Senior Social Worker

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

The Successful Applicant

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 29 2023. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be place on 2 week out date October 3. 2023. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an asneeded basis until positions are filled. 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. 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/. 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). The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker 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: (a) 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. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS11 to GS12. Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Services. The work involves long periods of moving about the work unit. The work requires regular and recurring bending lifting stooping stretching lifting of 25 to 50 pounds. Incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium dementia or psychiatric disorders and patients who require restraints. The incumbent must be a mature sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations demonstrating cheerfulness compassion courtesy and concern. Must be quick and dependable in taking emergency action in using initiative to prevent accidents. Social Worker must be able to pass VA requirements for operation of a government vehicle. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center standing for extended periods of time and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position requires the ability to travel and deploy with minimal notice to assist with communities in crisis. Conditions while on deployment may be less than optimal and hours may be extended tours requiring flexibility to meet the mission. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: transcribing viewing a computer terminal extensive reading and repetitive motions of the wrists hands and/or fingers.

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.