The Senior Social Worker possesses advanced practice skills and judgment and at least two years in an area of specialized social work practice. The Senior Social Worker is assigned to a major specialty treatment program or to a special patient population with highly complex physical and/or mental health problems requiring advanced-level psychosocial interventions.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: A. Program and Data Management: VAPORHCS is accredited by the Commission on Cancer as a Cancer Care Center. Social Work Service and social work staff play integral roles in supporting and advancing cancer care services and ensuring continued accreditation. The CCNT social worker is assigned the role and responsibility for ensuring that Commission on Cancer Accreditation Standards associated with social work practice (e.g., Standard 3.1 Patient Navigation Process, 3.2 Psychosocial Distress Screening, and 3.3 Survivorship Care Plans) are met. In this capacity, the CCNT social worker will serve on the Cancer Care Committee, work closely with physician and nursing leadership in the Department of Hospital & Specialty Medicine, provide social work leadership with the Oncology Section, to include Hematology/Oncology clinics and the facility and VISN 20 Cancer Care Navigation Teams. B. Psychosocial Screening and Assessment: The incumbent conducts psychosocial screens and/or assessments of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others. The purpose of the assessment is to understand the Veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's level of functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment that highlights the Veteran's strengths, limitations, high risk factors, acuity levels, and internal/external supports and service needs in order to optimize the Veteran's functional status. The initial assessment will be completed as specified by the policy for the assigned work area. An initial patient assessment is required as well as reassessments as defined in policy. The assessment may require a clinic visit or be accomplished through virtual technology. It is the responsibility of the social worker, working within the interdisciplinary treatment team, to develop a treatment plan with the Veteran based on this assessment. The incumbent completes behavioral health clinical reminders for patients in assigned specialty clinics. The social worker conducts clinical reminders during clinic visits and, as needed, by telephone as clinic visit follow-ups. The social worker will also provide clinical support to non-assigned specialty clinics for behavioral health clinical reminders. C. Psychosocial Treatment and Intervention: The CCNT Social Worker works closely with Veterans to identify and support their preferences in care and personal treatment goals, and offers resources and support tailored to the uniquely expressed needs and desires of the Veteran. The CCNT Social Worker serves as the key link for education and psychosocial support for Veterans, families, and caregivers across the continuum of cancer care. The incumbent participates in the creation of the Veteran's treatment plan, with special attention to the psychosocial elements of the treatment plan and identifies needed psychosocial interventions. The plan is developed in collaboration with interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others, and incorporates measurable goals. The incumbent regularly reviews psychosocial treatment goals and revises them as needed. The incumbent also regularly evaluates the effectiveness of the services provided through reviewing outcome measures and makes appropriate modifications as identified by these evaluations to ensure the provision of high-quality care and interventions. The incumbent demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs, and age-associated illnesses and conditions. The incumbent provides a full range of psychosocial treatment interventions, including, but not limited to Veteran and caregiver support for emotional needs, information and referral for financial and other resource needs provided by VA and community agencies, and appropriate and timely involvement of palliative and hospice care. D. Specialized Case Management and Care Coordination: The incumbent provides intensive and comprehensive psychosocial case management and care coordination across episodes of care. The incumbent provides specialized clinical case management centered on cancer-specific education, treatment, care continuum, symptom management, and selfcare. The incumbent acts as a health coach by proactively supporting the Veteran to optimize treatment interventions and outcomes. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). b. 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. c. 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/. d. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. e. 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 (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39

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 Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Eugenia Washington-Knight
• Phone: (931) 674-1430
• Email: [email protected]