The Social Worker is assigned to Primary Care Teams (PACT), Acute Care and the Emergency Department (ED) with responsibility to provide social work services to adult and geriatric Veterans receiving care in at the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System. This Social Worker will provide open access to Veterans seeking these services and timely response to individuals in psychosocial crisis in PACT, Acute Care, and the ED, as well as supporting the behavioral health needs of those in crisis. 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: Citizen of the United States. Licensure: Full, unrestricted license or certification by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work. Preferred Experience: Medical Social Work experience & Experience working with older adults Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above, candidates must meet the following grade requirements. GS-09 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed above. Candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. 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. 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. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. 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. Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure or certification. Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Duties may include but are not limited to: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the Veteran and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals. Since social workers at this level are not practicing at an independent level, they should not be assigned to program areas where independent practice is required, such as in a CBOC, unless there is a licensed social worker in the program area who can provide supervision for practice. GS-9 social workers provide psychosocial services in the assigned area under supervision. GS-11 Experience/Education: Candidates must possess at least 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; or a Doctoral degree. Additionally, candidates must demonstrate the following KSA's Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 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. 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. 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. 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. Assignments. This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to: inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Duties include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Incumbent independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. 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-09 to GS-11. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard. Additional information regarding the assignments at the full performance level can be found in the appendix referenced above. Physical Requirements: Involve active listening, reading, observing, and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, walking, speaking, writing reports, writing policies and procedures, writing clinical notes, using office equipment such as computers, telephones, fax machines, photocopy machines and travel throughout the Medical Center, into the community to meet community agencies and partners, Veterans, and caregivers. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The Social Worker is responsible to provide a variety of services for Veterans, including psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, short-term, solution focused counseling with individuals and families who may be in crisis, education and referral for resources and benefits, and case management. Responsibilities will also include consultation and education to Medical Center staff and service providers, the collection and maintenance of statistical data, program planning evaluation and modification, and the supervision of students as assigned. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Determines the presenting problem, psychosocial factors impacting the problem, and obstacles to treatment and/or follow through with recommended treatments. Provides social work case management coordination with members of the treatment team, to ensure a collaborative effort to meet the treatment goals for a Veteran. Acts as a liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families. Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families with proficiency. Works with Veterans and their families experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the mental health diagnosis, psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. Utilizes assessment in developing and implementing a comprehensive treatment plan for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable. Uses demonstrated knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, which includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their side effects, and medical terminology. Conducts psychosocial assessments of high-risk patients to identify suicidality through use of the Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) and other appropriate tools independently. Facilitates action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner. Community placements can involve but are not limited to referrals to contract nursing homes, Community Living Centers, residential care homes, inpatient and outpatient hospice services. Serves as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services. Implements psychotherapeutic treatment modalities, provide educational classes, and/or treatment and supportive groups for Veterans and families based on knowledge and ability. Provides consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and advance directives, which includes the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, information, and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community programs. Provides consultation to other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans and/or their families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning and compliance with treatment. Maintains knowledge of Veteran's benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies. Completes all required documentation in a timely manner utilizing approved templates to ensure consistency in documentation standards. Required to cover all HBPC teams during times of staffing shortages, vacancies and staff leave. Performs other duties, as needed to meet the needs of the service, facility and/or the mission of the VA. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 3:30 PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required."]

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