The incumbent serves as a member of the Social Work Service at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center is a 1a High Complexity Facility, that serves over 61,000 unique patients and has 13 off site community clinics, in addition to the homeless team, the community based extended care programs and a 50 bed Domiciliary. The incumbent is based in Medicine Continuum of Care Programs, Specialty Medicine - Dialysis.
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. 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. 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. 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: Social Worker, GS-9: 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 utilize counseling skills when working with Veterans and family members. (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. 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, educational, and other 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, 8 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: Dialysis experience or medical Social Work. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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.
Duties include, but not limited to: Screening/Assessment: In conjunction with the interdisciplinary medical staff, the Dialysis Social Worker screens and assesses the Veteran barriers in order to facilitate his or her access to appropriate VA and community resources. The Dialysis Social Worker will complete an initial assessment within 90 days of initiation of dialysis and quarterly contacts, thereafter, as outlined by CMS guidelines for renal dialysis patient population. The Dialysis Social Worker possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions, measures outcomes to interventions and conducts Quality of Life Measures as required. Case Management From screening/assessment information: The Dialysis Social Worker identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services. The Dialysis Social Worker provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as a liaison to family members involved in care. The Dialysis Social Worker has knowledge and experience with addressing adjustment to acute, chronic and traumatic illness/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, medical terminology and organ transplant. Referral to service providers: To facilitate the continuity of a Veteran Dialysis 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 Dialysis Social Worker will collaborate with other service providers in re-assessing the Veteran determination process, coordinating access to information needed for the referral. Resource Usage/Development: As a subject matter expert on the services and resources available to Veterans through both VA and the community, the Dialysis Social Worker will monitor patterns of resource availability, identifying unmet needs and the resultant impact on the Veteran's psychosocial functioning. Advocacy: The Dialysis Social Worker will advocate for Veterans to ensure that they have access to all needed care and resources within VA and in the community. Crisis Intervention: The Dialysis Social Worker will assess and intervene in crises presented by the Veteran and participate in developing crisis management and safety plans to minimize the event of future crises. Education/Health promotion and prevention: The Dialysis 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. Supportive counseling: The Dialysis Social Worker will provide the Veteran and his or her family/caregivers with time-limited, supportive counseling. Organ Transplant Assessment: The Dialysis Social Worker will complete Psychosocial Assessments for Organ Transplant candidates as consulted. Advance Directive Screening and completion: The Dialysis Social Worker will screen Veterans while in the acute care setting to identify needs, provide education, and offer assistance with completing an advance directive. Non-patient care responsibilities: The Dialysis 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 . The Dialysis Social Worker will establish and maintain positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, patients/consumers and other stakeholders within the VA and in outside community agencies. The Dialysis Social Worker will participate in activities that solicit feedback from patients and work to enhance patient/customer satisfaction. Work Schedule: 0730 - 1600 Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91907-0, 91908-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized