This position is located in the Social Work Service at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. The incumbent is responsible for providing outpatient social work in the Subspecialty Care Clinics. This includes psychosocial assessments, coordination of Medical Companion Services, treatment planning, crisis intervention, education and referral for resources and benefits, individual and family counseling, and case management.

Duties

Functions of Position Independently conducts psychosocial assessments. Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Incumbent possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and measures outcomes to interventions. Ability to provide psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. This requires knowledge of human development, and the differential influences of the environment, society, and culture. Conducts transplant assessments in assigned areas, as requested by providers. Conducts assessments to verify need for Medical Companion upon request by Subspecialty clinic, provider, or Veteran. If need is indicated, refers and coordinates services with Medical Companion vendor. Remains available for same-day or emergent needs to ensure patients successfully get to their procedure with a responsible party and are safely transported home after surgery. Actively communicates and collaborates with Subspecialty clinics to address patient care needs as well as continually improve and strengthen the Medical Companion program and refine its processes. Monitors and updates a tracking tool to record provision of Medical Companion services. Collaborates with Social Work Service leadership and Medical Companion vendors to enhance communication and fix issues as they arise. Incumbent collaborates with Social Work Service leadership to update and revise the Medical Companion SOP, as needed. Actively collaborates with Social Work Service and Subspecialty Care leadership to standardize medical companion practice across all surgical/subspecialty care. Actively collaborates with Social Work Service leadership and current or prospective vendors to expand referral base in order to accommodate volume of Medical Companion requests. Incumbent is able to coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs. Incumbent must have knowledge of community resources, ability to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services. Incumbent provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Has working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. In addition, incumbent must have the ability to work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems utilizing individual and family counseling skills. Ability to assess psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Independently provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan. Incumbent is able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. General knowledge of veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service-connected compensation, non-service-connected pension. Facilitates referrals based upon Veterans needs and eligibility. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54180F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. 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 (MSW) 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. Please note: A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Licensure. Licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Regulations. 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). Must pass a background check. Grade Requirements: GS-11 Social Worker Assignments. This is the full performance level for social workers. GS-11 social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. They are assigned to all program areas, including inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Experience, Education and Licensure. Promotion to the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR, In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 2. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. 3. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. 4. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. 5. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-11. Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary. There is some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers, files, manuals and records. For additional information on Physical Standards please see VA Directive and Handbook 5019. http://www.va.gov/vapubs/

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 Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: Jenna McCarthy
• Email: [email protected]