Social Worker

We're Looking for a skilled Social Worker in the Veterans Health Administration based in Beckley, West Virginia. 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. 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 Master 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 dependently practice social work at the masters degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS12 Experience and Education: 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 the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to implement social work research methodology health services research and the peer review processes in the preparation of study proposals meeting the guidelines of various funding agencies. Ability to formulate a research study from conceptualization of the research problem through the implementation analysis interpretation and reporting phases. Skill in the use of computer input and analysis of social science data including the use of statistical packages. Knowledge of the principles of scientific reporting for publications in peer reviewed journals and for presentation at scientific and professional meetings. Ability to develop realistic goals and objectives translate management needs and concerns into operational terms that can be subjected to empirical study and analysis and communicate the results in both verbal and written form. Knowledge of current and standard literature in disciplinary field and literature sources including VA reporting requirements recurring and nonrecurring statistical reports as well as computer files forms and procedures created to support them. Skill in the critical review and synthesizing of large amounts of information into cogent presentations translating management needs and concerns into operational terms that can be subjected to empirical study and analysis. Knowledge in preparing research project budgets using VA guidelines in the management of funds monitoring and evaluating the appropriateness of research funding requests in coordination with Fiscal Service and the RD Administrative Officer. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12. 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.

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.