Provides social work services to the inpatient medical/surgical and MICU units. Responsible for management, coordination, and provision of social work services to Veterans and their families. Services include the provision of direct patient services, collaboration/consultation with the Interdisciplinary Treatment Team, case management, supportive counseling, advocacy, discharge planning, and coordination of other VA or community service providers and/or agencies as needed by the Veteran.

Duties

Professional social worker assigned to the Inpatient Medical/Surgical, and MICU units. Use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans. Social Work responsibilities include the assessment of psychosocial problems often at a time when the Veteran is experiencing or in crisis. Completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the presenting problem, in-home factors impacting the problem, and obstacles to treatment and/or follow through with recommended treatments. Collaboration and consultation with the Interdisciplinary Treatment Team is provided to coordinate a collaborative effort to facilitate a safe discharge and to meet the agreed upon goals for a Veteran's treatment needs and include liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families. Services include but are not limited to nursing home placement, facilitating hospice services, home health services, financial resources, community linkage and referral, VA benefits, and transportation services. Independently conducts psychosocial assessments as appropriate for treatment planning. Assessment is to highlight the Veteran's strengths, limitations, internal and external supports, and service needs to optimize functional status. Identifies the psychosocial complications that can be caused due to a sudden onset of an acute or chronic illness. Independently provides crisis intervention services if needed, seeking to address cause, as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences, and serves as liaison to family members. Will formulate a plan with goals, objectives, barriers, and needs. Effectively manages crises and can effectively use his/her problem-solving skills in an independent manner to assist the Veteran, family, staff, and community providers in solving problems. The Social Worker demonstrates problem-solving skills in patient-focused discussions with team members, peers, and supervisor. Provides case management services to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care. Participates in discharge planning with interdisciplinary team members and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. Provides treatment intervention in collaboration with the Veteran and family, guardian, caregiver, interdisciplinary treatment team, and community members. The incumbent possesses knowledge and ability to implement treatment modalities to provide supportive counseling for individuals, families, and groups. Understands the range of treatment and skills for adult patients related to illness or chronic medical conditions, psychological needs, and age-associated conditions. Possesses the skills to establish therapeutic relationships with Veterans and families, mediate difficulties, and measure outcomes of treatment interventions. Assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness, and death. Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs. Provides education to community care partners regarding general VA benefits and services during care coordination for Veterans. Follows Veteran/Caregiver through continuum of health care. Facilitates action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner. Community placements can involve but are not limited to referrals to contract nursing homes, Community Living Centers, residential care homes, inpatient and outpatient hospice services. Serves as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services. Must have a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families. Can independently work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Must possess a working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illness, injuries, medical terminology, and common medications and their effects and side effects. Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Work Schedule: Monday-Friday (7:30 am - 4:00 pm) Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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. 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. 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 asocial worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: Social Worker, GS-9 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: Works with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. Assesses 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. Implements 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. Establishes 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. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. 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. Independently conducts 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. Independently implements 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. Provides consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients. Reference: VA HANDBOOK 5005/50, Part II, APPENDIX G39. SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD dated September 10, 2019. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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: Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.

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 Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 2215 Fuller Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 US
• Name: Jessica Kidd
• Phone: 734-596-3177
• Email: [email protected]