Senior Social Worker

We're Looking for a skilled Senior Social Worker in the Veterans Health Administration based in Chillicothe, Ohio. Read through the job description to see if it matches your current experience.

The Successful Applicant

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: Noncitizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education. Have a masters 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 masters 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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Grandfathering Provision. 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). Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level. Ohio requires LISW. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS9 grade level. For the GS11 grade level and above the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment the supervisor chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. For appointments at the GS9 grade level VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent masters level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified social workers must maintain a full valid and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Grade Determinations: GS12 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 GS11 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 postmasters 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 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12. Physical Requirements: The work is sometimes sedentary. Typically the employee will sit to perform administrative work. However other position duties include physical requirements which include but not limited to long periods of walking standing bending crouching reaching and lifting of a variety of moderately heavy items carrying of light items such as papers books small part. The employee is required to drive a government vehicle and may be required to travel off station to complete required functions of the job Mental/Emotional Requirements: Understand remember and apply oral and/or written instructions or other information Understand remember and communicate routine information Understand complex problems and to collaborate and explore alternative solutions Understand opposing points of view on highly complex issues and to negotiate and integrate different viewpoints Organize thoughts and ideas into understandable terminology Organize and prioritize own work schedule on shortterm basis (longer than one month) Make decisions which have moderate impact on immediate work unit Make decisions which have significant impact on the immediate work unit and monitor impact outside immediate work unit Make decisions which have significant impact on the departments credibility operations and services Understand and follow basic instructions and guidelines Complete routine forms use existing form letters and/or conduct routine oral communication Compose letters outlines memoranda and basic reports and/or to orally communicate technical information Communicate with individuals utilizing a telephone requires ability to hear and speak effectively on phone Express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word communicating orally with others accurately loudly and quickly Make informal presentations inside and/or outside the organization. Speaking before groups Compose materials such as reports workrelated manuals publications of limited scope or impact etc. and/or to make presentations outside the immediate work area Mathematical ability such as adding subtracting multiplying and dividing. Count accurately Add subtract multiply divide and to record balance and check results for accuracy Compute analyze and interpret numerical data for reporting purposes

What’s on Offer

The role offers excellent opportunities for top performers to further develop their competencies as a social worker and improving the lives of people.