State of Maryland

A WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Services Associate Trainee is the entry level of work providing paraprofessional services to WIC clients such as income eligibility determination, health screening, health care and other referrals, and basic nutrition education.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a designated higher-level administrative position.  The work may require travel to various locations, such as satellite clinics, to provide WIC services.  Employees are required to observe infection control precautions in order to prevent contamination and the spread of disease.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The WIC Services Associate Trainee and the WIC Services Associate are differentiated on the basis of degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The WIC Services Associate Trainee learns to perform duties under close supervision while the WIC Services Associate performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Learns to interview clients to obtain socioeconomic, health and dietary information;

Learns to perform and record height and weight measurements;

Learns to perform and record biochemical measurements, such as hemoglobin or lead test;

Learns to screen the health and nutritional status of clients and identify problems that place them at nutritional risk;

Learns to determine WIC eligibility and complete certifications;

Learns to provide WIC food instruments, such as checks or EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards, to certified clients;

Learns to provide general health and nutrition information to clients through individual and group sessions;

Learns to evaluate the need for and refer clients to other health, food assistance and social service programs;

Learns to enter client data into automated health files;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of basic mathematics;

Ability to learn to conduct client interviews to obtain accurate information necessary to determine WIC Program eligibility;

Ability to learn Maryland WIC Program policies and procedures related to certification, nutrition education and food packages;

Ability to learn how to perform nutrition screening and identify problems which place clients at nutritional risk;

Ability to learn to provide nutrition education for clients relevant to their identified nutritional risks;

Ability to learn how to apply WIC Program policies and procedures to individual client problems or needs;

Ability to learn to explain WIC Program, health and nutrition information to clients.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: None.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit D- Health and Human Service Nonprofessionals classes.  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.