Senior Social Worker - Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

Summary

The Senior Social Worker functions as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team in the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (2E) and is responsible for managing, coordinating, and providing social work services on the unit. Must have clinical knowledge of trauma, substance use disorders, and chronic and severe mental illnesses.

• United States Citizenship:
  Non‑citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education:
  
  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 is fully accredited.
• A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master’s degree.
• Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Master of Social Work.
• Experience/
  
  Education:
  
  Must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice; one year must be equivalent to the GS‑11 grade level.
• Senior social workers demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment and 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.
• Licensure/Certification:
  Must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causations in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• 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 design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area and to role‑model effective social work practice skills.
• 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.
• Assignments:
  Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level and typically practice in major program areas such as Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, national VHA referral centers, or other equivalent program areas.
• Senior social workers may have administrative responsibility for clinical program development, are accountable for clinical program effectiveness, and may modify service patterns.
• Senior social workers collaborate with treatment team members to provide comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensuring equity of access and high‑quality care.
• Senior social workers provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in‑service training, staff development, and continuing education for assigned social work staff.
• Senior social workers serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN, national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate.
• Senior social workers are expected to undertake assignments that represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level, and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.
• May qualify under the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA…