Erie County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to workplace diversity.

Residence Requirements:

THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There are two anticipated vacancies at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation. 

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 Patient Advocate serves as a liaison between patients and their supporters/caregivers and staff at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation; 

Serves as designated liaison through whom patients and their supporters/ communicate with on patient care matters; may voice their problems and concerns;

Monitors patient experience feedback thorough patient interaction and formal survey scores; works with applicable staff to review and address potential issues related to the patient experience;

Provides patients and their supporters/caregivers with pertinent ECMCC and patient care information and also reviews “Patient Bill of Rights” materials within twenty-four (24) hours of patient admission;

Assists in referring patients to appropriate hospital and community-based services and resources;

Identifies and assesses issues that may arise; advances clinical inquires and complaints to appropriate staff members; assists in the investigation of patient care and related matters as assigned;

Participates in developing recommendations for new or amended policies and procedures on applicable matters;

May prepare summary reports regarding patient care, patient experience and related matters as necessary;

Enhances professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, current literature, in-service and workshops;

Attends 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:

A.) Completion of sixty (60) semester credit hours from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university and two (2) years of experience* in a hospital or long-term care/skilled nursing setting; or:

B.) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and four (4) years of experience in a hospital or long-term care/skilled nursing setting; or:

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

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Possession of Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification within thirty (30) days of appointment and maintenance throughout duration of employment.

IN ADDITION, SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSIGNMENT TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AREA:

Completion of initial and participation in annual re-training of New York State Office of Mental Health-certified Preventing and Managing Crisis Situation (PMCS) Training as administered by ECMCC Nursing Department within thirty (30) days of appointment;

Section 424-a of the Social Services Law requires the 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 an automatic non-selection

Notes:

1.  *Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree may be substituted for one (1) year of the required qualifying experience. 

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the 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 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.