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The Senior Social Worker works within the Social Work Service and is part of the Emergency Department and will provide coverage for Acute Psychiatry and Acute Medicine/Surgery areas as needed for North Florida / South Georgia Veterans Health System (NFSGVHS) located in Gainesville, FL. The social worker will directly report to the Supervisory Social Worker or designee.
11/12/2024 to 11/19/2024
$97,443 - $126,672 per year
GS 12
2 vacancies in the following location:
No
No
Not required
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
None
No
No
No
CBTC-12605917-25-AB
818666000
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Current excepted service federal employees.
Current federal employees of this agency.
This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens.
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf
The incumbent is primarily responsible for providing assessment, discharge planning, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and discharge planning services to Veterans and their families in the emergency department. Over days, nights and weekend hours, the incumbent will cover the Gainesville Emergency Department as well as the Lake City VAMC Emergency Department. The Lake City location is covered by virtual care technology. The incumbent is part of a team of licensed clinical social workers who cover the Emergency Department on site.
Based on staffing and coverage needs, incumbent will be cross trained to cover Acute Psychiatry and Acute Medicine/Surgery. Work entails working with patients presenting with psychosocial, mental health and medical needs. Work requires a high level of skill in assessing, developing treatment/discharge plans and use of crisis intervention skills for highly complex psychosocial, medical, and mental health needs of Veterans presenting to the Emergency Department and admitted to the acute care settings.
The social worker will exercise mature professional judgment and use a wide range of clinical skills in independently providing clinical psychosocial, case management, and mental health services to Veterans and their family members/caregivers. The social worker requires knowledge of a broad range of psychosocial, medical, and mental health issues. The incumbent must ensure appropriate protocol is followed for VA suicide risk assessment interventions. The incumbent must be familiar with the latest version of DSM and understand how to appropriately diagnosis. The social worker may provide psychosocial education, group and individual counseling,/psychotherapy appropriate to level of licensure. This work may occur in the Emergency Department or on other units, to include Acute Psychiatry and Acute Medicine/Surgery within the medical center.
The incumbent works with an interdisciplinary team. It is important the incumbent is a team player with excellent communication and documentation skills. It is important the incumbent is highly flexible as the work can vary day to day due to the nature of the Emergency Department and Acute Care Units. Office space is shared among multiple staff members. The incumbent will provide coverage as needed for co-workers, which may include providing social work coverage through virtual care options to other locations of the health system. The social worker may also participate in the student training program as approved by supervisor, as well as, serve on facility, VISN, and national committees and workgroups. Tours of Duty include evenings and weekends, but generally include 4- 10 hour days.
Other duties include but are not limited to:
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. 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.
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
This occupation is listed on the OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administration's Occupational Staffing Shortages fiscal year (FY) 2025 dated October 01, 2024. Therefore, vacancy announcement is exempt from Veterans Preference.
Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. All other applicants/public.
Note: Veterans' Preference does not apply to this occupation, effective 10/1/24.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/19/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12605917.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/818666000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?
The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System serves veterans across a large geographical area in North Florida (33 counties) and South Georgia (19 counties). In addition to our two medical centers in Gainesville and Lake City, we offer a number of services to our patients in several satellite outpatient clinics and community-based outpatient clinics. The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center (VAMC) is one of two VAMCs in the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System. The Malcom Randall VAMC provides a full range of comprehensive health care, including: primary care, specialty care, tertiary care, and long-term care.
We care for Heroes! Veterans depend on us, we depend on professionals like you. Our values unite us, guide our actions/decisions daily. At North Florida / South Georgia Veterans Health System, this means: It's About the Veterans. You Support a Safety Culture; Commit to Zero Harm; Learn, Inquire and Improve; Embrace a Duty to Speak Up; Have Respect for People; and Ensure Clear Communications. We are committed to a Whole Health System of patient centered care and employee wellness
