Senior Social Worker
Duties performed include, but are not limited to the following:
Independently work with the veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems; Completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families; Utilizes principles in human growth and development over the life span and will be able to assist Veterans in coping with the loss and grief experiences from disability and terminal illness; Supports the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration, and Veterans Integrated Service Network; Resolves informal complaints and grievances; May provide advice and counsel to other ECL staff related to work and administrative matters; Performs work related to the review, monitoring, analysis, planning and assessment of various programs; Responsible for key project activities related to the planning development, and implementation of the project component; May be required to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications; Provides sufficient clinical care for competency assessment, peer review, and credentialing and privileging process; Participate in peer review processes as assigned; Participates in data collection and practice standardization activities. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule:
Monday - Friday, 8:
00 a.m. - 4:
30 p.m. (with possible nights and weekends) Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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:
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. Differentiating Independent Practice from Advanced Practice Level. Experience must be evaluated to differentiate between independent practice and advanced practice levels. A social worker practicing at the independent level has a generalized knowledge of practice, (which is required for all social workers at the full performance level and above.), whereas the social worker practicing at the advanced level has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to a particular diagnosis or patient population. The advanced practice social worker can be further differentiated from the independent practice social worker by their ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social licensure or certification. A social worker with advanced practice skills and personal qualifications work that meet the standard for the senior social worker will have passed an advanced generalist or clinical Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination and be assigned to a position that requires use of the advanced practice skills in order to be considered for the senior social worker grade. References:
VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements:
Work is mostly sedentary, although there is some walking and standing; light lifting/carrying materials/equipment up to 15 pounds; operation of a motor vehicle; working alone; working in close proximity to others. Due to the nature of the work and potential problems that can occur with patients, the employee may receive many interruptions during the workday in person, by telephone or written communication and must be able to prioritize work continuously. The work is generally performed in an office or similar setting where a computer terminal is available. The office is adequately lighted, ventilated and heated. The environment requires normal safety precautions against everyday risks or discomforts.
Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.
Independently work with the veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems; Completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families; Utilizes principles in human growth and development over the life span and will be able to assist Veterans in coping with the loss and grief experiences from disability and terminal illness; Supports the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration, and Veterans Integrated Service Network; Resolves informal complaints and grievances; May provide advice and counsel to other ECL staff related to work and administrative matters; Performs work related to the review, monitoring, analysis, planning and assessment of various programs; Responsible for key project activities related to the planning development, and implementation of the project component; May be required to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications; Provides sufficient clinical care for competency assessment, peer review, and credentialing and privileging process; Participate in peer review processes as assigned; Participates in data collection and practice standardization activities. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule:
Monday - Friday, 8:
00 a.m. - 4:
30 p.m. (with possible nights and weekends) Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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:
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. Differentiating Independent Practice from Advanced Practice Level. Experience must be evaluated to differentiate between independent practice and advanced practice levels. A social worker practicing at the independent level has a generalized knowledge of practice, (which is required for all social workers at the full performance level and above.), whereas the social worker practicing at the advanced level has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to a particular diagnosis or patient population. The advanced practice social worker can be further differentiated from the independent practice social worker by their ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social licensure or certification. A social worker with advanced practice skills and personal qualifications work that meet the standard for the senior social worker will have passed an advanced generalist or clinical Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination and be assigned to a position that requires use of the advanced practice skills in order to be considered for the senior social worker grade. References:
VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements:
Work is mostly sedentary, although there is some walking and standing; light lifting/carrying materials/equipment up to 15 pounds; operation of a motor vehicle; working alone; working in close proximity to others. Due to the nature of the work and potential problems that can occur with patients, the employee may receive many interruptions during the workday in person, by telephone or written communication and must be able to prioritize work continuously. The work is generally performed in an office or similar setting where a computer terminal is available. The office is adequately lighted, ventilated and heated. The environment requires normal safety precautions against everyday risks or discomforts.
- Department:
0185 Social Work - Salary Range:
$88,214 to $114,683 per year
Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.
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