The Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) is a multi-site medical system with an academic teaching mission that includes medical centers, rehabilitation facilities, community living centers, and community based outpatient clinics. Services include primary health care, medicine, surgery, mental health and substance abuse treatment, home health care and geriatrics/long term care, respite, hospice, palliative care, and emergency care.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Independently conducts psychosocial assessments. Develop treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and measure outcomes of interventions. Possesses advanced knowledge and ability to assess and treat the unique bio-psychosocial needs of returning combat veterans. Independently performs casework and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs. Possesses the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, and provide counseling for individuals, families, and groups. Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs. Provides crisis intervention and case management services, which seek to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint. Coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Possesses working knowledge and experience in the 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. Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families. Independently work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems utilizing individual, group, and family counseling and therapy skills. 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 plans. Evaluate own practice, and participate in Social Work professional peer review, case conferences, and other organizational means. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. Investigates Code Orange reports from the FM CBOC and provides clinically relevant input to the clinic manager affecting the final disposition of the case. Participates in VAMHCS administrative investigative boards and Code Orange reports. The social worker also helps to formulate treatment plans for veterans facing disciplinary actions as a result of the Code Orange investigation. Consult on issues of possible adult and child abuse/neglect, assess veterans and their families, and make Adult/Child Protective Service reports if warranted. Provide appropriate VAMHCS documentation for these cases, as per VAMHCS policy. Knowledge of veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service-connected compensation, and non-service-connected pension. Facilitates referrals based on veterans' needs and eligibility. Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the consumer constructively and appropriately. Knowledge and skill in the use of word-processing, data management, and other computer systems, especially those programs in use by VHA. Provides scheduling options in accordance with VHA DIRECTIVE 2010-027. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:0000 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. 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 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: 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. Preferred Experience: Must have at least 2 years of medical social work experience. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 PG949 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 VA Maryland Health Care System 10 North Greene Street Baltimore, MD 21201 US
• Name: Nikki Watson
• Phone: 410-605-7000
• Email: [email protected]