Residence Requirements:

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

Examples of Duties:

A Social Work Supervisor develops the skills and efficiency of the Social Workers at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation; 

Provides administrative and program supervision ensuring effective Social Work Programs are operative in accordance with Federal, State and local laws, rules and regulations;
Ensures clients are protected and that clients receive competent and ethical services;
Reviews assessments and services plans, adjusts plans as necessary;
Evaluates policies and procedures and makes recommendations for changes;
Assists with departmental goals, supporting projects and cost effective methods for improving patient care;
Recruits, hires, trains and supervises lower level Social Workers; prepares performance expectations and evaluations;
counsels staff on work performance;
Plans, assigns, reviews and evaluates work of staff; coordinates unit’s work and activities with other departmental staff;
Identifies training and educational needs of staff; assist staff to develop and improve social work skills;
Plans, schedules and holds individual and group supervision sessions;
Serves as a resource person; provides counseling and intervention related to treatment decisions and end-of-life issues;
Participates in the development of community resources and services;
Serves as the liaison between other departments, agencies or organizations;
Provides consultation to Social Workers and Social Work Assistants for complex cases;
Educates patients, family and physicians regarding post-acute options and addresses issues of choice;
Participates in committees, projects, staff development programs and meetings;
Prepares correspondence and reports and maintains various records.

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 Master’s Degree in Social Work and two (2) years of social work experience with psychosocial or therapeutic counseling in a healthcare setting.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. Possession of a license and current registration as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) as issued by the New York State Department at Education at the time of appointment.
2. Section 424-A of the Social Services Law requires that 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 automatic nonselection.

Notes:

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

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. Developing & implementing treatment in a social work program

These questions test for knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply social work concepts, theories, principles, and practices in a mental hygiene program which provides services to clients who have various mental hygiene conditions such as mental illness, developmental disabilities or addiction. Questions may cover such topics as assessment, development, and implementation of treatment; coordination of treatment; evaluation of treatment; coordination of services; social work standards; roles of treatment team members; individual, family, and group counseling; community services; behavior management; crisis intervention; and patient/client advocacy.

2. 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.

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. 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. Working with individuals to promote mental health

These questions test for knowledge of characteristics, causes and treatment methods associated with chronic mental illness and/or addiction. Questions cover such topics as establishing, maintaining and terminating client relationships; recognizing, interpreting, and responding to individual and group behaviors; providing access to essential services such as financial, housing, medical, educational, legal, vocational, and recreational; and eligibility criteria of programs and agencies offering such services. 

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.