Social Worker - Contract Nursing Home

Full Job Description

The Social Work function is to be responsible for the implementation of clinical services for Contract Nursing Homes.

Position will require travel into the community to meet with Veterans at Contract Nursing Homes. Incumbent will need to have a valid unrestricted state driver's license.

This position requires work in the community providing assessment and case management services to Veterans and their family members in long term care.

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.

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.

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.

Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations.

This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified.

(a) For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker.

(b) A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record.

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

Grandfathering: 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: Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.

(b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.

(c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals.

This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.

(d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies (e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures.

This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. Social Worker, 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.

OR 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.

COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED IF APPLYING FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL.OR In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs below: Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.

(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.

(b) 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.

(c) 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.

(d)Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.

(e) 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.

Preferred Experience: 1-2 years' experience with geriatric population 1-2 years' experience with hospice 1-2 years' experience with long term care Lean system training (yellow belt preferred) Knowledge of Microsoft office (excel, word, pdf) 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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11.. Major Duties:

VA Careers - Social Work: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This position requires collaboration with community nursing home staff.

Social Work services will be to the veteran population enrolled at the Harry S Truman Veterans Memorial Hospital including Community Base Out-patient Clinics (CBOC).

These assignments may be inpatient, outpatient, clinics, or other specialty programs.

Services include provision of quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers and/or agencies as needed by the veteran.

This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the interdisciplinary treatment team.

Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to: Social Worker (Contract Nursing Home) responsibilities: Screening/Assessment/Case Management - Social Worker maintains responsibility for psychosocial assessments, case management, and other collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team (s), the veteran, family members or significant others.

Progress notes are reviewed from other interdisciplinary team providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran.

The assessment highlights the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the veteran's functional status.

Social Work will adhere to clinical assessments as directed by National, VISN and local policy standards.

Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The Social worker is responsible for developing the treatment plan with the assigned team and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran, family or significant other.

Referral to service providers - Social Worker is a resource on VA and/or community referrals.

Resource Usage/Development - Social Worker maintains responsibility for using the current Social Work resource file of VA and community social service programs to educate and implement benefits for the veteran.

Incumbent refers the veteran to needed services.

Advocacy - Social Worker understands the bureaucracy and will consult on the need to act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran, family or significant other.

Crisis Intervention - Social Worker uses basic practice skills in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans in direct consultation with assigned supervisor.

Education/Health promotion and prevention - Social Worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and refers veterans, families or significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.

Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services - Social worker will review the progress notes from other providers to determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran.

Supportive counseling - Social Worker can provide the veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling under direct supervision.

The purpose of such counseling is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with chronic/disabling illness (es) and/or onset of a catastrophic illness.

Administrative responsibilities - Social Worker enters clinically significant information from veteran, family or significant other contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates.

This information will be entered in a complete, confidential, and professional manner to insure information on the veteran is shared with other VA staff.

Work Schedule:7:30am -1600pm, Monday - Friday Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #:Social Worker/FS00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized