Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

Examples of Duties:

An Assistant Director of Nursing- Quality Care administers various nursing components of the Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement Plan for an assigned unit or area at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC);

Develops and implements the expectations, standards, policies and procedures for Quality Assurance (QA) and Performance Improvement (PI) activities in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, licensing authorities and accreditation standards;

Collaborates with Nursing In-Service staff to review and develop methods for incorporating QA/PI activities into the established nursing standards of practice;

Monitors and ensures compliance of QA/PI activities with applicable laws, regulations, licensing authorities and accreditation standards;

Oversees the collection and documentation of PI outcome data;

Evaluates data and prepares recommendations for improvement opportunity initiatives;

Develops and implements policies and procedures resulting from QA/PI activities;

Investigates and resolves problems related to the QA/PI process and compliance;

Coordinates activities between QA Committee, related disciplines, ECMCC departments and medical staff;

Assists in facility survey preparation and related day-to-day auditing process; participates in facility surveys;

Promotes and participates in research studies to assess and optimize delivery of care;

Oversees facility internal auditing to ensure regulatory compliance;

Exercises general supervision over assigned Nursing Department personnel;

Makes daily rounds to ensure assigned Nursing personnel are performing their work assignments in accordance with acceptable nursing standards;

Counsels personnel on problems that cannot be settled at the supervisor level;

Serves as a resource person for the nursing staff providing them with information, hospital policy, nursing care standards and clarification of regulations;

Serves on, participates in and attends various committees/meetings and assists in preparing reports for such.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A.) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and six (6) years of professional nursing experience* (see Note 1), including two (2) years of administrative** or supervisory*** experience in a healthcare setting; or:

B.) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Associate's Degree in Nursing and eight (8) years of professional nursing experience* (see Note 1), including two (2) years of administrative** or supervisory*** experience in a healthcare setting.

FOR ASSIGNMENT TO THE LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY:
Two (2) years of administrative** or supervisory*** experience must be in a long-term care or skilled nursing facility.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Possession of a current license and registration to practice as a Registered Professional Nurse in New York State at time of appointment;

Maintenance of license and registration throughout appointment.

Notes:

1. *Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Master's Degree in Nursing, Management or Business Administration may be substituted for two (2) years of required nursing experience but may not be substituted for hospital or long-term care facility administrative/supervisory experience. 

2. **Administrative experience is defined as the responsible planning, management and control functions of an organization or organizational unit including the development and/or approval of operating policy and procedures 

3. ***Supervision – Responsible direction and control of subordinate employees.  This involves the assignment of work, approval of work, training, evaluation and discipline of employees.  The supervisory aspects must be an integral part of the job, not incidental or occasional.  

4.   Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.   5. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices.  A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed.  If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency.  You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates:  Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.  All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Evaluating health care

These questions test for knowledge of medical symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and federal and New York State quality assurance standards and discharge planning; for the ability to apply this knowledge to given situations; and for the ability to evaluate client care and treatment.

2. Medical, psychiatric, developmental conditions and treatments

These questions will test for knowledge in areas such as: acceptable treatments and standard medical alternatives; symptoms, tests, procedures, and treatments associated with specific diagnoses; evaluation of the appropriateness of treatment methods; characteristics of the various populations diagnosed with mental illness or intellectual/developmental disabilities.

3. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

4. Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

5. Understanding and interpreting health records and reports

These questions test for the ability to read, interpret, and apply information used in evaluating health care. You will be required to read and interpret selections from medical records and reports; laws, rules, and regulations relating to health care; and/or narratives on health-related topics.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.