Senior Social Worker (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program)

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and will remain on file through February 19, 2024. Eligible applicants will be referred each month as vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Qualifications:

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. [Transcripts, official or unofficial showing conferral/awarded date, must be submitted at time of application must]
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed 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. [A copy of current license showing date of issuance and expiration must be submitted with application]
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met for this position.

Senior Social Worker, GS-12

Experience/Education. Applicant 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. 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.
2. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard GS-0185 Veterans Health Administration.

Physical Requirements: Involve active listening, reading, observing, and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, speaking, writing reports, writing policies and procedures, writing clinical notes, using office equipment such as computers, telephones and other electronic medium of communicating.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Social Worker serves as a Crisis and Access Coordinator (CAC) for Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP), in the Mental Health Clinic (MHC), within the Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences (MHBS) Service Line of the Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System (NAVAHCS). The incumbent plays a central role in the ongoing BHIP team consultation and coordination, to triage and distribute mental health consultation and treatment requests, including those made directly by Veterans. The major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Coordinates of patient care within the BHIP and MHC, to maximize timely access to the most appropriate level of care to include Triage, disposition, and coordination of treatment referrals to MHC BHIP from other MHBS programs, other departments across the facility, and from other VA's.
• Organizes and directs the administrative, operational, and patient care activities, along with performing and being guided by outcome evaluation data to maximize access to care and identify possible barriers to care.
• Provides clinical and consultation services including performing psycho-diagnostic and cognitive screening evaluations for Veterans, in crisis and non-crisis situations.
• Provides clinical consultation to various levels of training and will be able to provide clinical supervision of Social Work students or those seeking advanced practice licensure.
• Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces.
• Represents social work on decision-making committees at the Medical Center or Healthcare System, and at professional/program community group/events and committees.
• Participates in leadership roles on local, state, and national professional organizations as necessary.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Available after completing at least 90 days continuous service
Telework: Available on an Ad-Hoc basis, after completing at least 90 days continuous service
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required