Paraprofessional

Description

Purpose of Position:

 The Paraprofessional provides direct care services to one or more persons receiving services through SERENITY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES LLC.'s office.

Functions (But not limited to):

Support Services

• Assist persons served by teaching skills as outlined in their PCP and the service definition under which they are providing service to promote a higher level of independence, including but not limited to the following: social skills, personal hygiene, budgeting, anger management, meal preparation, grocery shopping, maintaining their living arrangement, job searches, interviewing, self advocacy and symptom management.
• Support the person served in understanding and exercising their rights
• Provide support services in a manner that is safe, therapeutic, and free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• Ensure clients health, safety and well-being are monitored daily,
• Consistent, documented bed monitoring conducted every 15 minutes on any shift that the consumer is in the room asleep, especially on 3rd shift.
• Support the persons served by maintaining the best possible health by following the PCP including but are not limited to the following: nutrition plans, health care plans, exercise regimes
•  Assist the persons served in accessing community resources including but not limited to the following: accessing civic organizations and benefits
• Support the person served in establishing and maintaining relationships that are important to him/her
• Administer prescription, over-the-counter, and PRN medication as ordered by a physician and in accordance with State and SERENITY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES LLC. rules, statutes, and policy and procedures, if credentialed to do so and if such is noted the person served's PCP As requested, attend health-related appointments with the persons served and promote self advocacy and if necessary communicate effectively on his/her behalf
• Ensure that all information resulting form health related appointments is documented and communicated to the appropriate Team Leader
• Attend and participate in treatment team meetings, audits, and committees as requested Employees are required to transfer individuals who are non-ambulatory and manual lifting of an individual's weight is required.
•   Ability to document correctly on individuals daily and professionally.
• Transport consumers to appointments and other community outings in the company vehicle and/or personal vehicles. 

Cultural Awareness:

• The ability to demonstrate the delivery of services to divers population. Understands and can articulate how cultural differences can affect treatment. Ability to communicate and to provide competent and appropriate services to diverse populations.
•   The ability to understand the various cultures, genders, socioeconomic influences, and religious beliefs of the individuals served and advocates for those individual beliefs throughout the planning and plan implementation process.

Analytical Skills:

•   The ability to recognize, monitor, and report regarding the needs and responses of the person receiving mental health and other services. Knows how to problem solve and get help regarding system issues that affect the person being served. Uses information about psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural and developmental issues to provide services in ways that are based on the individual's strength, preferences and needs.
• The ability to gather information on the individual's capabilities, gifts, behaviors, preferences, skills and needs for use in the development of the individual's individual plan. Evaluate situations in order to respond appropriately.

Decision-Making:

• Accurate appraisal of problems and conditions of person being served in a variety of settings and systems. Ability to synthesize individual's information from involved agencies or sources, and to formulate and implement an appropriate course of action in collaboration with these agencies or sources. Ability to recognize person's needs and to refer individual to appropriate professionals and resources. Makes appropriate decisions and /or referral in a timely manner.
• The ability to balance support for the individual's stated choices against the core responsibilities. Limitations of position and potential risks to the person. To use information from different sources, specific to the individual, in order to present a complete 'picture' of the situation/event. To assist the individual to use findings of assessments to develop strategies for obtaining needed resources and supports. To use information to make appropriate and timely decisions and/or referrals.

Interpersonal Skills:

• The ability to establish rapport, openness, and trust. Ability to interact effectively with individuals, families, and involved agencies to promote active treatment and relapse prevention.    
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with individuals, their families, co-workers, and others.

Communication skills:

• Ability to effectively formulate and clearly articulate ideas in both verbal and written forms. The ability to effectively interpret and convey verbal and non-verbal information through appropriate means for the individual and the population served.
• Ability to effectively formulate and articulate ideas in both verbal and written forms. Ability to use effective, sensitive communication skills to build rapport and channels of communication by recognizing and adapting to the range of the person's communication styles.

Clinical Skills:

• Consistently practice appropriate medication administration and documentation
• Consistently practice appropriate service records documentation, pursuant to State, Federal, and SERENITY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES,LLC Policies and Procedures
• Provide support services as scheduled, showing up on-time and working on person centered goals for the duration of the time allotted
• Serve as a valued member of a person focused team to support the individuals we serve Establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and persons served
• Express ideas clearly, both verbally and written
• Ability to plan and execute work effectively
• Be aware of expiration dates and maintain current training and recertification requirements Attend and participate in all team meetings, committees, and audits as requested

Accuracy Required In Work and Consequence of Error: The Paraprofessional is responsible for delivering services to each consumer on their caseload, which has the potential to severely affect the health and safety of consumers and staff. This position has a fiduciary responsibility to SERENITY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES,LLC including but not limited to billing, in which errors could result in significant funding infractions for the agency

Supervision and Training Provided to Employee: The office will provide initial training, while on-going training and supervision is provided on by the supervisor. 

Physical Effort: A variety of physical activities are necessary for this position and depending upon the needs of the consumers of the agency. There will also be interaction with consumers served at each location which entails moving ambulatory and non-ambulatory consumers or interaction with consumers which could require therapeutic holds. The position requires working with consumers with mental and physical disabilities that display verbal and/or physical aggression and property destruction.

Work Environment and Conditions: The Paraprofessional works primarily in the community in order to ensure the quality and provision of services to the consumers. For residential services, depending on the shift worked, much of the service might be provided in the residence