Job Description
Summary
This Social Worker is assigned to the Palliative Care Consult Team (PCCT). The Palliative Care Social Worker is responsible for seeing Veterans - families - and caregivers referred in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Qualifications
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 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
- 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 GS-9 grade level
- For the GS-11 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
- English Language Proficiency
- Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed
- 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: Social Worker - GS-9 Experience - Education - and Licensure
- None beyond the basic requirements
- Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
- In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic - cultural - ethnic - educational - and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills
- Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members - and to formulate and implement a treatment plan - identifying the Veterans problems - strengths - weaknesses - coping skills - and assistance needed
- Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals - families - and groups to achieve treatment goals
- This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive - problem solving - or crisis intervention techniques
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies
- Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures
- This includes acute - chronic - and traumatic illnesses/injuries
- common medications and their effects/side effects
- and medical terminology
- Social Worker - GS-11 Experience and Licensure
- Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings - (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level
- Education
- In addition to meeting basic requirements - a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting
- Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
- In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
- Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - cultural - ethnic - educational and other diversified backgrounds
- Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e
- acute - chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan
- Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals - families - and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical - and social problems to achieve treatment goals
- Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers - social work graduate students - and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment
- Preferred Experience: Medical Social Work experience The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11
- The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11.
Duties
- VA Careers - Social Work: Provides social work services to Veterans - caregivers - family members - and significant others
- Provides counseling - emotional support - and other assistance
- Provides referral services to other agency organizations - community resources - or other governmental resources to resolve problems
- Maintains a network of referral resources useful to patients with life-limiting and terminal illnesses
- Evaluates progress toward goals - performing follow-up after referral or if the client misses an appointment
- Meets with clients to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals
- Conducts psychosocial screens and/or assessments of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team - the Veteran - family members - and significant others with a special focus on life-limiting and/or end-of-life illness
- Completes behavioral health clinical reminders for patients in assigned specialty clinics
- Incorporates multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment - including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice and can determine priority for services and provide specialized treatment services
- Participates in the creation of the Veteran's treatment plan - with special attention to the psychosocial elements of the treatment plan and identifies needed psychosocial interventions as they relate to life-limiting illness or end-of-life
- Provides specialized clinical case management and care coordination centered on life-limiting diagnosis and disorder-specific education - treatment - care continuum - symptom management - and self-care
- Serves as the subject matter expert on VA and community resources related to the palliative - hospice and end-of-life needs of the Veteran - family - and/or caregiver
- Coordinates and communicates with other specialists - e.g. - substance abuse treatment - nutrition and dietetics - palliative care - and hospice - and will communicate and coordinate with the Veteran's PACT team and the Veteran and caregivers regarding care plans - medications - and related patient care needs
- Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
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Permanent employment, Work experience placement, Remote job, Relocation package, Monday to Friday,