The Senior Social Worker practices within the Polytrauma Program within Social Work Service. The PSSW may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics.

Duties

Scope of Assigned Duties: Interviews Clients and Conducts Psychosocial Assessments Interviews Veterans to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting concerns and the impact of such on the Veteran's functioning and health. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs. Ensuring smooth transition between components of the PSC, between VA and DoD, and between hospital and home environment Makes Psychosocial Diagnoses Independently evaluates the Veteran's situation through psychosocial assessment. Based on the psychosocial assessment, uses professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make psychosocial diagnoses. Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veteran and family or significant others. Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving illness involving psychiatric, medical conditions, dementia and other high-risk diagnoses. Makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action. Plans Effective Treatment Assures the transfer of health care, both inpatient and outpatient to the appropriate VHA and community resources. When provision of direct services are indicated develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with other social workers, case manager, managed care staff and discharge planners. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the Veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance makes initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VHA services and referrals. Acting as the conduit between the Veteran and their family, and the interdisciplinary team (IDT) for communication and care coordination. Ensuring that Veterans' and their family's goals and preferences are included in the IRCR plan of care and that the plan is communicated to the patient. Implements Treatment Provides clinical services to Veterans and family members/ significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment. Gives advice, guidance, emotional support, and other assistance. Provides individual and group counseling services, including psychotherapy in some settings. Assists and encourages Veterans and significant others in facing problems, thinking them through, evaluating the situation realistically, considering alternative courses of action, and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems. Evaluation, Education, Supervision, Coaching, and Mentoring Establishes a continuing relationship with the Veteran, evaluating progress towards goals and adjusting the treatment plan as appropriate. Meets with Veteran to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals. Monitors Veteran's progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders, and shows competent discretion in decision to adjust treatment. Makes recommendations for care and changes to interdisciplinary treatment plan. Documents independently in the medical records utilizing paper and/or electronic formats, including psychosocial assessments, diagnostics, treatment, progress notes, clinical orders, follow up, and referral. The Social Worker provides clinical supervision to lesser experienced social worker staff members Serves as a mentor to other Social Worker staff members, particularly those at the entry level. Provides day-to-day direction for Social Workers, and other Social Work Service staff members. Conducts formal workshops and classes for staff Outreach: The Social Worker is required to conduct active outreach to Veterans involved with the medical center and local community. This outreach may also include field interviews, assessments and referrals for Veterans contacted in community settings. Comprehensive Case Management: The Social Worker functions as an ongoing case manager by performing duties to facilitate independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care, as appropriate. This includes timely discharge planning. The Social Worker will address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area. Program Coordination: Social Worker follows applicable program guidelines and procedures, both locally and nationally. The Social Worker actively participates in the program conference calls and attends program trainings and meetings Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 0000000 Relocation Incentives: Not Available Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Available Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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: 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 the CSWE website to verify that the Social Work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Master's 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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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: 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/12, Part II, Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of the community. The incumbent must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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 Carl T Hayden Veterans' Administration Medical Center 650 East Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ 85012 US
• Name: Merry Caguioa
• Phone: (858)253-0326
• Email: [email protected]