This inpatient social worker position is located in the Mental Health Careline at the Chillicothe VAMC. The social worker serves as a contributing member of an interdisciplinary treatment team providing acute mental health treatment to Veterans admitted to the inpatient mental health unit. The social worker's functions include psychosocial assessment, sharing in mental health master treatment planning responsibilities, discharge planning coordination, and limited, supportive counseling.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Develops an assessment of the Veteran, family, economic, community, and psychosocial support systems. Responsible for contributing/drafting/monitoring the treatment plan, and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family in collaboration with the inpatient mental health interdisciplinary treatment team members. Includes psychosocial problems in the interdisciplinary treatment plan and will attend daily interdisciplinary care planning meetings. Performs ongoing assessments and update treatment plans when due and when the Veteran and interdisciplinary team discern mental health and health status changes. Responsible for developing a resource file of VA and community social service programs and will refer the Veteran to needed services. Collaborates with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs for outpatient care, residential care, and other programs, services, and entitlements. Responsible for educating the Veteran and/or caregiver about the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of the established surrogate decision-maker. Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans. Serves as the discharge coordinator for Veterans admitted to the inpatient mental health unit Provides Veterans and their families with supportive counseling. Work schedule: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Monday through Friday, may be required to work some evenings, weekends, and holidays) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement Title: #91917-A and 91918-A 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. 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: 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. Failure to Obtain License or Certification: In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-09: 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: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. 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. 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. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. 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: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. Examples of experience includes, but is not limited, to the following: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate agency and community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the patient, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the patient and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals. OR 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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: The work comprises both sedentary and physical components, such as walking long distances, lifting, carrying or moving small weighted objects. The work may require using appropriate techniques to physically restrain clients who present a danger to themselves or others. Specific vision abilities required by this job include, but are not limited to, close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee is required to be able to pass a physical examination clearing them to be able to drive a government vehicle and carry the designation of the incidental driver.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Chillicothe VA Medical Center 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, OH 45601 US
• Name: Emily Chain Smith
• Phone: 740-253-9967
• Email: [email protected]