Social Worker

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

The Successful Applicant

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Noncitizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency Requirement Per VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 Section A Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapter 73 or 74 to serve in a direct patientcare capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. 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. 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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. 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: GS12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator)Experience and Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other postmasters degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.Licensure/Certification: Individuals assigned as Social Worker Program Coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation negotiation and monitoring.(b) Knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and/or practice guidelines for the program.(c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.(d) Skill in organizing work setting priorities meeting multiple deadlines and evaluating assigned program area(s).(e) Ability to provide training orientation and guidance within clinical practice. Advanced Practice Level: For all assignments above the full performance (journey) level the higherlevel duties must consist of significant scope complexity (difficulty) and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25 of the time. Advanced Practice Level is defined as the ability to provide independent and expert clinical psychosocial and case management services in a specialized area of practice to Veterans who tend to haveserious and severe crises may lack any familial and community support may be poor selfmonitors may frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment or may have major deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support. The advanced practice or senior Social Worker has an increased depth and breadth of practice skills has expertise in participating in the professional development of colleagues through mentorship and teaching demonstrates leadership in developing and expanding professional intervention strategies demonstrates leadership in defining and attending to professional practice issues and has the ability to expand the conceptual knowledge of the profession. The advanced practice or senior Social Worker will make independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action the consequences to theVeteran of these decisions and actions may be quite serious. Work involves intensive Social Work services requiring the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of complex Social Work practice skills not typically required in routine Social work interventions. The advanced practice or senior Social Worker has mastered a range of specialized interventions and provides consultation to colleagues renders professional opinions based on experience and expertise develops new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention and incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment. The advanced practice or senior Social Worker utilizes outcome evaluations to further treatment and designs system changes based on empirical findings. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 VA Qualification Standards. http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/DirectivesHandbooks/DirectHand.htm The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Services

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.