Job Details

Social Worker - Community Living Center

The Fargo VA Health Care System is recruiting for one full-time Social Worker for the Community Living Center under the Geriatrics and Extended Care service line.

The Social Work incumbent provides social work services to Veterans who receive care on the community living center at the Fargo VA Health Care System. The incumbent assesses patient social and psychological factors relative to their chronological development, completes comprehensive psychosocial assessments regarding patient, family, economic, community, and psychosocial support systems. This is accomplished in collaboration with the CLC interdisciplinary team as appropriate. The incumbent understands the needs and complexities of the VHA healthcare delivery plan and works collaboratively with other team members and program areas and other health care services. The incumbent is a resource for the community living center staff. Providing social work services to Veterans and their families who utilize the community living center. Provide consultative services to VA staff and community partners. May reach out to veterans/family members who have questions about Care in the Community, VA Services, VA Programs and VA benefits. The incumbent will provide coverage as needed to other social work services which includes: Veteran Directed Care, Hospice and Palliative Care, Spinal Cord Injury, Home Based Primary Care, and Contract Nursing Home. The incumbent will be expected to participate in the social work on-call program after one year of employment. The incumbent is accountable to the Rehab and Extended Care Social Work Supervisor in carrying out operational functions described above.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Psychosocial assessment
• Clinical diagnosing using DSM-5 and ICD-10 behavior codes
• Treatment planning/goal setting
• Therapy
• Referral to service providers
• Resource development
• Advocacy
• Crisis intervention
• Education/health promotion and prevention
• Supportive counseling
• Administrative responsibilities

Conditions of employment:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• You must have a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, a safe driving record, and be medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. You will be required to undergo a physical exam.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.

Grade Determinations:

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 utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
• 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.

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:

• 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, educational, and other 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.