Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There are ten vacancies at the Erie County Medical Center.

Examples of Duties:

A Discharge Planner provides discharge planning services to patients and their families, including pre and post discharge information, assistance and referrals;
Interviews patients, family and friends to gather detailed information covering functional status, fiscal, legal, emotional and relevant personal/family/social strengths and weaknesses;
Assesses support network;
Collects and revises information on community health and welfare resources;
Assesses the value of additional psychological support and counseling for patient and family and makes appropriate referrals;
Assesses overall patient-family stability and makes referrals to appropriate community agencies for follow-up services;
Provides basic emotional support through understanding patient situation and giving practical guidance and information;
Evaluates and refers insurance programs to support discharge plan (e.g. referral for Medicaid application, crime victims, etc.);
Works with patient's family and friends and enlists their help in his/her discharge planning;
Documents completion of patient/family tasks and interaction in medical chart;
Assists or arranges for post discharge care to home or facility placement;
Assists the patient, families and/or community agencies to resolve barriers to discharge or successful community living;
Assists patients in securing required appliance(s) through agencies and rentals;
Arranges specific screening, linking planning meetings with family, social agencies, home care agencies, etc. to link patient and to work out a plan of care;
Meets with patients and families to offer nursing home/rehabilitation options and transportation options; coordinates or may directly provide transportation;
Works as a member of interdisciplinary team and coordinates discharge activities with the overall team, including equipment ordering, arranging linkage and community follow-up;
Assesses overall patient-family stability and makes referral to appropriate community agencies for follow-up services;
Makes post discharge appoint in collaboration with the patient/family;
Participates in Total Quality Improvement activities.
  

Qualifications:

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

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:
Section 424-A of the Social Services Law requires local Social Services District to inquire whether the applicant is the subject of an indicated child abuse or maltreatment report on file with the State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. All potential employees for this position will be requested to sign the necessary clearance form prior to being advised that they will be hired. Refusal to sign will be cause for automatic non-selection.

Notes:

NOTES: 1.  Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements. 2.  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.

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. Educating and interacting with the public

These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with individuals and/or community groups, to educate or inform them about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with others in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.

2. Medical terminology

These questions test for knowledge of words, phrases, and abbreviations used in medical diagnosis and therapy. Questions may cover such topics as diseases, symptoms, pharmaceuticals, medical specialties, anatomy, treatment modalities, medical supplies, and medical equipment. Prefixes and suffixes used in medical terminology may also be included.

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 how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections. 

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.