Job description
This Peer Support Specialist will function in the primary role of providing peer support services to individuals with opioid use disorder who are referred to MAHEC via Buncombe County EMS post-overdose. This position will work collaboratively with the MAHEC project team and Buncombe County EMS to provide low barrier access to care and support high-risk patients with opioid use disorder. Under the direct supervision of the Peer Support Team Supervisor, the Peer Support Specialist works with a diverse interdisciplinary team to provide peer support services to persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse problems. Service provision will focus on working with clients to enhance their recovery. Service is provided to individuals or groups. The Peer Support Specialist will be responsible for providing essential expertise and consultation to the entire interdisciplinary healthcare team to promote a culture in which each individual’s point of view and preferences are recognized, understood, respected and integrated into treatment, rehabilitation, and community self-help activities while serving as an advocate for patients.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:
- To provide individualized, ongoing guidance, coaching and support
- To provide training in the use of personal and community resources
- Assist in developing formal and informal community support
- Assist the person served in increasing social support networks of relatives, friends and/or significant others
- To offer encouragement in times of crisis
- To advocate on behalf of persons with behavioral health problems to protect the patient’s rights and to assist in reducing associated stigma
- To work in cooperation with other providers, family members or significant others involved in the patient’s recovery plan
- To attend department staff meetings, Case Conferences and Individual and Group Supervision
- To attain established standards of productivity
- To observe all rules of confidentiality relating to clinical information and treatment, both internally and when dealing with external agencies and/or individuals
- To be responsible for understanding patient’s rights policy and procedures
- To participate in staff training and development
- To serve on designated committees within the organization
- To maintain professional standards at all times
- To observe the guidelines established within MAHEC policy and procedures
- To perform other related duties as assigned
KEY COMPETENCIES:
Communication Skills
- Effectively and respectably communicate with other individuals, whether it be a colleague, patient, or patient’s family member and appropriately enumerate information in a manner easily understood by all parties. We do this to foster a culture of understanding between all parties, especially in complex and difficult situations, to ultimately provide the best care possible to our patients and their families.
Decision Making
- Ability to make the most appropriate decision in a given situation and then taking the next steps to ensure appropriate and timely completion. This requires conflict resolution skills, critical thinking skills, confidence in your ability to make the right decision in most situations. This also includes ability to prioritize your workday appropriately to ensure the most important tasks are completed on time.
HealthCare Knowledge
- Having the drive to keep yourself abreast and up to date on the new breakthroughs in your area of expertise and communicating them to the rest of the team, as appropriate. This also includes keeping up with your licensure and yearly training requirements within your area expertise along with MAHECs (yearly?) organizational training. Finally, the ability to apply the depth of knowledge maintained and gained through this process in real life scenarios as appropriate.
Interpersonal Skills
- Showing the ability to meet difficult situations with grace, professionalism, and understanding. Within your area of expertise, showing respect and showing empathy where appropriate with your colleagues, patients, and their family at all times, even when its most difficult to do so. This is done, in part, by effective listening, being your authentic self, showing responsibility and dependability, and being patient with others.
Organizational Values
- Adherence to MAHEC’s founding principles and incorporating them every day. This includes, among others, having integrity and accountability, reverence for other cultures and equitable practices, ability to manage change, and displaying a clear understanding of organizational dynamics. Doing these things creates a culture where people want to do the best for each other and gives personal ownership towards the goal of helping people in their time of need.
Problem Solving
- Having an analytical mind and ability to work autonomously to solve complex problems that may arise. The wherewithal to think logically through a difficult problem and come to an appropriate resolution for a given issue. This helps to drive continuous improvement by thinking through where we can improve in a novel way. Measures success by understanding where we are currently and where we want to go and then applying those new ideas to affect positive change.
SPECIFIED SKILLS
COMPUTER
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other related software.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
- Conversational Spanish preferred.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- High School Diploma or Equivalent
- 1 year of experience working with persons with mental illness or substance use disorder
- Certified Peer Support Specialist
- Able to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing required.
- Effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
- Effective time management skills and ability to work under pressure
- Exceptional organization skills and attention to detail
- Ability to operate MAHEC vehicles and be covered under MAHEC insurance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a related healthcare field
- CPR, First Aid, NCI
REQUIRED LICENSES:
- Valid Driver’s License required.
SCHEDULE:
- Typical business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (or flexible to best meet the needs of the clients and/or the department); weekend, holiday, or evening coverage may be required. Work hours will need to be flexible in order to respond to special work assignments, or evening activities.
Salary:
- Minimum starting compensation for this position is $18.32/hour but final offer amount is based on experience, educational requirements and internal team equity.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, MAHEC has worked tirelessly to promote evidence-based practices across our entire organization. With this in mind, all MAHEC employees and learners will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or have an approved exemption.
MAHEC Talent Management is located at 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Equal Opportunity Employer. Black, Indigenous, People of Color and Spanish/English bilingual persons are strongly encouraged to apply. With this in mind, studies show that women, gender diverse, and BIPOC candidates are less likely to apply unless they meet all of the qualifications listed in the job description. If you are interested in this role, and you have related experience and qualifications, we encourage you to apply or reach out to AskTalent@mahec.net for support in your job search process. You could be the talent we are seeking for this or other opportunities. MAHEC is a certified Living Wage employer through Just Economics of Western North Carolina. We offer excellent benefits and are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace
www.colinoncars.com is the go-to platform for job seekers looking for the best job postings from around the web. With a focus on quality, the platform guarantees that all job postings are from reliable sources and are up-to-date. It also offers a variety of tools to help users find the perfect job for them, such as searching by location and filtering by industry. Furthermore, www.colinoncars.com provides helpful resources like resume tips and career advice to give job seekers an edge in their search. With its commitment to quality and user-friendliness, www.colinoncars.com is the ideal place to find your next job.