Job Abstract

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible for working directly with the residential or day habilitation staff under the supervision and direction of the Behavior Intervention Specialist (BIS), Manager and Coordinator.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible for working with the team to look at each person supported in a wholistic manner. This includes looking at the person’s strengths, preferences and needs in order to ensure these are identified and met.

• The Assistant Clinician will work with the BIS and the team to identify the behavioral, psychiatric, social, vocational, health, nutritional and mobility needs etc. of each person and bring these to the attention of the team.

• The Assistant Clinician will assist the BIS, RN or Manager/Coordinator to conduct assessments and observations.

• The Assistant Clinician will develop goals/outcomes, identified in the Comprehensive Functional Assessment (CFA) or Life Plan that meet the interests and needs of the person supported. This includes reviewing data for accurate and consistent implementation, ensuring accuracy of daily and monthly progress reports and making revisions, when needed.

• The Assistant Clinician will work with the interdisciplinary team to design effective data collection systems that allow progress to be monitored and measured.

• The Assistant Clinician supports the program in ensuring that all programming is implemented consistently and in accordance with the agency policy.

• The Assistant Clinician assists the IDT to monitor the completion of all habilitation related paperwork required for the people we support and ensure reports are shared with appropriate service providers.

• The Assistant Clinician works with the BIS and RN to ensure interventions receive the proper approval prior to implementation prior to implementation (informed consent, human rights), if required.

• The Assistant Clinician helps develop group curricula and ensures the implementation of individual and group programming.

• The Assistant Clinician assists with staff training to ensure that all clinical interventions are understood by staff, properly and consistently implemented, to communicate clinical rationales to the staff, to provide staff with both formal and informal feedback, role model appropriate interactions and provide guidance/leadership to staff when implementing programming.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible for facilitating case conferences (CFA/life plan meetings) and to function as a member of the interdisciplinary team. This includes collecting and synthesizing all reports into the CFA or case conference minutes. The Assistant Clinician in conjunction with the IDT reviews the CFA/ life plan, develops a staff action plan and trains staff on goals/outcomes and supports.

• The Assistant Clinician must participate in weekly IDT meetings.

• The Assistant Clinician is encouraged to function as a resource to other programs when needed and to serve on various committees such as the Human Rights Committee, Informed Consent Committee, Incident Review Committee, etc.)

• In addition to facilitating team meetings within assigned programs, the Assistant Clinician is responsible for attending the team meeting held on behalf of the people supported by other service providers.

• The Assistant Clinician supports the team when working with families, and members of the community as well as all team meetings, and team building efforts.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible for providing useful clinical information to staff working directly with individuals and to maintain accepted standards of confidentiality.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible for assisting the IDT to initiate appropriate referrals for necessary consultations and evaluations.

• The Assistant Clinician supports the IDT to ensure that individuals receive appropriate mental and physical health care and acts as a resource to the residential/day habilitative team.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible to facilitate the coordination of individual treatment between the residence and the day hab. The Assistant Clinician should visit individuals at their day/vocational program and attend case conferences and other special IDT meetings as dictated by each person’s needs.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible to ensure that all habilitation records are maintained in accordance with OPWDD and BIRCH policy under the direction of the IDT, QA staff, Psychology Coordinator and Nurse Administrator.

• The Assistant Clinician should bring to the attention of the IDT both programmatic and individual clinical issues and be solution-oriented in their resolution.

• It is the Assistant Clinician’s responsibility to meet with his/her supervisors on a regular basis including the Residential Manager/Coordinator, BIS and RN. They are responsible to come to supervision prepared with an agenda, approach clinical and programmatic issues in a solution-oriented manner, and to follow up on tasks delegated during the supervision process in a timely manner.

• The Assistant Clinician is responsible to function in a direct service professional capacity.

• Works under the direction of the Residential Manager, Operations Coordinator, BIS and RN.

Education
Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Education or related Human Services field

Skills and/or Experience Required
Minimum of 3 years’ experience working in OPWDD related field and preferably experience in a residential, health or treatment related setting preferred.
Demonstrated competency in written, verbal and computational skills to document records in accordance with program standards.
Should have the ability to work a flexible schedule if needed to accommodate working with the individuals in the residence and to attend team meetings.