The Senior Social Worker in the interdisciplinary VA SORCC Pain Clinic is an advanced practice clinician whose duties and responsibilities center on the treatment and care management of Veterans enrolled in the VA SORCC Active Management of Pain (AMP) clinic within the Pain Management Clinic, which lies within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation clinic.
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/. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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. Preferred Experience: Experience working with Veterans, specifically assisting those dealing with Chronic Pain and/or Veterans with limb loss and/or Veterans with Progressive, Degenerative Neurological Conditions (i.e. ALS Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, ETC). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services
The Incumbent: - Develops a comprehensive bio-psych-social spiritual assessment of the Veteran individually and in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others. It includes the Veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the Veteran's functional status. - Demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult Veterans and their families including geriatric Veterans related to their physical limitations, psychological needs and age associated illnesses and conditions. - Assesses the full range of psychiatric issues using advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and need for services. - Has the ability to make crisis assessments in multiple settings to assist other hospital staff with identification and initiation on need services. - Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia and other high-risk diagnoses. - Assesses risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veteran, family, or significant others. - Develops and implements services needed for the families of Veterans in crisis or high risk. - Completes comprehensive chronic pain assessments. - Completes opioid risk assessments. - Screens/assesses for inclusion/exclusion in various pain programs. - Triage/screening of Primary Pain consults or designates responsible person. - Completes screenings and assessments of complex pain management needs. Makes Clinical and Psychosocial Diagnosis - Independently evaluates the Veteran's situation and needs utilizing professional judgment and advanced practice skills to integrate the information obtained in the psychosocial assessment, other disciplines assessment's and arrives at an appropriate DSM diagnosis. - Makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency actions. - Independently assesses pain treatment/opioid risk/mental health and SUD assessments. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - Responsible for coordinating the interdisciplinary staff, veteran and family in the development, documentation, maintenance, and achievement of an individualized treatment plan. - Responsible for working with staff, veterans, family, and community resources to set and work to achieving the Veteran's treatment goals. - Provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team members on course of treatment. - Coordinates screening of patients for specific programs. - Adjusts the Treatment plan and interventions based on changing needs and response to interventions. - Initiates and effects changes in methods and interventions to promote efficient practice and to improve patient outcomes. - Effectively uses professional skills, objectivity, and insight. - Modifies services to best meet the treatment needs of Veterans and to promote efficient practice. Work Schedule: M-F 0800-1630 Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized