Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There is one vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center.

Examples of Duties:

A Staff Accountant is responsible for accounting and recordkeeping in the Finance Department of the Erie County Medical Center Corporation and for its related entities; 

Prepares various journal entries and financial statements;

Performs account reconciliations by comparing cash balance in general ledger accounts against statement balances;

Monitors accounts and identifies transaction errors; Monitors accounts for excess or deficient money in accounts and notifies supervisor;

Reviews and records financial transactions in accordance with standard operating policies and procedures;

Prepares wire transfers and intercompany bank transfers; Works with banking institutions to obtain information, including determining sources of errors;

Monitors and records investment activity;

Reviews accounts for activity related to indebtedness;

Participates in internal audits related to financial reporting;

Participates in required general ledger system upgrades, testing, and documentation;

Compiles and assists in the analysis of information for inclusion in records and reports as required;

Serves as a liaison to independent auditors and internal departments for matters related to accounting information;

Organizes and participates in meetings and committees as required.

Qualifications:

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

Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or closely related field, including or supplemented by 24 semester credit hours in accounting, and two (2) years of experience* (See Note 1) in accounting or financial recordkeeping.

Notes:

NOTES: 1. *Possession of a license as a Certified Public Accountant in New York State may be substituted for one (1) year of the general accounting experience.  2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the full-time experience requirements. 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: 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. General accounting

These questions test for knowledge of the general accounting principles and practices used in the preparation of financial statements, in the recording and reporting of financial transactions, and in financial decision-making. Candidates will be required to demonstrate a current knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Knowledge of computerized information systems as it applies to accounting may be required.

2. General auditing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and procedures involved in substantiating and examining transactions and financial statements. It will require a knowledge of auditing techniques and Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). Knowledge of the use of computerized accounting or auditing systems as it pertains to auditing may be required. Questions relating to internal controls applicable to manual and computerized accounting systems may 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 tabular material

These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

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.