Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Beckley, WV

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is within the Social Work Service Line at the Beckley VA Medical Center and its outlying Community Based Outpatient Clinics. The Senior Social Worker serves as an advanced-practice mentor for Primary Care PACT Social Workers and has administrative and clinical responsibility for developing, evaluating, and modifying clinical programs and interventions within Primary Care Social Work.

Administrative responsibilities include managing Beckley VAMC Social Work consults and monitoring timely completion; leading daily huddles; coordinating review and assignment of high-risk Veteran cases; contributing to policies and practice guidance; mentoring colleagues and new employees; coordinating PACT Social Worker coverage of the Emergency Department during normal business hours; developing consistent practice standards; representing VA Social Work in community settings; and providing field instruction or clinical supervision.

Clinical responsibilities include establishing therapeutic relationships with Veterans and families; assessing complex psychosocial needs and suicide or homicide risk; providing immediate psychosocial assessments and consultation in the Emergency Department; completing and documenting comprehensive assessments; leading interdisciplinary discussions and collaborating on treatment goals; and maintaining working knowledge of relevant medical, mental health, substance use, and treatment information.

The position is full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The work is primarily performed in an office setting and is primarily sedentary, with occasional short-distance walking and no heavy lifting required.

Requirements

• Master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master's degree.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• At least two years of post-advanced-practice clinical licensure experience in a specialized area of social work practice, including one year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
• Advanced-practice state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by the stated state grandfathering provisions; California licenses must meet the stated examination exception.
• Ability to provide supervision for licensure.
• Skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial or case management.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of developing and implementing methods to measure social work practice and service effectiveness, using outcome evaluations to improve services and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students and to role-model effective social work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Must complete applicable background and security investigation, online onboarding, identification, application, and other pre-employment requirements.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a VA Health Care Personnel employee.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to evaluation and written certification for continued employment.
• Must be capable of working effectively in stressful situations and shifting priorities based on patient needs.
• Education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript.

Responsibilities

• Manage Beckley VAMC Social Work consults, track completion timeliness, review outliers, and work with the Social Work Supervisor on action plans to ensure compliance.
• Lead daily huddles and report outcomes.
• Lead PACT Social Workers in reviewing and monitoring high-risk Veterans, using identifiers such as CAN scores and Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions, and assign work based on these identifiers.
• Review and support revisions to policies, procedures, and practice guidelines for service delivery, and report recommendations.
• Provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, expand clinical social work knowledge, and role-model effective practice skills.
• Mentor less experienced social workers; collaborate with the Social Work Supervisor and Senior Social Workers on new-employee orientation; provide case consultation; and maintain the PACT SW onboarding document.
• Coordinate PACT Social Worker Emergency Department coverage during normal business hours, train PACT Social Workers on coverage, and educate ED staff on contacting Social Work.
• Work with the Social Work Supervisor to develop best practices that support consistent, high-quality social work practice in assigned areas.
• Represent VA Social Work at community meetings, workshops, and conferences, and develop community partnerships.
• Mentor or serve as a field instructor for trainees and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification.
• Establish and maintain therapeutic relationships with Veterans and families in Primary Care, independently addressing complex medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems.
• Assess suicide and homicide risk using standardized, validated measures; identify protective factors; determine safety and recommended level of care; and collaborate with the Suicide Prevention program for Veterans at increased risk.
• Provide immediate psychosocial assessments for individuals and families presenting to the Emergency Department, consult with ED staff, and assist in developing appropriate plans of care.
• Complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine functioning and needs, use assessments to support Veterans' treatment, and document interventions using the national template Social Work notes.
• Lead interdisciplinary treatment-team discussion of social work needs and collaborate with Veterans, families, and team members on treatment goals and interventions.
• Maintain working knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatment procedures, acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses, substance use disorders, common medications and their effects or side effects, and medical terminology.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for the employee and family; specific benefits depend on position eligibility.
• Selected applicants may request prior work or military service credit toward annual leave accrual, subject to approval and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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