When I started my career in HIV/AIDS nonprofit organizations twenty years ago, not many people applied for positions to work in my field of choice. Stigma was a huge issue, the lack of prevention education as it is now, some 30 years later. I was taught by example what an executive should be in the early days by the first executive director of our center, Bobby Darrow. Since then, we’ve had several executive directors to gather what to do and not to do as well as my experience as interim director to give me insight in regard to hiring new employees. There are many facets of hiring the right person for case management to those who live with HIV/AIDS. All the usual requirements such as a job description, interviewing new prospects, hiring and training the right person are involved, but finding someone who is compassionate and empathetic, are qualities also needed to be a good case manager. It is not something that can be measured with any tool. The Human Resource process is ongoing. I have used my own hiring process as a tool, my job description, and took it upon myself to research several human resource theories used by other grass root nonprofits like the one I worked for. I definitely felt the stress of picking the right person for the job. The interview process was a learning experience in itself. I did use an HIV/AIDS educational test to see which of the candidates studied up on the disease before their interview. Going through the questions and answers, and their reactions and questions about the subject, gave me insight as to how judgmental they would be
towards those living with AIDS.
I will use the tools I learned from my wonderful first executive director, as well as human resource theories to outline the creation of the job description. The organization being new had not developed a job description and policies and procedures for the new case management department, so as interim director, I was a part of that process as well. Dessler (2011) says, “A job description is a written analysis of what the job holder actually does, how the responsibilities are performed and under what conditions.” For the first job description we analyzed exactly what the case managers would be doing, including education skills, responsibilities, and job experience. The creation of a job description will attract candidates who are most qualified for the position.
Hiring an HIV/AIDS Case Manager
Job Description
POSITION TITLE: Case Manager
REPORTS TO: Case Management Supervisor
POSITION SUMMARY: Responsible for the provision of case management services to PLWH/AIDS and affected family members by accessing needed services available in the community and/or through the program. Case file documentation is maintained through daily contacts, monthly progress reports, progress notes, and the development and evaluation of goals with the client. Home visits are routine part of case management.
POSITION ACCOUNTABILITY:
Conducts intakes and assessments/reassessments of people seeking services through the Center.
- Provides case management services to PLWH/AIDS and their families.
- Maintains accurate documentation and audit preparation.
- Makes referrals to resource agencies half of consumers when needed.
- Develops case management plans for HIV/AIDS consumers verifiable to case logs.
- Monitors, evaluates and revises service plans as indicated.
- Arranges for all services identified in the case management plan.
- Interacts with other team members to facilitate productive and efficient team functioning.
- Works in a collaborative mode with other team members.
- Participates in other program activities for educational activities.
- Follows all policies and procedures adopted by the Center.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION: A Bachelor’s degree in human services-related field from an accredited institution and one year of paid post-Bachelor’s degree experience in a human service-related field providing case management services.
EXPERIENCE: One year of case management experience.
SKILLS: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to access services for clients, ability to work as a team member and adapt to culturally diverse populations.
Computer proficiency is a must.
WORKING CONDITIONS: May be exposed to infectious and contagious diseases, occasionally subject to irregular hours, subject to varying and unpredictable situations.
Travel and home visits required.
SALARY: Based on previous experience to be negotiated at the time of hire.
Recruitment and selection
One of the most important elements of selecting the appropriate candidate for case manager is hiring someone who will fulfill the mission statement of the organization. The organization’s mission statement is three fold.
1. Provide support services for people who have Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or have contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.
2. Prevent the spread of HIV by educating the public with regard to how HIV is contracted and how its transmission may be avoided.
3. Improve the quality of life for all people affected by HIV/AIDS regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, political beliefs, financial status or any other non-meritorious basis.
Those who have worked in other nonprofit organizations are familiar with confidentiality issues social workers deal with on the job. Even with previous basic training in sexually transmitted diseases, the new employee will have to be willing to undergo very specific OSHA and universal precaution education. Surprisingly, many candidates do become concerned with the transmission of HIV as well as a host of other infectious diseases they could be exposed to. This makes the selection process a very sensitive matter. It is mandatory of the Ryan White ACT that nondiscriminatory hiring practiced are documented and carried out. The job posting can be done internally of the organization, but is mandatory to be placed publically for at least two weeks. This opens up the posting to publically to ensure hiring practices are transparent and fair. Candidates can apply by eesponding by email or by mailing in their resumes.
The Interview Process of the HIV/AIDS Case Manager
Candidates will be selected from the resumes and appointments made to speak to candidates face to face. If the candidates are not local but are willing to relocate, online interviews can be done through internet video conferencing. It is important to have this time with the candidate to see how prepared they are and to elaborate on the skills and experience from their resumes. Interviewing also allows the candidate to express their passion and empathy to the consumers they will be serving. The interviewing team will consist of myself and the Client Services Director for the first round of interviews. When we conduct the last round of interviews, we will have narrowed it down to three candidates. The final interviewing team will consist of myself and the other case managers. It is important for them to be part of the team building process.
The interview will also include a basic HIV/AIDS test, not just to analyze their knowledge of the disease, but to find out how prepared they were for the interview process. Today with all the funding cuts to HIV/AIDS nonprofits, there is less money for education and prevention. Our scope in community education isn’t as far as it has been in the past, so how well someone goes out of their way to learn about HIV education will be a good indicator how assertive they will be in all areas of the position. Education is ongoing in this field.
Other interview questions will be in regard to how well the applicant will adapt to change. With funding cuts, changes in grant and legislative policies, change is constant. An example would be the legislative cuts in thirteen states to AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. HIV consumers are being put on waiting lists for their HIV medications. It is now up to case managers to find alternate drug assistance programs from foundations and pharmaceutical companies for their consumers. With these drastic changes in policy, the case manager is expected to take on more duties unexpectedly. Time management skills, working efficiently alone, and within the team are essential to meeting the mission of the organization.
The case management position requires behavioral questions as part of the interview process. According to research data, an estimated seventy percent of all companies use behavioral questions as part of the interview process. Behavioral interviewing is open ended questions that ask are situational/task questions, action questions, and result questions (Whitacre, 2007). An example would be scenario based questions or “give me an example when” questions. The purpose of this type of questioning is to allow the candidate to use previous experiences and apply them to the job they are interviewing for. It also would allow the interviewers to assess the candidates ability to perform the job duties based on past job experience. Most importantly, to keep within our mission statement and antidiscrimination laws, all questions would be created to be fair and within the federal and state guidelines. Based on my years in the HIV/AIDS field, I have been asked what my sexual preference was as well if I am HIV infected, both being illegal according to the law. “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, color, sex, religion or religious beliefs, and national origin; prohibits sexual harassment” (Cascardo, 2011).
Seeing there isn’t a test in place for the case management position, we would rely on other qualities of the candidate. The interviewing panel would narrow down the candidate to three people . For any of these three people to be the successful candidate, a testing system based on questions asked by the panel would be used. Peers and supervisors who have been in this field for any length of time would be able to identify those who have similar qualities to ensure the team would work well together. Those qualities would be based on the ability to adapt to change, technical skills, and teamwork.
Performance evaluation
Now that we have hired the candidate that can best meet the job, a performance evaluation would be used to determine their progress. I would first make a check list of different tasks she has been trained in and use it to evaluate her performance in each category. During the probation period, which would be up to six months, the new hire, our supervisor, and I would meet once a week. During these meetings, we would discuss feedback about the challenges of the job, successes accomplished, and questions and answers from the candidate. It is important to have feedback sessions with her so she will feel comfortable about issues she is not familiar or comfortable with. Feedback and communicating with those who lead in the organization is important to the success and retention of a new hire.
After the new hire has worked a year in the position, a yearly annual review will be conducted. Those in attendance would be myself, the new hire, and our supervisor. A Bahaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) would be used. A BARS is made up of narrative and critical incidents, quantitive ratings, by anchoring a qualified scale with good and poor performance (Dessler, 2011, p 178). Depending on the outcome of the BARS, a discussion of pay increase would be discussed. Once discussed by the staff, a recommendation would be made to the Executive Director.
Salary
The case management position is set by the limitations of the grant that funds it. Usually everyone starts at the lower end of the scale, but depending on experience, can be negotiated. It is a salaried job, with bonuses if the case manager reaches the quota. The amount negotiated would depend on if the candidate met the requirements of the position or if they brought experience and education to the job. Once they have been on the job for two years, then raises and bonuses could be discussed, but with the funding cuts experienced by most nonprofits, raises aren’t an option at this point and discussion of those limitations would be discussed at the time of hiring. It is important that the salary negotiation process is fair in every respect with transparency being a priority so the candidate is informed as much as possible when they accept the position.
Training and development
There are specific grant guidelines that have to be documented for the center to bill for case management units. The old saying in case management is, “If you don’t document it, it didn’t happen.” We are reimbursed by the number of units the case managers bill. It is usually any contact with the consumer, their family member, or other resource contacts. Many things that seem like would be billable aren’t, so very specific training is given in documentation. The training manual will teach the candidate what is expected of her for billing purposes. The best way to teach many of the duties of case management is by watching and learning. I would mentor the new hire and walk her through many of the processes that she will need for the job. Direct coaching from myself and our supervisor, our team members, and leadership development conferences are tools that my supervisor used to train me, and I in return would use. Also having a day out with other case managers to show short cuts they have developed for time management would be included. “Job rotation, in which an employee (usually a management trainee) moves from job to job at planned intervals, is another on-the job technique” (Dessler, 2011, p. 148). Informal training is just as important as formal training when teaching new hires.
Conclusion
Being part of the hiring process and training someone to replace a position I have excelled in gives me a unique perspective on what to look for in a candidate. Skills alone are not enough when selecting a case manager. Someone who is willing to go that extra mile in the care of others be highly adaptive to change, and realize case management is sometimes considered a thankless job. One has to be there because of a calling to help others, be compassionate.
Compassion being important, skills, teamwork, and the ability for adapt to change is also needed for the job. Learning from a good leader, as well as using what I was taught through experience and research, I was able to create a hiring model that would be very effective choosing the right candidate for the case manager position. The model I used included a job description, interview and testing, salary requirements, and training. Once the candidate was hired, a development plan for the new hire would be implemented that would focus on the wellbeing of the new case manager. By adhering to federal and state hiring regulations, as well as using the Mission Statement of the organization as guidelines, this hiring process should prove to be instrumental in hiring the right candidate that can thrive in a stressful work environment and be a productive case manager for those living with HIV/AIDS.
References
Cascardo, D.. (2011). Everyone Looks Good on Paper: How to Hire Your Ideal
Employee. The Journal of Medical Practice Management : MPM, 26(6), 367-
370. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete.
(Document ID: 2408653551).
Dessler, G. (2011). A Framework for Human Resource Management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Whitacre, T. (2007). Behavioral Interviewing-Find Your STAR. Quality
Progress, 40(6), 72-73. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Global.
(Document ID: 1298920031).
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