Summary

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information - refer to Required Documents below. The Senior Social Worker of the Emergency Department for the northern Arizona Healthcare System Social Work Services provides social work services in the Emergency Department (ED) and is assigned to provide support and assessment of psychosocial functioning and factors impacting Veteran overall heath and functioning.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3g this part)
• 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 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/
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 (1) Experience/Education
• 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
• (2) 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
• (3) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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
• (4) Assignments
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity (difficulty) - and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level
• Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site
• a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center - or a national VHA referral center - such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center - or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity
• The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns
• Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics
• The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans - ensures equity of access - service - and benefits to this population - ensures the care provided is of the highest quality
• The senior social worker provides leadership - direction - orientation - coaching - in-service training - staff development - and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff
• They serve on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility - VISN and national level - or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor - Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services
• This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management
• This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation
• Preferred Experience: Experience working with vulnerable and diverse populations - including those with chronic illnesses - mental health issues - and social determinants affecting health
• Familiarity with electronic health record documentation standards and VA-specific medical records systems to ensure compliance with documentation requirements
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams within primary care or patient aligned care context
• Professional commitment to ongoing training and development - maintaining licensure in good standing - and adherence to VA ethical - legal - and professional standards
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices - training rooms - and libraries
• The work area is adequately lit - heated - and ventilated
• The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather
• There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites
• The work is primarily sedentary - although some physical effort may be required - e.g. - walking - standing - climbing ladders - stooping - kneeling - and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and may be posted up to February - 2 - 2026 - OR until vacancy filled
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be December - 18 - 2025 - with subsequent cut-off dates every two weeks until vacancy is filled
• Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates
• VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Emergency department Services Sr
• Social Work must possess the knowledge and ability to independently assess and implement treatment modalities - identify level of functioning - degree of impairment in occupational - social - academic interpersonal and family - evaluate and assess lethality - perform mental status exams (MSE) - identify psychiatric manifestations of various medical conditions - possess knowledge of the criteria and state laws for legal commitment and involuntary hospitalizations - ability to assess and intervene with patients suspected of abuse or neglect
• Major duties include - but are not limited to: The Sr
• Social Worker of emergency department social work services is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans
• The incumbent has knowledge of multiple resources to meet the demands of a crisis
• The incumbent will assess for completion of suicide risk screening and assessments that include the assessment of suicidal/homicidal thoughts and behaviors
• The incumbent may also be consulted regarding allegations of abuse and neglect and will follow the established protocols including reporting and educating interdisciplinary team members on mandatory reporting to Elder and Child Protective Service agencies as necessary and clinically appropriate
• Acts as the subject matter expert on VA and community resources
• The incumbent will collaborate with other service providers to ensure Veterans receive appropriate services
• The incumbent is responsible for educating the Veteran and/or caregiver of available services and assisting them in establishing appropriate referrals based on the Veterans preference or that of their surrogate decision-maker
• The incumbent will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record system using appropriate formats and templates and are to enter consults and make assessments based on their Advanced level of licensure
• The Sr
• Social Worker practices at an advanced level and has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to chronically ill - at risk - geriatric and/or elderly patients
• Social Work Services in the ED includes WHEN (weekend - holiday - evening - night) coverage
• The incumbent will adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics - all local social work policies - and maintain an unrestricted - unsuspended license to practice social work
• Must be able to provide supervision for licensure
• To provide the opportunity for professional growth and ensure competency of social work services across the continuum - social workers may be asked to cross train in other Social Work Service areas when functions are aligned with the current position of the incumbent
• Perform other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 11:00AM - 7:30PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be Authorized for highly qualified candidates Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized