Summary The VA Long Beach Health Care System seeks a Senior Social Worker to support the Geriatric Consultation Program and Geriatric Patient Aligned Care Team. The position provides comprehensive psychosocial assessment - care coordination - and geriatric-focused services to Veterans with cognitive impairment - dementia - Alzheimer's disease - complex chronic conditions - and functional limitations.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements
Citizenship: Must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.
7403(f) Education: Must 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
Note: 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work
Licensure: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work 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
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above - the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade
The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade
Experience: 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 GS-11 grade level
Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment and are experts in their specialized area of practice
Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters 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
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
Preferred Experience: Experience with Geriatric Patients - Caregivers and dementia CA LCSW
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health - able to sit at a desk working at a computer - engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting - walking - bending - and carrying supplies
Applicants must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands - exercise patience - and control emotions - with reasonable accommodation - if necessary - without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others.
Duties
Duties include - but are not limited to: Complete comprehensive psychosocial assessments and follow-up assessments for Veterans receiving GeriCL and GeriPACT services
Identify Veterans' strengths - limitations - support systems - and service needs to promote independence and safe community living
Develop and review individualized treatment plans and achievable goals in collaboration with Veterans - families - caregivers - and interdisciplinary teams
Establish therapeutic relationships and provide clinical interventions for complex medical - psychiatric - emotional - behavioral - financial - legal - and psychosocial concerns
Provide supportive counseling - psychotherapy - psychoeducation - classes - and support groups for Veterans and their families or caregivers
Coordinate referrals - services - and community placements with VA providers - government agencies - community organizations - Veterans - and caregivers
Educate Veterans and families about VA benefits - entitlements - community resources - advance directives - and long-term care planning
Provide caregiver support - advocacy - and guidance to promote Veteran and family independence and empowerment
Participate in care conferences - family meetings - interdisciplinary team huddles - and treatment planning activities
Screen and assess suicide risk and social determinants of health
develop safety plans and document findings and interventions in the electronic health record
Consult with treatment team members regarding psychosocial concerns - treatment compliance - health care planning - and barriers to care
Maintain effective relationships with VA and community partners - participate in performance improvement activities - and provide community-based services in accordance with VHA requirements
Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Ad hoc telework as determined by agency policy and supervisor discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO):