Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Amarillo, TX

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker position is assigned under the Social Work Service within the Amarillo Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and is located at the Lubbock, TX Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. Duties include providing a full range of social services to patients/residents and families, establishing a social diagnosis/evaluation, establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationships, independently working with patients and families experiencing medical, psychiatric, and social problems, and ensuring essential clinical social work and administrative functions. This includes coordinating community-based programs with VA programs, providing information, education, and referral services to Veterans. The individual has case management responsibilities for their assigned workload and case manages the care and coordination of the Amarillo Veterans Affairs Medical Center Contract Nursing Home Program. They are responsible for developing an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members, and significant others. The role involves developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran/family related to the social needs of the veteran. Collaboration with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs is crucial. The social worker educates the veteran and/or caregiver about available VA and community services and assists with referrals based on the veteran's preference or their surrogate decision-maker's preference. They act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family and, when appropriate and feasible, will educate and encourage the veteran/family to advocate on their own behalf. Collaboration with the Mental Health Social Worker/Health Care Team ensures appropriate and timely care. Education is provided regarding VA and community resources, entitlements, and Advance Directives, with referrals to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Progress notes from other providers are reviewed to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran referred for geriatric services. The social worker educates the veteran, their families, and the team about all available options and collaborates with the veteran and family on the preferred option. Ongoing supportive counseling is provided to veterans and their caregivers. All veteran/family contacts are entered into the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. Participation in activities that obtain feedback from veterans and work to enhance services as needed is expected. Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
• Licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• At least two years of experience (post advanced practice clinical licensure) in a specialized area of social work practice, with one year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
• Demonstrated possession of advanced practice skills and judgment.
• Demonstrated expertise in their specialized area of practice.
• 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.
• Must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation 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 to design system changes.
• 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.
• 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.
• Acceptable forms of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement.
• Must complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• Will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Care coordination
• Admission/Discharge planning
• Complex case management
• Resource management
• Community outreach and engagement

Responsibilities

• Provides a full range of social services to patients/residents and families presenting problems, which run the gamut from common human needs to complex psychosocial problems.
• Establishes a social diagnosis/evaluation to determine the most effective treatment method.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families.
• Independently works with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of medical, psychiatric, and social problems utilizing individual, group and family counseling and therapy skills.
• Ensures that essential clinical social work and administrative functions include the coordination of community-based programs with VA programs throughout the continuum of care and include information, education and referral to the benefit of the Veteran.
• Has case management responsibilities for his or her assigned workload and case manages the care and coordination of the Amarillo Veterans Affairs Medical Center Contract Nursing Home Program.
• Develops an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others.
• Responsible for developing the treatment plan, and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran/family related to the social needs of the veteran.
• Collaborates with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs.
• Educates the veteran and/or caregiver of the available services within the VA and the community and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker.
• Acts as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family.
• When appropriate and feasible, educates and encourages the veteran/family to advocate on own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment.
• Collaborates with the Mental Health Social Worker/Heath Care Team to assure appropriate timely care.
• Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives, and will refer veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.
• Reviews the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran being referred for geriatric services.
• Educates the veteran, their families and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the veteran and family on the preferred option.
• Provides the veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling.
• Enters all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates.
• Participates in activities that obtain feedback from veterans and work to enhance services as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
• Credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
• Childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 for full-time employees with a total family income below $144,000 after 60 days of employment.
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting).
• Federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance.
• Many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior