Senior Social Worker - Patient Aligned Care (PACT)

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: Citizenship Be a citizen of the United States (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens) English Language Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English 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 Verification of the degree can be made by going to 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 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 DETERMINATON | GS-12 Experience/Education The candidate must have at least two (2) 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 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities In addition to the experience above, candidates 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 Preferred Experience: Two (2) years post social work clinical licensure demonstrating 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 and/or advanced level psychosocial and/or case management, discharge planning and care coordination Social worker demonstrates ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice Social worker has 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 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: VA Montana Healthcare System Primary Care utilizes the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model wherein the incumbent works alongside all primary care team members in an open teamwork area designed to enhance direct access Clinical appointments are conducted in private exam/consult rooms, while documentation and other administrative duties are completed from within the teamwork milieu The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to wear protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures 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. ]]>