Summary
The Acute Care Social Worker for the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Memorial Hospital in San Antonio, TX, provides psychosocial services to Veterans in inpatient acute care settings, including medicine, surgery, specialty medical units, and ICU environments.
Duties
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties may include but are not limited to: Completes comprehensive admission assessments to identify social drivers of health, strengths, limitations/barriers, coping abilities, and psychosocial support needs for Veterans and their families. Uses mental health assistant tools and required screening instruments to support clinical decision-making and identify risk or treatment needs. Delivers psychosocial treatment and supportive interventions to Veterans across diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds. Provides case management and care coordination in accordance with accepted social work standards, including discharge planning, resource identification, connecting Veterans and families to services, and working with Veterans, families, and groups as clinically appropriate. Applies clinical judgment to support treatment and discharge planning for Veterans with complex medical and psychosocial presentations. Coordinates resources and caregiver supports to enhance coping, maximize functioning, and improve health outcomes. Identifies and helps resolve psychosocial barriers to safe discharge, including housing instability, limited caregiver support, financial hardship, transportation challenges, and other social determinants impacting care. Actively participates in interdisciplinary rounds, care conferences, and treatment planning to ensure psychosocial factors are addressed and integrated into medical and discharge plans. Educates interdisciplinary team members about psychosocial concerns impacting health outcomes, treatment adherence, decision-making capacity, caregiver stress, and discharge readiness. Provides guidance to ensure psychosocial factors are reflected in care plans. Participates in crisis intervention, de-escalation, or coordination with the interdisciplinary treatment team, when clinically indicated. Serves as liaison between Veterans/families and VA or community resources, maintaining current knowledge of available services to support timely and effective referrals and coordination for thorough delivery of services. Collaborates with VA specialty programs such as GEC, Home-Based Primary Care, HUD-VASH, CLC, PACT, and mental health services to support continuity of care and service linkage. Follows STVHCS standard operating procedures for evaluating and mitigating suicide risk to include: Completes the Columbia Suicide Severity Risk Scale (C-SSRS) as per program requirements or more often as indicated, the Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation, and a Safety Plan via shared template in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) as per program requirements, with Veterans with suicidal ideation and on any Veteran whose record is flagged "High Risk for Suicide." Additionally, completes the Suicide Behavior and Overdose Report (SBOR) as clinically indicated. All clinical decisions will be discussed with clinical supervisor while the incumbent is under supervision. Completes timely, accurate, and clinically relevant documentation in CPRS in accordance with inpatient social work standards. Upholds professional and agency standards in accordance with Joint Commission requirements and VA and medical center policies and procedures, and adheres to the NASW Code of Ethics, maintaining respectful, culturally responsive, and Veteran-centered practice in all interactions. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm or 7:30am - 4:00pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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: Available Ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 56049-F, 56048-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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/. Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. Note: If your school was accredited by CSWE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the CSWE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.
How you will be evaluated
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.