This Senior Social Worker position is part of the Behavioral Recovery Outreach (BRO) Team in the VA Boston Healthcare System, located at the West Roxbury VA Medical Center location. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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). Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. (1) All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, 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 journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (3) 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. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS 0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience -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. and 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. and Demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - (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. Preferred Experience: Experience with discharge planning. Experience working with patients with neurocognitive disorder and their caregivers. Experience with data collection and process improvement. Experience with Medical Social Work. Experience on a Multidisciplinary Team. Experience creating and implementing behavioral management strategies. References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Position requires participation in the delivery of care in community settings including travel and visits to residential facilities, community nursing homes, groups homes, medical foster homes and other appropriate settings. ["The incumbent will provide case management services to patients in the Acute Hospital and in the community followed by the BRO Team, serving as a subject matter expert, working with stakeholders to assure. 1) disposition options for veterans, 2) follow-up care 3) long term placement for patient. Responsible for case management services, coordinates outreach, interdisciplinary activities, psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, consultation/education to providers. Participates in collection and maintenance of statistical data, program planning evaluation and modification regarding services. Participates in research, evaluates effects of illness and benefits of services. Provides supervision of students. Clinical duties include but not limited to: 1) Exhibit skill with patients and families experiencing mental, emotional, behavioral, physical, psychosocial, and environmental problems. 2) Possess knowledge of diagnoses associated with geriatric patients and dementia diagnosis, and skill to implement treatment. 3) Use social work process (psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment) with team to develop and implement treatment. 4) Demonstrate clinical independence in treatment planning. 5) Be sensitive to diversity, age-specific challenges of population, adjusting treatment as appropriate. 6) Participate in planning, implementing and evaluating for veteran needs. 7) Coordinate with community contacts for continuity of care. 8) Coordinate with other disciplines to ensure timely and appropriate execution of discharge. 9) Provide consultation on resources, advance directives, guardianships, commitments, and other elements specific to care. 10) Consultant to team and Community Nursing Home Program staff. 11) Provide case management throughout continuum of care. 12) Participate in delivery of care in community including visits to nursing homes, group homes, and other appropriate settings. 13) Provide mentorship and education to stakeholders on VA services and Veterans specific care plans. 14) Provide a full range of social work services including, individual and group counseling, discharge planning and other services as appropriate. 15) Coordinates and communicates with care lines to facilitate continuity of care. 16) Participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the EC&R Social Work Supervisor. 17) Assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with disability, terminal illness and death. 18) Document social work interventions in record utilizing CPRS and ensure hand off when transitioning patient care. 19) Mentor staff; may supervise the practice of social work students. 20) Seek consultation from social work supervisor and other program leaders. 21) Serve as subject matter expert on matters related to capacity, competency, surrogate decision maker, guardianship, fiduciary, representative payee and conservators; working collaboratively with the Surrogate Decision Maker Committee, OGC, attorneys and other appropriate parties. 22) Serve as a partner to various Geriatrics and Extended Care and community case management program social work staff and assist with coverage as needed. 23) Serve as subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. Responsible for coordination and documenting outcome of referrals for noninstitutional and institutional services including but not limited to, HBPC, ADHC/CADHC, Medical Foster Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities home hospice and non-skilled homecare. 24) Available to conduct assessments of Veterans in acute care, emergency department/urgent care, and outpatient clinic settings who are being considered for the BRO Team. 25) Assist in the management of consults and service requests; Identifying and screening referrals to the BRO Team. 26) Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans. Skilled in complex and high stress emergencies, understand available resources following associated protocols and policies in the event of an emergency. Administrative duties include but not limited to: 1) Establish and provide education and training for various customers and stakeholders . 2) Act as community liaison to include marketing and public relation duties. 3) Coordinate, communicate and establish relationships with service areas and stakeholders to determine treatment of patient. 4) Maintain data and statistical compilations to monitor interventions and impact on goals. Responsible for modifying interventions based on data to impact effectiveness. 5) Routinely prepare program reports for leadership. 6) Collaborate with team and leadership to develop and execute strategic initiatives. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Compressed: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PDF06237 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
