As a member of a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team, the Social Worker provides outpatient mental health services to Veterans and their families. Social Worker's duty station may be located at the VA Medical Center, an outlying Primary Care Clinic, or the Pahrump Community Based Outpatient Clinic.

Duties

The professional social worker is assigned to support Behavioral Health Service programming, possess the knowledge and ability to implement treatment modalities, identify level of functioning, degree of impairment in occupational, social, academic, interpersonal and family, evaluate and assess lethality, perform mental status exams (MSE), identify psychiatric manifestations of various medical and mental health conditions, possess knowledge of the criteria and state laws for legal commitment and involuntary hospitalizations, ability to assess and intervene with patients of suspected abuse and provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families and groups. Incumbent has working knowledge and understanding in the use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures and can work with diverse populations. Diverse populations and circumstances include acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, psychiatric, medical, and social problems, addictions, common medications and their effects/side effects and medical terminology. Duties may include but are not limited to: Perform diagnostic assessments and formulate a mental health diagnosis utilizing DSM-5 criteria.; provide individual, group, and/or family therapies. Possesses basic knowledge of treatment modalities, and under supervision, can implement clinical treatment modalities in working with individuals, groups, and families to achieve treatment goals. Demonstrates the ability to utilize supportive counseling, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and problem-solving skills. 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. Develops comprehensive treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals, objectives, and interventions for psychosocial clinical treatment. 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. Actively participates as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team through collaboration with Veterans and family, in the development and implementation of treatment goals and interventions. Facilitates action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members. Serve as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 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. Participates fully in peer chart reviews, assessing the quality of professional social work practice standards provided in the organization. P Must possess and demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with people from varied and diverse backgrounds. Maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers, and stakeholders within VA, and networks with outside community agencies and social workers. Travels where necessary, or as assigned in the capacity of community outreach support. Maintains active government driving privileges, including possession of valid driver's license and current training, per policy. Attends and participates in administrative and professional meetings as directed. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Dependent on Facility Needs Compressed/Flexible: Authorized Telework: Authorized, Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 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 from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. 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. 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). Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. (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. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS- 0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements (noted above). 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. 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: In accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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/.

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.

Contacts

• Address Las Vegas VA Medical Center 6900 North Pecos Road North Las Vegas, NV 89086 US
• Name: Cynthia Davis
• Phone: 360-750-5363
• Email: [email protected]