Vacant Position Announcement: Client Assistance Specialist

Dear AAHI Community,
Please read the vacant position announcement below from the Latino Health Initiative, this could be a wonderful job opportunity.

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Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
Latino Health Initiative
Suburban Maryland Welcome Back Center
Vacant Position Announcement
Client Assistance Specialist
(Contractor - 24 Hours/Week)
Posted: October 2010
Background Information
The Latino Health Initiative (LHI) of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services seeks to improve the health of Latino families in Montgomery County and to improve the quality of services they receive. The Suburban Maryland Welcome Back Center is a program inside the County.
The Center is an innovative model that builds on the personal and professional assets of internationally trained health professional living in Maryland to help them re-enter the health workforce. This is part of a larger effort to increase the number of culturally and linguistically competent health professionals working in Maryland. The Center serves Latino and other ethnically diverse foreign-trained health professionals.
The Center is spearheaded by the LHI and works in close collaboration with partners that include the local and State government, the academic sector, and the private sector. This multi-institutional collaboration provides a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated approach for effectively addressing the needs and decreasing the challenges and barriers foreign-trained health professionals encounter in Maryland while trying to obtain a health profession licensure. The Center service model incorporates five components: guidance and support, academic support, practical exposure to the U.S. healthcare system/mentoring, career development support, and leadership development.
For the overall description of the Center use the following link in the LHI website: http://www.lhiinfo.org/en-programs-and-activities/Welcome-Back-Center.asp
Position Description
Under the guidance and supervision of the Manager of the Center, the Client Assistance Specialist is responsible for providing on-going guidance and support to participants to facilitate the Maryland licensure process for foreign-trained health professionals. The Client Assistance Specialist acts as a focal point to provide information on the licensure process and its requirements, steps and expenses and also serves as an advocate for participants with the institutions involved in the Maryland licensure process as well as with those involved as partner organizations.
Specific duties include:

Assist participants by providing personalized case management to create an individualized plan to obtain licensure including a detailed realistic career plan to transition to the healthcare workforce, exploring paid job possibilities at a healthcare setting while preparing to obtain the license.

Position Description: Client Assistance Specialist
October 2010

- Provide assistance to navigate the system in the licensure process and to complete the required steps and forms, as well as facilitating access to financial assistance services.

- Assist to conduct regular group guidance and support meetings with participants.

- Work in collaboration with partner organizations for proper coordination of services and to advocate for the assigned participants.

- Record participants’ progress in licensure process.

- Provide general information to individuals interested in the Center services and keep reliable records to contact potential participants when recruitment is opened.

- Participate in data collection related to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Center activities and prepare required reports on a regular basis.

- Other duties as appropriate.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree or an equivalent amount of experience in human services, workforce development or academic counseling.
• Experience in assisting clients in workforce development, academic counseling or similar areas to establish realistic goals, taking into consideration personal and professional circumstances as well as willingness and readiness to achieve goal. Familiarity with healthcare professions is desirable.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative relations with community members and with public/private entities.
• Experience facilitating group sessions.
• Experience working with diverse populations, especially Latinos and other ethnically diverse groups living in Maryland.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Bilingual in English and one of the following languages: Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
• Excellent computer skills, knowledge and experience in relevant software applications, and ability to work with the Internet.
• Ability to work flexible hours including some evenings and weekends.
Compensation
The contractor will be paid between $19 to $21 per hour plus benefits. Offer great working environment for mentoring and professional networking.
Interested applicants should send their resumes with a cover letter by Wednesday, November 3, 2010 to Suzanne.Mbollo@montgomerycountymd.gov