The incumbent serves as a full assistant to the Chief of Social Work ("the Chief") in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, evaluating, and supervising major sections of social work operations and programs involving over 110 MSW staff throughout the main hospital, three community-based clinics and the Community Living Center comprising the James J. Peter VAMC. The incumbent must be licensed in a state at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Duties

Duties will include, but not limited to: To assist the Chief in providing Social Work Executive functions for JJP VAMC, the incumbent will assist with the following responsibilities and duties: Developing and Maintaining Standards of Practice. This includes: Developing and monitoring compliance with Social Work practice standards and guidelines on documentation, workload, data entry, ethical practice, and service delivery. Overseeing facility Social Work scope of practice processes. In collaboration with Human Resources, overseeing the tracking process for the required licensure and/or certification for all social workers, including continuing education requirements, license/certification renewal, and other requirements social workers must meet to deliver appropriate care. Overseeing the credentialing process, including primary source verification of degree and license or state certification. Oversight of Professional Recruitment and Retention. This includes: Recruiting qualified social workers, which includes participating in interviewing, selection, and orientation. Overseeing orientation processes of new clinical staff regarding Social Work functions. Supervision of Social Work Service Staff in Outpatient Services/ Inpatient Services/CSP/ Clinic Services Programs. This includes: Providing direct clinical and programmatic supervision to Social Work Service (SWS) GS-12 supervisors within. Outpatient Services/ Inpatient Services/CSP/ Clinic Services Programs Providing direct clinical supervision to SWS GS-11 social workers within Outpatient Services/ Inpatient Services/CSP/ Clinic Services programs in the absence of a GS-12 supervisor. Consultation with other Services, program managers, or care line managers on issues pertaining to Social Work ethics, ethical dilemmas in the delivery of care, and ethical issues within the larger organization. Oversight of Education, Training and Career Development Processes. This includes: Assessing the continuing education requirements of social workers and developing plans for meeting the educational requirements for licensure/certification and clinical practice. Providing oversight of the professional continuing education process to include, journal clubs, case presentations, workshops, and conferences. Oversight of the Social Work Associated Health Trainee Program, including negotiation of Memoranda of Affiliation with schools of social work; requesting trainee positions through the Office of Academic Affiliations; selecting social workers to serve as field faculty (field instructors and preceptors); and ensuring that Social Work graduate student interns receive education and training consistent with the requirements of the affiliated school(s) of social work and with the Council on Social Work Education. Oversight of the Performance and Professional Competency. This includes: Development and implementation of a Social Work professional practice review system. Assessing the competency of each social worker. Ensuring the development of position descriptions and performance standards for social workers. Participating in and providing input into performance appraisals of social workers. Mediating professional and service line conflicts around Social Work professional roles, continuity of care, and quality of care, including referral of veterans across service or care lines during episodes of care. Risk Management Duties. This includes: Ensuring compliance with VHA, JCAHO and CARF standards applicable to Social Work processes and programs. Evaluating and assessing facility Social Work services and providing input to improve professional Social Work practice, and to assist Chief in planning to meet gaps in services, project anticipated needs, initiate new programs, determine program emphasis, and increase or decrease services and/or staff. Developing and implementing Social Work practice guidelines to streamline operations and increase the likelihood of positive patient outcomes to Social Work interventions. Resource Management Duties. This includes: Implementation, oversight, and analysis of Social Work productivity standards. Re-deploying or participating in decisions to re-deploy Social Work staffing resources based on patient need, productivity, and workload. Planning for optimal Social Work coverage in all program areas, including after-hours coverage, in conjunction with care line and program managers. Ensuring the review and resolution of complaints about social workers and their practice in consultation with care line managers. Ensuring the validation and consultation on Decision Support System (DSS) labor mapping and workload/cost reports for social workers. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21X02O Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: Citizenship. You must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency. You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) Education and/or Experience Combination. You must possess 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. Note: 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. 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). Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker (Assistant Chief), GS-13 Licensure Requirement: You must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Experience Requirement: You must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Serving as a full assistant to the chief social work service for both administrative and professional practice of a small to moderately complex social work service within a healthcare organization; responsible for supporting clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision, and organizational stewardship for the social work program per the direction of the chief. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (a) Knowledge of administrative and supervisory duties which includes personnel actions, clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement. (b) Knowledge of legal, ethical, and professional standards applicable to social work practice. (c) Ability to develop, maintain, and oversee social work programs in all settings. (d) Knowledge of social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. (e) Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements. Preferred Experience. Preferred experience as an advanced License Clinical Social Worker with, direct services and administrative experience. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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 Bronx VA Medical Center 130 West Kingsbridge Rd. Bronx, NY 10468 US
• Name: Nyssa Lewis
• Phone: 757-778-1642
• Email: [email protected]