Senior Social Worker (Bristol CBOC)

Full Job Description

The incumbent serves as a Senior Social Worker assigned to the Bristol Community Based Outpatient Clinic (Bristol CBOC).

The incumbent provides evidence-based treatment (EBT) and intensive case management services for Veterans at an advanced practice level to promote sustained stability and addresses issues related to the Veterans MH diagnosis and other complex/diverse psychosocial problems.

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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.

Education - Candidates must 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 - Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

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).

Grade Determinations: Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following: Experience/Education.

The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.

Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice.

Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations.

This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.

Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.

Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.

Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: All candidates must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others.

Candidates must meet the physical requirements outlined in Section II and Section VI of the OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions and must possess emotional and mental stability.

The job is sedentary but requires movement throughout the medical center. Major Duties:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent is required to interact not only with the patient but also family, significant others, community agencies, and other staff while providing clinical services to the population enrolled at the Bristol CBOC.

This includes high quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers/ agencies as needed.

Clinical interventions are provided through groups, individual psychotherapy, and family counseling to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs.

Duties include but are not limited to: Practices independently at the Bristol CBOC and responsible for independently addressing clinical and administrative functions with little direct supervision due to the nature of the work and the remoteness of the setting.

Conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members.

Incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

Provides specialized evidence-based treatment (EBT) for complex physical/mental illness and a full range of Social Work services for Veterans enrolled at Bristol CBOC and the surrounding CBOCs.

Provides emergency intervention to Veterans in mental health crisis who may contact the Bristol CBOC and accept warm hand-offs from the VA Crisis Line.

Coordinates services and provides case management services for Veterans with poly-trauma injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, and other serious disorders.

Provides all necessary assessment functions, e.g. interviewing, psychosocial histories, and referrals to aid in the development of treatment/recovery plans.

Develops comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran and provides recovery-oriented treatment that address the symptoms and other co-occurring disorders independently in the community.

Provides consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in specialty areas, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise, while role modeling effective social work practice skills.

Teaches and mentors staff and students in the special area of practice and provides supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.

Participates in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions with VA programs and community services.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:45am- 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Adhoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 61141F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized