Job Description
Incumbent functions as an Emergency Department Senior Social Worker for Veterans that are provided urgent care at the DC VA Medical Center. The team-based care provides Veteran-centered, recovery-oriented, and evidence-based care in an individual or group format. Services will be provided to fulfill the need for 24/7, 365 days per year coverage. The incumbent may work non-traditional shifts including weekends, evenings, overnight, and holidays, depending on their tour of duty. 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: Citizenship. All applicants are required to be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g.) Education. 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 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. Physical Requirements. Physical demands of the work are generally minor and are generally sedentary in nature but may require physical activity. Physical activity involves sitting, standing, walking, bending, stooping, climbing stairs, and carrying light items such as papers, books, or other supplies. The incumbent uses a computer and standard office equipment to complete tasks. The emotional demands can be stressful in working with the Veteran/Patient population and their families/caregivers. A level of self-awareness is essential. English Language Proficiency. All applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). 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. Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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. (4) 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 10 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. 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). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Preferred Experience: A minimum of 2 years of Emergency Medicine experience Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification Clinical Experience with various populations with including the homeless and disabled population with the provision of biopsychosocial and mental health care interventions. ["VA Careers - Social Work: Triage Veterans that present to the Emergency Department for mental health evaluations and/or psychosocial related needs. Conducts biopsychosocial assessment of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others. Performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening Veterans for psychosocial and mental health needs. Completes Comprehensive Suicide Risk Assessments, Homicidal Risk Assessments, and Safety Plans for Veterans presenting with suicidal ideation or behaviors in alignment with established policy/procedures. Identifies low, moderate and high-risk patients, provides interim case management services with referral for continuity of care. Collaborates with multidisciplinary team for consultation regarding treatment and disposition for patients in the ED. Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Working knowledge and experience in use 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. Provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan. Responsible for educating the Veteran and/or caregiver of available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker. Collaborate with treatment teams to develop a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and a discharge plan for Veterans treated in the Emergency Department. Referrals for surrogate decision makers, guardianship and/or payee services, as recommended by the interdisciplinary team. Responsible for using the current social work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of Veterans. Work to develop relationships with community agencies to promote collaboration in care and service agreements. Experienced in completing rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient 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. Review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each Veteran being referred for mental health services and to inform treatment planning. Educate the Veteran, their families, and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the Veteran and family on the preferred option. Assist the Veteran and their family in dealing with the psychosocial impact of coping with chronic/disabling illness(es), onset of a catastrophic illness. Enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. Establish and maintain positive and respectful working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies. Collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA for their specific population and/or program. Participate in activities that obtain feedback from internal and external customers and work to enhance services, as needed. May supervise social work trainees/interns, providing the incumbent has at least two years of post graduate schoolwork experience. Work Schedule: Thursday to Saturday - 03:30pm - 02:00am and Sunday 12:00pm - 10:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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. Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"] Create a Job Alert for Similar Jobs
About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
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Holiday work, Permanent employment, Traineeship, Interim role, Internship, Remote job, Relocation, Shift work, Night shift, Sunday, Saturday, Afternoon shift,