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
• Must 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
• 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
• Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/
• 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
• At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline
• 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 Determination: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (Program Coordinator) Experience/Education
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgement, demonstrating progressively more professional competency
• Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience
• 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1
• Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring
• 2
• Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program
• 3
• Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program
• 4
• Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s)
• 5
• Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
• Physical Requirements: The social work duties include sedentary and ambulation (walking) throughout the medical center and in the community according to the demands of daily tasks
• Light carrying, less than 15 pounds-may be required as part of duties related to storing or moving files
• Working around moving objects or vehicles is required as part of daily ambulating within the medical center around patients who use motorized scooters and wheelchairs
• Working along duties requires working along at intervals during the day (i.e., documenting progress notes, completing phone calls, etc.)
• Reaching above the shoulder- may be required during daily tasks to access files located in overhead cabinets
• Walking- required approximately 3-4 hours daily associated with walking from assigned office to outpatient clinics and other medical center departments as needed to complete duties of the position
• Standing required approximately 3-4 hours daily associated with walking from assigned office to outpatient clinics and other departments within the medical center as needed to complete duties of the position and filing patient records as needed
• It is required that this individual be able to operate a motor vehicle as this position and it is expected that the incumbent transport patients off-site as part of their duties
• Work will take place in- and outdoors thus exposing them to the natural elements of the weather
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• May be exposed to infected patients and/or contaminated materials and will be required to take