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 Department of Health. 

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Disease Intervention Specialist monitors investigations on patients and potential suspects in the field of sexually transmitted disease as well as the service delivery system;

Prepares and implements services to meet specific needs;

May recommend individuals to outside private or public agencies and coordinates and monitors progress of individuals referred;

Supervises and assists staff, on an individual or group basis, in formulating plans and services;

Maintains liaison with outside agencies by attending related meetings, conferences, and workshops;

Assists in the development and implementation of staff in-service training programs;

Makes regular field visits to monitor or inspect progress of cases, investigates complaints, and reviews fiscal files; Supervises maintenance of client files;

Reviews and monitors case records, composes letters, and prepares reports as required;

Prepares evaluation reports and maintains records on program performance.

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 Health, Social Work, Human Services, or closely related field and three (3) years of experience working in a public contact position which included interviewing, instruction, investigating and/or counseling, one (1) year of which was as a Disease Intervention Specialist or comparable Public Health Representative position* (see Note 2) ; or

B) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two (2) year college or university with an Associate’s Degree or completion of 60 semester credit hours and five (5) years of experience working in a public contact position which included interviewing, instruction, investigating and/or counseling, two (2) years of which were as a Disease Intervention Specialist or comparable Public Health Representative position* (see Note 2).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:
Candidates must possess a New York State driver's license and have a car available for use as a requirement of this position at time of appointment and throughout period of employment.

Notes:

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

2. * A comparable Public Health Representative position provides information, counsels, or contributes technical assistance to various segments of the public to prevent and control communicable, chronic, environmental or occupational diseases. ( e.g.: Intervention specialists investigate and educate on issues relating to public health.)

3. 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. 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. 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. Public health issues & practices

These questions test for knowledge of significant public health problems and strategies for promoting and protecting the public health. Topics may cover such areas as immunization programs, disease vectors, sexually transmitted diseases, disease surveillance, epidemiology, public education, disease reporting and control.

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 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.