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:

A HIV/AIDS Peer Navigator involves outreach and providing services to disconnected populations infected with HIV for increasing an individual’s ability to access and remain connected to care and support services that promote early medical intervention;

Develops outreach plan to locate at risk/infected persons;

Conducts outreach and engagement efforts to engage new clients and retain clients receiving care;

Collaborates with other case management staff on client linkage and retention in care plan;

Provides HIV education to clients regarding transmission, HIV disease process, medication adherence and clinical care;

Develops and utilizes interventions that are personalized, client-centered, and appropriate to client needs and readiness to access services;

Provides referrals to care and support services (e.g. mental health services, housing, social services, primary care, substance use treatment and assists the client in accessing/utilizing such services;

Acts as an advocate on behalf of the client;

Conducts follow up activities with clients such as reminder calls and appointment accompaniment;

Documents all activities in electronic medical records system;

Attends and participates in meetings, committees, trainings, in-services and conferences as required.

Qualifications:

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

Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and one (1) year of general work experience, of which six (6) months were in the field of education, outreach or peer navigation* (See NOTE 1).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession and maintenance of a New York State Driver License and use of a private vehicle at time of appointment.

Notes:

1. *Successful completion of Peer Worker Course as administered by New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute may be substituted for the six (6) months of experience in the field of education, outreach or peer navigation.
2. Candidates must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.
3. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

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. Interviewing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.

2. 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.

3. Principles and practices of social casework

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices used to provide casework services to individuals and/or families of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Questions will test for application of this knowledge in various settings and will include such topics as assessment, monitoring and evaluating services, counseling, referrals, and advocacy.

4. Working with individuals to promote mental health

These questions test for knowledge of characteristics, causes and treatment methods associated with working with individuals who may have mental, developmental, physical, social and substance abuse disorders and/or disabilities. Questions cover such topics as establishing, maintaining and terminating client relationships; recognizing, interpreting, and responding to individual and group behaviors, as well as crisis situations; and facilitating access to essential services such as financial, housing, medical, educational, legal, vocational, and recreational. 

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.