Job opening: Social Worker - Acute Inpatient
Salary: $62 829 - 98 819 per year
Published at: Dec 18 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center (VAMC) 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.
The RJD VAMC is currently hiring for a Social Worker-Acute Inpatient in Wichita, KS.
Duties
Social Workers in Social Work Services (SWS) provide services in a wide variety of assigned settings including inpatient, outpatient, the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) and other settings. The incumbent performs comprehensive psychosocial assessments, discharge planning, counseling with individuals/families/ groups, provides education to Veterans/families, coordinates and arranges community based services, facilitates VA non-institutional care services, participates in multidisciplinary teams, provides advocacy for Veterans, provides consultation and education to staff regarding psychosocial aspects, represents the mission of the VA in all interactions and performs other duties as assigned. This position is located at the CBOC's in rural areas of Kansas.
The Social Worker assigned to the inpatient unit is an integral part of the interdisciplinary team that provides services to our Veterans. The incumbent serves as a Social Worker in the Social Work Services department at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center providing treatment to patients with a range of acute and chronic medical and mental health disorders. The incumbent will be part of a multidisciplinary team. The expertise of the multidisciplinary team will serve to offer differential diagnosis, recovery planning, psychosocial rehabilitation, evidence-based practices and rehabilitation, care of co-occurring disorders, as well as medical evaluation and planning.
Duties of this position include, but are not limited to:
Performing case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs incumbent must possess the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families and groups.
Conducting psychosocial assessments. Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team.
Coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
Identifying high-risk patients and provides clinical case management services.
Providing 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.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm
Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized
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
NPI/Taxonomy code: Required; must be eligible for an NPI number as a condition of employment.
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:
In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-09 Social Worker must meet the following requirements:
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills (b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. (c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (e) Fundamental knowledge 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 to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-11 Social Worker must meet the following requirements:
Experience and Licensure. Completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non- VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.
OR
A doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) Skill in independently implementing treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. (e) 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.
Preferred Experience: Case management, medical social work, and working with interdisciplinary teams
References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II Appendix G39
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11.
Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination
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 Robert J Dole VA Medical and Regional Office Center
5500 East Kellogg Drive
Wichita, KS 67218
US
- Name: Trellis Harris
- Phone: 316-685-2221 X53625
- Email: [email protected]
Map