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This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. ["Work Schedule: Tour of duty to be established upon selection Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Serves as a Senior Social Worker and an interdisciplinary team member within the Pain Medicine Clinic and is stationed at the VA Medical Center. Participates in a full range of psychotherapeutic, diagnostic, and training activities under the supervision of the Specialty Program Manager within Behavioral Health Service. Senior Social Worker will act as a specialist in the treatment of mental health symptoms associated with pain and will consult with peers in this area as needed. They will participate in collaborative treatment planning and program development as part of the Pain Medicine Program. Senior Social Worker should have a strong foundation in evidence-based psychotherapy and diagnosis in the area of health psychology and psychosocial problems related to pain related conditions. They should possess good time management skills, be self-directed, and have good communication and organizational skills to balance workload demands. Be proficient in writing psychological reports, charting notes, and treatment summaries and should be able to complete work tasks in a timely manner. Able to prioritize their work appropriately and should seek consultation as needed to manage complex clinical cases. Demonstrate leadership abilities within a respectful, interdisciplinary team format and be self-motivating to seek out and complete work assignments. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Provides clinical services including direct care to Veterans enrolled in Pain Medicine Program. Provides individual, group, and family therapies as well as psychosocial/psychological assessments. Conducts comprehensive psychosocial assessments. Review all data, subjective and objective, and make a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity and insight. Uses clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high-risk factors, acuity and need for services. Based on a comprehensive assessment, uses professional judgment and advanced practical skills to make a clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Ensures psyshcosocial screening criteria are met and program procedures are maintained. Develops comprehensive treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals, objectives and interventions for psychosocial clinical treatment. Makes adjustments to the treatment plan and interventions based on the changing needs, response to interventions, and to improve outcomes. Participates in the assignment of Veterans to treatment teams and programs. Consults with other specialists in planning treatment for Veterans with co-morbidities. Consults with urgent care, medical, and specialty clinics at VASNHS. Responsible for all entries in the Veteran's medical record (CPRS) and timely completion thereof, including discharge summaries and patient encounters. Participates fully in peer review, assessing the quality of professional social work practice standards provided in the organization. Fully accountable for practice, including Veteran visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting productivity standards. Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals. Participates in a variety of meetings as directed by the Associate Chief of Staff, Behavioral Health Service. Participates in education/CME lectures, research, specialty care programs, and/or clinics as assigned by the Associate Chief of Staff, Behavioral Health or the Specialty Program Manager. Participates actively in Performance Improvement (PI) activities, including taking lead on PTSD related SAIL measures. Participates in local, VISN, and national committees/community networking activities as requested by Associate Chief of Staff, Behavioral Health, or the Specialty Program Manager. May engage in Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved research in compliance with VHA Directives and Handbooks, VASNHS Medical Center Memorandums, BHS Policies and Procedures, and the incumbent's scope of practice for conducting such research. May provide clinical supervision for social work licensure; may serve as Agency Field Instructor for social work graduate students enrolled in CSWE-accredited education programs as part of the VHA Associated Health Trainee Program. Other duties as assigned by management."]

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