Social Worker

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Indianapolis seeks an Inpatient Medical Social Worker to deliver social work, care coordination, and discharge planning for Veterans in acute medical wards. You’ll collaborate with the treatment team to ensure smooth transitions to appropriate discharge care levels.

Applicants with pending education or licensure may be referred but cannot be hired until requirements are met.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school.
• Licensed or certified to independently practice social work at MSW level.
• For GS-11, licensure/certification is required; for GS-9, independent licensure within 3 years.

Responsibilities

• Provide social work, care coordination and discharge planning for Veterans in inpatient wards.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary team to ensure appropriate discharge planning and transitions.
• Assess Veterans and families, develop and implement treatment plans, and coordinate services.

Skills

Counseling skills

Psychosocial assessment

Treatment planning

Crisis intervention

Communication with clients

Community referrals

Interprofessional collaboration

Education

MSW degree

CSWE accreditation

State licensure (LCSW)

Job description

The Inpatient Medical Social Worker provides social work, care coordination and discharge planning services to Veterans admitted to inpatient medical acute care wards at the Richard L. Roudebush VAMC.

In collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Inpatient Medical Social Worker works to ensure that Veterans transition efficiently from an inpatient level of care to the appropriate discharge level of care.

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.
• 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. Indiana requires Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
    • 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. GS-9 Social Worker must obtain independent practice licensure within three years of initial appointment.

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, in their resume, all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (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.

OR

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, the candidate must demonstrate, in their resume, all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (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

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

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.

Promotion Potential

The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands of the position involve standard office requirements such as using the telephone, utilizing the electronic medical record, and working shared office space. Work is intermittently performed sitting at a desk and using a computer. However, the position requires periods of walking, standing, sitting and bending.