Social Worker - Medicine

Summary
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
This job is open to

• Federal employees - Excepted service
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.

Clarification from the agency
This vacancy announcement is open to all U.S. Citizens and employees from other federal agencies.
Current, permanent Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, Department of Veterans Affairs employees and VHA Health Professional Trainees may apply here also.
Videos
Duties
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU
The Medicine Social Worker provides clinical psychosocial and case management services to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychosocial services, and environmental needs. Their health care and psychosocial problems and needs may be complex and require a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving. The incumbent is required to interact not only with the Veteran but also family, significant others, community agencies and other staff. Individual will function under the supervision of a License Independent Provider (LIP).
Other duties may include but are not limited to:

• Uses basic knowledge of medical and mental diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures to include acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their side effects; and basic medical terminology.
• Interviews veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs.
• Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses clinical training, and insight, to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and need for services.
• Has the ability to serve veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises, lacks family or adequate community support network, has poor self-monitoring skills, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or has significant deficits in coping skills and requires continuing professional psychosocial support. Incumbent completes psychosocial assessment using professional judgment and social work skills.
• Seeks consultation and guidance from the assigned LIP. Incumbent develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members.
• Provides consultation to interdisciplinary team members. Incumbent determines the appropriate action, even in instances where actions may have serious impact on the life of the veteran. These might include short-term or long term nursing home placement.
• Incumbent is responsible for educating the veteran and/or family/significant other on the available services.
• Will educate on Veteran benefits as well as community resources. Incumbent is responsible for referral of veteran to needed services.
• Understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family.
• Will educate and encourage veteran/family to advocate on their own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment.
• Responsible for clinical Social Work practice in the area or program to which assigned, including promotion of Social Work services as a key component of treatment.
• Evaluates practice on an on-going basis through participation in professional peer review, case conferences, research studies, or other organized means. Is active in and accepts responsibility for the development and maintenance of professional standards of treatment.
• Develops a working relationships and agreements with other organizations having responsibilities for the same patient population. Maintains a current and productive network of referral resources.
• Makes provision for referral services from other agencies, community resources and other Governmental agencies to resolve problems.
• Documents timely in the medical records utilizing paper and/or electronic formats, including psychosocial assessments and treatments, progress notes, follow up, and referral.
• Receives and completes timely requests for services (consults) from interdisciplinary team members and from other Social Workers on cases using practice skills and expertise.
• Provides education to students, residents, interns, and fellows from other disciplines on psychosocial treatment and the services available from Social Work Service. Helps other disciplines understand family dynamics and the impact of psychosocial issues/problems on the Veteran's health and response to treatment.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Friday-Monday, 10 hour shift between core hours of 7:00am-5:30pm.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 54890A, 54891A
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications
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: Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 Master 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/.
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. 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. 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. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives Social Workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, Social Workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure.
Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, Social Workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 Social Worker series and may result in termination of employment.
Grandfathering Provision. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. To qualify the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
• 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-Master of Social Work 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.
GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the education and experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

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

References: A Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39
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.
Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve active listening, reading, observing and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, walking, speaking, writing reports, writing policies and procedures, writing clinical notes, using office equipment such as computers, telephones, fax machines, photocopy machines, and driving throughout the VISN. Incumbent may be asked to transport patients in GSA vehicles and must meet facility standards for drivers as per policy. Strenuous physical activity is not required.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.Note: Only education or degrees rec...