Senior Therapist

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended. 

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted online.

ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care Services, Public Health, Environmental Health Services, and Office of the Agency Director. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents.

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The mission of the Alameda County Public Health Department is to work in partnership with the community to ensure the optimal health and wellbeing of all people. Alameda County Public Health Department has worked for over 80 years to improve the health and safety of its residents and the neighborhoods they live in. The Public Health Department staff are committed to the following values:

Healthy People in Healthy Communities

Equity and Social Justice

Accountability and Quality

Leadership and Innovation

Trust and Transparency

Humility and Respect

Traditional public health concerns such as disease outbreaks, environmental hazards and access to health care are compounded by contemporary concerns such as: economic disenfranchisement and homelessness, racism, sexual and reproductive health and rights, crime, violence, and substance abuse. Each of these poses a threat to public health and wellness and calls for innovative solutions, in close partnership with impacted communities. For more information about our Alameda County Public Health Department, please visit the Alameda County Public Health Department Website and latest Annual Budget document found on www.acgov.org 

THE POSITION

There are multiple vacancies of Senior Therapist in the Public Health Department, under the Family Health Services Division, California Children's Services - Medical Therapy Program (MTP). The Senior Therapist may be assigned to the Medical Therapy Unit or act as the Therapy Case Coordinator. In the Medical Therapy Unit, the Senior Therapist provides direct therapy services to pediatric clients ages birth to 21 years in a center-based clinic setting, clinical oversight and support to licensed occupational and physical therapists and occupational and physical therapy students.

Under general direction, Senior Therapists lead and instruct licensed occupational and physical therapists, supportive personnel, and students/interns; to assist in the development of therapeutic techniques and necessary equipment involved; to organize the student internship program, to review medical requests for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) or physical and/or occupational therapy services to determine California Children's Services (CCS) eligibility and to provide and coordinate the provision of the full range of physical and occupational therapy services at a school based site.

FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES DIVISION

Family Health Services Division provides preventive interventions, access to health care services and advocacy in order to promote optimal health outcomes for families in Alameda County throughout the life course. The Senior Therapist is primarily assigned to the following program: California Children's Services (CCS). This position may be responsible for assisting with the coordination and lead direction to an occupational and physical therapy program in Medical Therapy Units located at public school sites. The Senior Therapist reports to the Medical Therapy Unit Supervising Therapist or the Assistant Chief Therapist and may receive direction from executive leadership staff.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will be a skilled pediatric occupational or physical therapist with knowledge of California Children’s Services (CCS) regulations, policies and guidelines. In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the Senior Therapist will possess the following critical attributes:

• Demonstrated leadership through participation in program development work groups or orientation of new staff or students.
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills and the ability to work with a diverse staff and client population. 
• Provide high quality, family-centered, results-based program services, and will be able to act as the Supervising Therapist in his/her absence.
• A strong knowledge of DME for clients with complex special health care concerns.
• Strong clinical skills for the pediatric population with an ability to apply current evidence-based principles and practices.
• Demonstrated organization, with the skill and ability to coordinate administrative and clinical duties on a daily basis, manage time and appropriately prioritize goals and assignments.
• Leadership qualities, including exceptional interpersonal, verbal and written communication and facilitation skills to communicate with staff, community agencies, clients and their families.
• Understanding and sensitivity towards families with complex social, economic and medical issues.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Therapeutic intervention for the pediatric population.
• Human anatomy.
• Physiology.
• Pathology.
• Medical terminology and documentation.
• Pathology, including cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular conditions.
• Growth and development of children; including children with disabilities.
• Disparities in health outcomes for vulnerable populations, including socio-economic and environmental factors affecting health equity.
• Ten Essential Public Health Services.  
• Principles and practices of public health education and teaching, and interviewing, assessment, and counseling techniques.

Ability to:

• Apply therapy principles and practices.
• Gather and analyze data.
• Problem solve and draw logical conclusions.
• Facilitate and model effective written and oral communications with attention to linguistic preferences and cultural proficiency to influence behavior and improve health.
• Prioritize work and coordinate several activities to meet critical deadlines.
• Work independently and adapt to change.
• Operate multiple software programs.
• Exercise interpersonal sensitivity and group interaction skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Incorporate departmental core values and ethical standards of practice into all interactions with individuals, organizations and communities.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1. A review of applicants' application to verify possession of minimum requirements.  Those applicants who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
2. A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to determine the best qualified.  Those candidates considered the best qualified will move on to the final step in the examination process.
3. An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates' final examination score.  The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. 

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.  

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness, and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN   

*The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, Noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org and Noreply@jobaps.com as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email boxes Noreply@jobaps.com and noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. If you have questions, please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Angelica Cuevas, HR Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 271-5154 or email Angelica.Cuevas@acgov.org

www.acgov.org/hrs 

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.  Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect.  Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.