to exercise patience and control emotions
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must include your name, the school's entire name, can be unofficial transcripts, must have the name of the course, date course taken, grade received for the course, amount of credits earned for the course, date degree conferred, (if applicable), (name of degree received, (if applicable).
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 Eastern Colorado HCS Denver
13611 E. Colfax Ave
Aurora, CO 80045
US
- Name: Jeannie Wright
- Phone: (970) 263-6272
- Email: [email protected]
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