Social Worker (Clinical)

Summary

The ideal candidate is a highly skilled clinical social worker with experience supporting medically and/or psychiatrically complex patients in an inpatient hospital setting. The candidate has experience conducting psychosocial assessments, developing, and coordinating safe discharge plans, providing crisis intervention and psychotherapy, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and addressing the psychosocial needs of patients and their families.

Duties

• Performing a range of conventional screening, assessment, diagnostic, treatment, consultative, and educational services to assigned segment of Clinical Center patients, caregivers, and staff.
• Completing psychosocial assessment of patients and caregivers in order to identify those factors which have a bearing on his/her ability to cope with stress and the requirements of the research protocols.
• Communicating with community agencies regarding the needs of the patient and his/her caregivers, and arrange for the needed services they can provide.
• Identifying gaps in service and make recommendations in order to maximize patient care and to implement the treatment goals.
• Developing a working knowledge of state and local bureaucracies in order to assist patients make optimal use of local resources.
• Identifying financial needs of patients and caregivers during hospital stays and participates in determining resources available for assistance, consistent with the goal of maximizing adjustment to research protocols.
• Consulting with other Clinical Center Departments, in addition to assigned organizational segment, on specific case referrals.

Qualifications

Education Qualification Requirement for GS-11/12: In order to qualify for a Social Worker, GS-0185 position, you must have a Master's Degree in Social Work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Additional Qualifications Requirements for the GS-11: A. In addition, in order to qualify for a Social Worker-GS-0185, at the GS-11 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following types of tasks: 1.) Independently completing bio/psycho/social/spiritual assessments of patients in a hospital setting to identify patient needs and determine an appropriate course of action; 2.) identifying and coordinating appropriate clinical and community resources to address patients' and families' medical, psychosocial, and financial needs; 3.) establishing and facilitating communication among patients, families, and multidisciplinary medical or research staff regarding treatment and patient care needs; 4.) developing, coordinating, and implementing medical and/or mental health discharge plans to address patients' treatment, psychosocial, post-acute, and continuing care needs, and 5.) documenting social work assessments, clinical interventions, discharge planning activities, referrals, resource coordination, and other patient care activities in the medical record. OR B. Completion of three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field. OR C. A combination of post-graduate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. Additional Qualifications Requirements for the GS-12: In addition, in order to qualify for a Social Worker-GS-0185, at the GS-12 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: 1.) Independently completing comprehensive bio/psycho/social/spiritual assessments of patients with complex medical and/or psychiatric conditions in a hospital setting to identify factors affecting treatment, recovery, and research participation; 2.) independently developing and implementing treatment and discharge plans for patients with complex medical and/or psychiatric conditions based on assessment of psychological, social, and medical factors; 3.) evaluating complex psychosocial and behavioral concerns and providing recommendations to multidisciplinary medical or research teams regarding patient treatment and research participation; 4.) providing crisis intervention, safety planning, counseling, psychotherapy, and other advanced clinical interventions to patients and families experiencing acute, chronic, or terminal illness; and 5.) providing consultation, education, and clinical guidance to medical and interdisciplinary teams regarding the psychosocial, behavioral, and economic aspects of illness and their impact on treatment and discharge planning. Selective Factor(s): In order to meet minimum qualification requirements you must demonstrate possession of the selective factor(s) of this position. Selective factor(s) include(s): You must possess a current, valid, unrestricted independent Clinical Social Work License (i.e., LICSW, LCSW-C, LCSW, etc.) from a licensing board in the United States including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay. Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer. Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13083874

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses to the assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories: Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria Qualified - for those who meet the minimum qualification requirements The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants. How You Will Be Evaluated To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 80 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements. Other Information

This position is designated as an "emergency essential" position and the selected candidate will be considered an "emergency essential" employee and will be required to be available, ready, willing, and able to report for duty under all circumstances (e.g., inclement weather, government closings and holidays, lapses in appropriations, non-emergency and emergency situations) for operation 24 hours a day and 365 days per year coverage. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration. The work environment involves moderate risks or discomforts which are present in hospitals and may include exposure to contagious diseases. Employees may be required to wear protective clothing such as masks, gowns and gloves. While some biological and/or radiological hazards may be present, such areas are clearly marked so that protective measures can be taken. Visit our Help Applying page for helpful information on the application process. If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation. We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions. If selected, you may be eligible to receive a salary above the minimum based on superior qualifications and/or a special need of the Government for your services. This applies to employees paid under the General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS) pay systems and is at the discretion of the hiring manager. A salary above the minimum must be approved before the appointment.