Patient Advocate

Modified: March 31, 2016 1:24pm

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Patient Advocate

#61-951 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

Salary: $35,641.00 - $44,879.00 Annually
Opening Date: March 31, 2016
Closing Date: April 27, 2016
Application fee: $20.00

Residence Requirements:

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

Examples of Duties:

Patient Advocate serves as a liaison between patients and their families and hospital staff at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation; Serves as designated liaison representative between patients and ECMC, through whom patients may voice their problems and concerns;
Manages the patient experience and works with designated areas, departments and staff to improve patient experience as evidenced by patient experience (Picker) scores;
Collaborates with Unit Managers to identify opportunities to improve patient experience in patient care areas;
Interprets and explains to patients and their families the philosophy, policies and procedures of the hospital within 24 hours of patient's admission to hospital and reviews "Patients Rights" materials at this time;
Assists in referring patients to appropriate services and resources and responds personally when other alternatives are not available;
Identifies and assesses problems that may arise, investigates and directs inquires and complaints to appropriate hospital staff members;
Communicates with medical staff and physicians directly and promptly when an issue or complaint arises regarding hospital care;
Assists administration in establishing policies, objectives and quality of these policies; policies include interpretive services and policies regarding religious preferences issues;
Encourages understanding and adherence by both staff and patients to the hospital philosophy, rights and responsibilities;
Enhances professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, current literature, inservice and workshops;
Attends meetings and writes reports as required

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 and two years of experience in an acute healthcare setting; or:

B) Completion of sixty  semester credit hours at a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university and four years of experience in an acute healthcare setting; or:

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

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.

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.

Examination date:

June 4, 2016

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

April 27, 2016

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.