Senior Social Worker - Palliative Care

Full Job Description

The Primary Purpose of the Position: Provides a variety of clinical evidence-based services including, psychosocial assessments and interventions; case management services; short-term solution focused psychotherapy and family services with individual Veterans and families; Veteran, family, Caregiver and staff education on issues related to end-of-life and palliative care, including various end-of-life diagnoses, impact of diagnoses, and a wide range of treatment interventions.

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: 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.

License or Certification* - You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.

*Exception - 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.

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).

Grandfather Provision.

A Social Worker employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (9/10/2019) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees 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 journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.

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.

Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS-12 Licensure Requirement: You 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 must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Experience Requirement: You must possess 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, you must demonstrate 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.

Preferred Experience: Experience working with palliative or hospice patients Experience completing a thorough assessment of psychosocial needs and development and implementation of a treatment plan and providing community resource referrals Experience working independently with minimal supervision Medical Social Work and Mental Health Experience Experience providing crisis intervention, goal directed supportive counseling, and grief/bereavement counseling.

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: Light lifting, under 15 pounds Light carrying, under 15 pounds Straight pulling (1 hour) Pushing (1 hour) Reaching above shoulder Walking (3 hours) Standing (3 hours) Repeated bending (1 hour) Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously Near vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other Hearing (aid permitted) Keyboarding (4-7 hours) Sitting (4-7 hours) Major Duties:

VA Careers - Social Work: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties may include but are not limited to: The Senior Social Worker is a member of the Palliative Care Consult Team (PCCT).

The incumbent completes a comprehensive psychosocial assessment for identification of psychosocial concerns which impact the quality of life for Veterans and their families' facing problems associated with a life-limiting illness.

The incumbent involves the PCCT, the referring interdisciplinary care team, and the Veteran and caregivers to develop a care plan.

The incumbent documents their assessment and care plan in CPRS according to social work scope of practice and makes recommendations to the referral and treating team regarding social work, end of life, and bereavement issues.

The incumbent provides psychosocial and case management services to eligible Veterans with a life-limiting illness and their family members to meet biopsychosocial and environmental needs.

Their health care, psychosocial problems, and needs at end of life are often delicate, controversial, and complex and require oversight and creative problem-solving.

Veterans treated at end of life come from throughout VANTHCS, including rural parts of the service area. Palliative Care services are provided in acute inpatient and outpatient clinic settings.

As part of the inpatient PCCT role and Palliative Care Clinic Social Worker, the incumbent serves as an inpatient and outpatient specialty social worker for VATHCS which serve Veterans with incurable and/or life limiting illness to provide psychosocial screening and assessment, case management and care coordination, health education and advanced health care planning, supportive counseling and caregiver support, and behavioral health clinical reminders.

Independently evaluates Veterans and family members/significant others situation and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs.

Using professional judgment and advanced practice skills and based on the psychosocial assessment, makes a psychosocial diagnosis, develops an appropriate treatment plan and provides counseling services.

Provides comprehensive case management services to patients referred for services in the Palliative Care Clinic, including but not limited to those with diagnoses of cancer or end-of-life diseases.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 55033-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized