The Social Work Chief, at the VA St. Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS) has full responsibility for provision of complex social work services requiring advanced practice skills. Incumbent is a full-time administrator for 100+ social workers including subordinate supervisory social workers. They have full responsibility for clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision, and organizational stewardship for a social work program.

Duties

St. Louis VA Healthcare System is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws VA Careers - Physical Therapy: https://youtube.com/embed/Gi2hoFqIoqY VA Careers - Prosthetics: https://youtube.com/embed/3NUvF5jjErQ VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The St. Louis VA has a variety of clinical programs with a wide range of acute activities providing inpatient and outpatient services and treatment for patients in general medicine and surgery, medical specialty programs, geriatric and extended care, psychiatry, substance abuse, palliative care, hospice care, home-based primary care, community care, and various other ambulatory care programs with related research, educational and program evaluation functions. The position requires that the employee travels to the various sites and to other VA facilities, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), or VACO as necessary. Duties include, but not limited to: Responsible for the strategic planning and operation of Social Work Service. The employee is responsible for ensuring the administrative and clinical supervision of social work staff in their professional role. Incumbent ensures the provision of social work services and/or case management services in a variety of inpatient and outpatient program areas and clinics. Incumbent is responsible for making decisions regarding work problems presented by subordinate social work supervisors. Incumbent collaborates with others in negotiating, deciding upon and/or coordinating social work-related changes affecting other programs. The employee will advise Care Line Chiefs on problems involving the relationship of social work activities to the various units and programs. Incumbent participates in making major decisions affecting the basic content and character of the operations of programs. These decisions involve matters, such as, determining which program elements should be initiated, dropped, curtailed or emphasized; how many resources should be deployed; the time of curtailing, initiating, and changing program elements; basic program planning and evaluation activities; evaluation of program goals and objectives; decisions on organizational structure and delegated responsibility; measures for improving coordination among subordinate units, and control measures to provide data for management; decisions which have an impact on relationships with other programs and units and which may have the potential for negative media coverage; and decisions regarding ways to substantially reduce operating costs without impairing overall operations, such as, reduction of average length of stay on inpatient programs. Develops procedures for, and ensures the implementation and achievement of the provision of social work services to medical facility patients on inpatient and outpatient programs. Takes appropriate action when indicated and ensures that copies of professional Social Work Service meeting minutes are made available for social workers. Reviews and evaluates committee minutes and Medical Executive Committee minutes in order to develop action plans for issues relevant to Social Work. Coordinates with Informatics the administration/file building of VISTA/CPRS software packages for Social Work. Functions as a consultant on social work practice and collaborates with staff of other disciplines. This includes educating others regarding the psychosocial issues and needs of veteran/patients. Incumbent plans and direct with other disciplines, as appropriate, quality improvement programs for social workers and ensure maximum social work compliance with VA quality of care regulations and Joint Commission accreditation standards. Perform other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 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/. 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. 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: Social Worker (Service Chief), GS-14 Experience/Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. May have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification: The chief social worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice. Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements. Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the GS-14 grade level, size, scope, significance and impact are greater than the GS-13 grade level. The chief social worker responsibility includes management of large, complex, social work services within the organization. The chief social worker is the highest level professional position at the facility with responsibility for the professional practice of all facility social workers and provision of social work services. The chief social worker provides supervision to social work service, with multiple sections or programs across the health care delivery system as well as an assistant chief and supervisors. Social work service includes staff members of different grades, as well as multiple disciplines, various treatment sites and at locations close to and distant from the medical center. The chief social worker has full responsibility for managing and supervising all aspects of social work service operations including clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision of the service.] Preferred Experience: At least 2 years of management experience. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. 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 St Louis Health Care System 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive St. Louis, MO 63125 US
• Name: Juan Santos
• Email: [email protected]