The VA Portland Health Care System (V APORHCS) is a Complexity Level la Facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. V APORHCS is a multi-site health care system that includes a major medical facility in Portland, Oregon, outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver, Washington, and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Screening/Assessment - The social worker develops an assessment of the Veteran in crisis that involves care coordination and consultation with medical, nursing management, non-VA legal, state, and social work staff in other care areas to which Veterans are referred, consulted, treated and/or co-managed. This can include screening Veterans for admission and presenting screenings to the inpatient admission team. Inpatient assessments, completed in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, and significant others result in a social work treatment plan accounting for unique characteristics of each Veteran. The goal of the acute psychiatric inpatient assessment is to highlight the Veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs in order to optimize the Veteran's functional status and to prepare him/her for discharge back to thecommunity. The assessment will be completed and updated when needed, as specified by the policy for the assigned work area and will include care directives from the Veteran. In the Emergency Department, the social worker presents assessments to the Emergency Department Attending physician in the role of a mental health consultant. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting-The social worker is responsible for contributing to the interdisciplinary treatment plan and independently develops a social work plan that includes setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran and/or family. The incumbent demonstrates an understandingof the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult patients including geriatric patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs, and age associated illnesses and conditions. Discharge Planning - The discharge plan may involve but is not limited to housing the homeless, engagement in recovery, increasing the Veterans support system, symptom management, assisting with financial and disability resources, and locating treatment opportunities for Veterans in areas such as PTSD and MST. The social worker also consults with legal representatives (county and court) and assists with guardianships by educating patients and families about resources and procedures and by seeking funding assistance from county and state resources when no family is available. The social worker will assist the Veteran in following through with goals identified in the treatment plan within social work scope. The social worker will monitor, provide, and document outreach to discharged Veterans when necessary as part of the need to provide safe and quality care during transitions in care such as inpatient to outpatient. Crisis Intervention - Social workers in the acute psychiatric setting will make rapid assessments of a developing crisis that may involve danger to either staff or patients and are trained to take appropriate action in conjunction with other staff and the VA Police when necessary. Referral to Service Providers - Throughout the course of treatment the social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. The social worker will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs. The social worker is responsible for educating the Veteran and/or caregiver of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of the surrogate decision-maker. Resource Usage/Development - The social worker is responsible for using the current VA social work resource file and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of Veterans. The social worker will refer the Veteran to needed services. The social worker will actively engage with community resources and build relationships to further benefit the VAPORHCS and individual Veterans served. Advocacy - The social worker understands how to work with government and community agencies and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and/or family. When appropriate and feasible, the social worker will educate and encourage the Veteran and/or family to advocate on their own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. Education/Health Promotion and Prevention - The social worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives (both medical and psychiatric) and Living Will, and refers Veterans and/or families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Social workers take responsibility for arranging meetings between families, patients, and providers. VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 08:00am to 4:00pm. Compressed/Flexible:No Telework: No Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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: 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 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. 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. 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. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as at VA. Grandfathering Provision. 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). (1) All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Grade Determinations: Social Worker, GS-9 (1) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (2) 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. Social Worker, GS-11 1) Experience and Licensure. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires 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. 2) Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, 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. 3) In addition to the experience above, 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 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. (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: Experience working with mentally ill patient population and community resource utilization. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 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-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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: Artan Hoxha
• Phone: 5032208262 X58486
• Email: [email protected]