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.
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
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.
NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c.
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.
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.
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.
Duties include sedentary and ambulation (walking) throughout the medical center and in the community. Light carrying, less than 15 pounds-may be required as part of duties related to storing or moving files. Working around moving objects or vehicles within the medical center around patients who use motorized scooters and wheelchairs. Working along duties requires working along at intervals during the day (i.e., documenting progress notes, completing phone calls, etc.). Reaching above the shoulder- may be required during daily tasks to access files located in overhead cabinets. Walking- required approximately 3-4 hours daily associated with walking from assigned office to outpatient clinics and other medical center departments as needed to complete duties of the position. Standing required approximately 3-4 hours daily associated with walking from assigned office to outpatient clinics and other departments within the medical center as needed to complete duties of the position and filling patient records as needed. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. May be exposed to infected patients and/or contaminated materials and will be required to take appropriate safety and protective measures.