What are the responsibilities and job description for the Social Worker (Inpatient) position at Veterans Health Administration?
The Medical Social Worker (Inpatient) in Social Work Service line provides social work, care coordination and discharge planning services to Veterans admitted to inpatient acute care wards at the Richard L. Roudebush VAMC. In collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, works to ensure that Veterans transition efficiently from an inpatient level of care to the appropriate discharge level of care.
Basic Requirements:
Grade Determinations:
Social Worker, GS-9 (Graduate): 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 (Full Performance Level): 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.
Additional 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.
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: Previous Emergency Department experience.
References: VA Handbook 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS9 to GS11.
Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the position involve standard office requirements such as using the telephone, utilizing the electronic medical record, and working shared office space. Work is intermittently performed sitting at a desk and using a computer. However, the position requires periods of walking, standing, sitting and bending.
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91715-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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: 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 tohttp://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
- 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 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
Grade Determinations:
Social Worker, GS-9 (Graduate): 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 (Full Performance Level): 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.
Additional 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.
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: Previous Emergency Department experience.
References: VA Handbook 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS9 to GS11.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.
Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the position involve standard office requirements such as using the telephone, utilizing the electronic medical record, and working shared office space. Work is intermittently performed sitting at a desk and using a computer. However, the position requires periods of walking, standing, sitting and bending.
Responsibilities:
Duties include but are not limited to the following- Screening/Assessment- In conjunction with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Medical Social Worker screens and assesses the Veteran's psychosocial needs and barriers in order to facilitate his or her discharge from the hospital Through collaborative relationships with the Veteran, his or her family/caregiver and other VA programs and VA staff, the Medicine Social Worker coordinates the gathering of information vital to the process of setting appropriate discharge goals and discharge time frames. Assessment information may include, but is not limited to: Marital/family/social status- Concern for abuse / neglect / financial exploitation- Employment/financial status- Use of entitlement programs- Legal problems/issues- Impact of medical problems on psychosocial functioning- Strengths/Limitations
- Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - From screening/assessment information, the Medical Social Worker determines realistic discharge goals that consider such factors as a) the appropriate level of discharge care, b) the setting conducive to providing such care, c) the need for post discharge interventions to enhance caregiver support to allow for the least restrictive level of care, d) transportation options/barriers and e) the steps to obtaining resources (VA or community) that make the transition from the inpatient setting successful.
- Referral to service providers- To facilitate the continuity of a Veteran's recovery, the Medical Social Worker will arrange referrals to needed VA and/or community resources (e.g., home health care, assisted living facilities, extended care facilities/nursing homes, services available through area agencies on aging, community support groups, hospice care, community-based extended care). The Medical Social Worker will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs during the eligibility determination process, coordinating access to information needed for the referral. Additionally, the Medical Social Worker will educate the Veteran and/or caregiver about the available services and their shared responsibility in accessing such services. The Veteran's preferences or that of his or her surrogate decision maker will be considered throughout the referral and care coordination process
- Resource Usage/Development - As a developing subject matter expert on the services and resources available to Veterans through both VA and the community, the Medical Social Worker will monitor patterns of resource availability, identifying unmet needs and the resultant impact on the Veteran's transition from the inpatient hospital setting. The Medical Social Worker will communicate with appropriate stakeholders (e.g., the Social Work Chief, the Social Work Professional Practice Council, other VA programs, community partners) to encourage the development of new and innovative resources.
- Advocacy - The Medical Social Worker will advocate for the hospitalized Veteran to ensure that he or she has access to all needed care and resources within VA and in the community. By availing the Veteran of his or her choices in complex decisions and by guiding the Veteran through complicated enrollment procedures and bureaucratic processes, the Medical Social Worker facilitates the best possible outcome for the Veteran. When appropriate and feasible, the Medical Social Worker will educate and encourage the Veteran and his or her family/caregiver to advocate on his/her own behalf, fostering independence and empowerment.
- Crisis Intervention - The Medical Social Worker will assess and intervene in any medical or psychiatric crises presented by the Veteran and participate in developing crisis management and safety plans to minimize the event of future crises. The Medical Social Worker will work collaboratively with other disciplines on complex cases (i.e. the Psychiatry Consultation Team).
- Education/Health promotion and prevention - The Medical Social Worker will provide education about VA and community resources, entitlement programs, VA benefits and Advance Directives/Living, completing the advanced directive or living will as requested.
- Non-patient care responsibilities - The Medical Social Worker will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic medical record using appropriate formats and templates. This information will be entered in a complete, confidential, timely and professional manner to promote relevant and effective communication with other VA employees about the Veteran's care.
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91715-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Salary : $57,642 - $90,661
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