The incumbent works for the Central Virginia VA Health Care System in Richmond, Virginia, as a direct report to the Social Work Service, and is assigned to the Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) under Primary Care.
The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). 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. Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as supervisory social workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following: Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. Skill in a range of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services by supervised social workers. Ability to delegate authority, manage priorities, coordinate work, and follow up on pending issues to complete duties in an accurate and timely fashion. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems, develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. Ability to provide staff training and development.
Responsible for the professional and administrative management of social work services in Primary Care and other programs, to include, but not limited to: Primary Care clinics, the Emergency Department, Medical Companion services, PACT Specialty Clinics, COMPACT ACT Care Coordination, Dialysis, and Transplant. Serves as the backup for the Social Work Service Chief, Inpatient Acute Medicine Social Work Supervisor, Geriatrics & Extended Care Social Work Supervisor, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Social Work Supervisor, Polytrauma Social Work Supervisor, and the Caregiver Support Social Work Supervisor in their absences. Will also provide direct clinical services. Assists in planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures, developing individual or group goals and objectives as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating, and overseeing the social work staff of the assigned programs. Will assure the social workers whom he/she supervises are aware of and adhere to all current directives of VHA, State licensure standards, and VA-OIG expectations. Supervises staff in many areas of the health care system, thus the incumbent must be familiar with The Joint Commission's Standards, Hospital Standards, Nursing Home Standards, and Home Care Standards. Will conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing bodies. Will participate in program evaluation, quality assurance, and customer satisfaction activities and develop performance improvement plans to improve measures and outcomes. Performs other directly related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized