The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker is assigned to VA Community Clinics and VA Contract Clinics in highly rural areas throughout the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. The Senior Social Worker travels and works frequently in remote settings without immediate access to Social Work Supervision. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2022. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Education. Possess 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. For grades below or at the full performance level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent master's level within 3 years of their appointment as a social worker. Licensure. Possess a full and unrestricted license or certification 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. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS-12 Education and Experience. The candidate 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. Senior social workers 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. Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state 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. Preferred Experience: 1 year post-LCSW experience in a medical social work setting. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate 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. 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. Social Worker 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 social worker or others. Social Worker must be able to meet VA requirements for the operation of a government vehicle. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position will require moderate travel to meet with stakeholders and staff in the community, and to facilitate access to community resources near VA Community Clinics. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.??????? ["Rural PACT Initiative - The Rural Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) Social Worker is clinically and administratively responsible for the Rural PACT Social Work Initiative for the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VASLCHCS). The Senior Social Worker will be responsible for completing all reports and program requirements for the Rural PACT Initiative to the VACO Office of Rural Health, with support from the Primary Care Social Work Supervisor if/when needed. The Senior Social Worker works independently in establishing and maintaining community relationships in remote and highly rural areas of the VA SLCHCS catchment area by partnering with community agencies, providing in-person services, establishing virtual options for care, and building relationships with the local PACTs in the rural VA Clinics. The Senior Social Worker will be assigned specifically to the VA Clinics in Price, UT, Roosevelt, UT, and Elko, NV as a member of each clinics' Rural PACT and will travel to these areas regularly to provide services on-site and in person. While many services and care coordination can be provided virtually, the Rural PACT Senior Social Worker will also be responsible to provide psychosocial services on-site in rural clinics on a regular and rotating basis. Screening/Assessment - The Rural Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) Senior Social Worker will conduct psychosocial assessments in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran patient, family members and significant others; interviewing Veterans and family members/significant others and writing the psychosocial assessment. Participation in the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker participates as a medical social worker with the PACT. The Primary Care PACT is a comprehensive team which delivers primary care to Veteran patients in a longitudinal rather than episodic fashion and which has as its focus: prevention; health promotion, coordination and chronic disease management. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker is responsible for developing the psychosocial treatment plan, and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family, independently establishing this plan and following up as needed. The plan will be updated annually or more frequently if there is a change in the patient's condition or needs. Referral to Service Providers - Throughout the course of treatment, the Rural PACT Senior Social Worker acts as the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. He/she will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs. Community Liaison and Resource Usage - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker is responsible for using the current Social Work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of Veterans. Advocacy - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate within the VA system when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family. Education/Health Promotion and Prevention - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements/benefits, Advance Directives/Living Wills and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Supportive Counseling - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker will provide Veterans and their caregivers with brief supportive counseling. The purpose of such counseling is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with new diagnoses, chronic/disabling illness, onset of a catastrophic illness, bereavement/loss. Administrative Responsibilities - The Rural PACT Senior Social Worker will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. This information will be entered, in accordance with station policies and bylaws, in a complete, confidential, and professional manner to insure information on the patient is shared with other VA staff. This information will be reviewed on a regular basis. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm\nTelework: Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 000000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]