Senior Social Worker

Quick Facts

• Role: Senior Social Worker (GS-12)
• Primary assignment: Emergency Department (ED), serving adult Veterans and their families

Description

This Senior Social Worker provides direct services in the ED, including off-tour mental health coverage, collaborating with ED staff and psychiatry to support assessments, dispositions, and referrals. The role includes suicide risk assessments, crisis management, individual brief therapy, family consultation, and advanced case management. You will also assist with complex discharge planning and provide training and screening/coverage activities for patients.

Responsibilities

• Provide suicide risk assessments for patients presenting with emotional issues in the ED
• Coordinate with the on-call psychiatrist for consultation regarding treatment and disposition
• Assist with physician holds and coordinate placement with mobile crisis, court, receiving facilities, and ED physicians
• Complete suicide behavior reports for Veterans with recent suicide attempts
• Provide comfort/care for distraught family members in the ED
• Provide on-the-job mental health training to medical students, residents, and ED staff
• Perform screening evaluations for certain medicine-admitted patients and field evening tour crisis calls
• Assist with discharge plans for complex/difficult dispositions and a wide range of social/medical needs (e.g., suicide risk, intoxication/detox, adult protection, SNF placement, home-care, homelessness)
• Provide individual brief therapy, crisis management, family consultation, and advanced-level case management for Veterans with serious physical and emotional disorders
• Conduct case finding and outreach; identify and screen patients for psychosocial needs
• Establish and maintain therapeutic relationships and provide consultation to other staff regarding psychosocial needs and treatment adherence
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds
• Support veterans’ benefit knowledge and facilitate appropriate referrals based on eligibility

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Selective Service registration for eligible males
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Background/security investigation required
• Master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school
• State licensure/certification to independently practice social work at the master’s level
• Advanced practice level state licensure/certification (advanced generalist/clinical exam) or approved grandfathering
• Ability to provide supervision for licensure
• At least 2 years of post-advanced practice clinical licensure experience, with at least 1 year equivalent to GS-11 level
• Demonstrated KSAs including specialized interventions, differential diagnosis, outcome evaluation, consultation, and policy/procedure writing ability
• Influenza vaccination participation required for VA Health Care Personnel

Benefits

• Annual paid time off: 37–50 days (13–26 annual leave, 13 sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays)
• Paid parental leave up to 12 weeks after 12 months of employment
• Child care subsidy after 60 days of employment (up to 25% of eligible costs for eligible incomes; monthly maximum listed)
• Retirement: traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401(k) with up to 5% contributions
• Insurance: federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (often transferable into retirement)
• Federal employee benefits package (eligibility depends on position type)