Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one present vacancy at the Erie County Sheriff's Office Jail Management Division. 

Examples of Duties:

A Director of Nursing-Correctional Health manages nursing services located at Erie County Correctional Facility and the Erie County Holding Center; 

Establishes and maintains clinical standards and procedures, for the Correctional Health nursing services to assure that quality and consistent services are delivered;

Implements, evaluates, and monitors these services in collaboration with facility administrators, healthcare managers and nursing supervisors;

Develops Correctional Health Services (CHS) policy and interprets Public Health Department policy to facilitate and ensure uniform delivery of services within the program;

Issue procedures in accordance with established standards and policies for the fulfillment of program goals and ensuring compliance with safety and infection control;

Works collaboratively with the Director of Correctional Health, Chief Medical Officer and lead representatives from other disciplines to ensure staff and resources are managed in order to provide inmates with appropriate and timely nursing services consistent with established standards;

Implements organizational and/or staffing changes as necessary to provide for adequate coverage;

Evaluates the performance of subordinate nursing and related staff and prepares formal reports of performance.

Provides technical assistance to nurses in the delivery of nursing care;

Provides overall direction for a comprehensive in service and continuing education program;

Collaborates on the recruitment, interviewing, and hiring process and coordinates all Correctional Health Services nursing employment activities with Erie County Department of Personnel;

Determines suitable organization structure and staffing requirements for the nursing division. Accountable for ensuring an adequate mix of nursing licensure is available on all shifts to meet the needs of the CHS facilities and to meet the license supervision requirements of the Nurse Practice Act;

Creates a work environment that values high ethical standards, emphasizes safe, high quality nursing care, nurtures teamwork, and encourages activities that lead to continuous improvement;

Ensures proper labor relations and conditions of employment are maintained;

Establishes, reviews, and supervises the implementation of a nursing care plan for inmates;

Ascertains the need for and supervises requisitioning of all ordinary medical and dental supplies;

Monitors use and control of drugs;

Confers with the Commissioner of Health, Assistant Director of Administration, Director of Correctional Health, and the Chief Medical Officer/Jail Physician on implementation of inmate health standards as mandated or suggested by the New York State Commission of Corrections;

Other duties as assigned.

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 four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing plus (5) years of nursing medical/surgical or other acute-care nursing experience and three (3) years supervisory experience (charge/head nurse, supervisor, manager.)or:

B.) Completion of ninety (90) semester hours at a regionally accredited or New York State registered four (4) year college or university majoring in Nursing* plus seven (7) years of nursing medical/surgical or other acute-care nursing experience and five (5) years supervisory experience (charge/head nurse, supervisor, manager): or:

C.) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Candidate must possess a license and current registration as a registered nurse in New York State at time of appointment; and

Candidate required to pass a thorough background investigation; and

A New York State driver’s license or the ability to provide transportation to work locations with limited or no public Transportation.

Notes:

1. *Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing is required within one (1) year of permanent appointment.

2. Typical duties of a Director of Nursing include such things as; the development and implementation of nursing department operating policies and procedures; development and administration of procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations; and monitoring and evaluating of all departmental activities(including staff) for quality effectiveness.

3. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

4. 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: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

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

1. Administrative supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in directing the activities of a large subordinate staff, including subordinate supervisors. Questions relate to the personal interactions between an upper level supervisor and his/her subordinate supervisors in the accomplishment of objectives. These questions cover such areas as assigning work to and coordinating the activities of several units, establishing and guiding staff development programs, evaluating the performance of subordinate supervisors, and maintaining relationships with other organizational sections.

2. Administration

These questions test for knowledge of the managerial functions involved in directing an organization or an organizational segment. These questions cover such areas as: developing objectives and formulating policies; making decisions based on the context of the administrator's position and authority; forecasting and planning; organizing; developing personnel; coordinating and informing; guiding and leading; testing and evaluating; and budgeting.

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. Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  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.