Senior Social Worker (Renal/Dialysis)

Full Job Description

This Social Worker is assigned to Renal Dialysis Program within the Social Work Clinical Care Programs at VA Puget Sound Health Care System located in Seattle, Washington with responsibility to provide direct services for Veterans, their families and caregivers.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.

(Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). English Language Proficiency.

Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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.

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.

(COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED) Licensure/Certification.

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.

(COPY OF ADVANCE PRACTICE LICENSE REQUIRED FOR GS-12) Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 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.

Licensure/Certification.

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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.

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

(c) 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.

(d) 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.

(e) 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.

References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.), pushing (2 hours), walking (2 hours), and hearing (aid may be permitted).

Environmental factors include working closely with others, working alone, and may work in a shared office space with regular noise associated with office environments. Major Duties:

Provide direct care to Veterans and their caregivers within Social Work Specialty Care programs with a focus on working with Veterans within the Renal Dialysis Unit as well as a consultative service to other areas.

Serve on a multidisciplinary teams.

Complete biopsychosocial assessments, develop treatment plans and carry out treatment accordingly, provide case management and lead coordinator responsibilities to Veterans.

Incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients. Subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources.

Responsible for using current social work resource information. Act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family.

Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans. Access to multiple resource directories.

In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the mental health programs.

Provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.

Also provide education and guidance specific to the specialized area of practice. Provide the veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling.

Specific tasks may include: Consult with inpatient/outpatient medical staff to coordinate care. Assess the patient's understanding of his/her diagnosis and proposed treatments.

Help Veteran cope with end of life or complex chronic illness diagnoses. Educate/instruct regarding resources and coping strategies. Assess treatment options.

Collaborate within agencies when Veteran's care involves multiple entities. Provide education related to benefits and services.

Provide referrals and linkage to community agencies with specialized benefits. Counsel individuals, couples, and families and/or refer to specialized mental health providers.

Provide or link to appropriate support groups and educational programs. Facilitate communication between the treatment team, Veteran, family and others.

Facilitate family discussions about illness, healthcare, and life changes. End of life planning/preference of care.

Assist with placements into residential care facilities, sub-acute skilled nursing facilities, and adult day healthcare programs.

Address the impact of end of life and/or chronic illness on life issues. Provide education on or referrals for needs. Apply knowledge around safety. Referral to and coordination of care services.

Advocate for services such as home health or hospice care. Serve as trainer on geriatric related topics. Develop and co-facilitate educational, support and other related groups.

Provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions. Assist Veterans access services involving the continuum of care.

Share and apply specialized knowledge of issues. Provide services on an outpatient basis and consult with inpatients and/or inpatient staff. Assist with discharge processes.

Develop and implement methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services. Offer consultation to colleagues and students.

Teach and mentor staff and students on the special area of practice.

Train students, residents, interns and fellows in social work and from other disciplines and conduct formal workshops and classes for staff.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized