Recovery Support Specialist II

multiple systems of care. Support research project aims and reinforce goals through interactions with participants and staff. Maintain ongoing patient support regardless of client relapse and will serve as a motivator, ally, role model, problem-solver, and advocate for patients with substance use disorders. Possesses thorough understanding of community culture to address the barriers to successful recovery, better tailor health messages, build network of partnerships, and provide links to community resources and treatment options.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide functional supervision of daily activities of Recovery Support Specialist I. Provide input to Program Director on probationary and annual performance evaluations as well as disciplinary actions as needed
• Assist Program Director with interviewing, hiring, and training new Recovery Support Specialist I employees
• Establish and maintain a network of community partnerships to connect with eligible participants and to sustain connections with community resources for participants
• Serve on advisory boards to inform and strengthen recruitment goals and overall aims of the research project
• Support research through strong connections with participants and employees to facilitate efficient screening procedures and timely follow-up data collection
• Serves as a liaison between the recovery community, the addiction treatment system, the medical treatment system, and the patient’s community, family, and social context to facilitate connections across systems of care.
• Engages with patients identified with SUD referred by UMMS.
• Meets with patients with SUD prior to discharge and facilitate patient access to next stage of treatment. Conducts initial needs assessment, reviews the patient’s SUD history, and identifies the patient’s goals and expectations together with clinical staff, facilitate referrals to appropriate disposition options for individual patients.
• Works collaboratively with treatment team to implement evidence-based services to patients with SUD.
• Helps patient navigate the healthcare system and social service system; accompany patients to appointments and meetings as needed.
• Provides transportation to clients to attend meetings and appointments as needed.
• Educates patients about addiction and utilize motivational enhancement techniques to explore ambiguity and tip the scales towards treatment.
• Provides peer counseling and support patients in establishing treatment goals and achieving and maintaining recovery.
• Addresses barriers to successful recovery and serves as role model and advocate.
• Conducts active outreach efforts to encourage attendance and participation in recovery-oriented, self-help, and pro-social groups.
• Assists with access to treatment for SUD and co-occurring conditions, creating systems and procedures to rapidly identify treatment needs and determine appropriate level of care.
• Assists with data collection for quality assurance and program evaluation
• Develops a relapse prevention/intervention plan with patients and care team.
• Monitors patients’ progress and evaluate outcome, using a patient tracking system.
• Clearly and effectively facilitates communication between the patient, PCP, consulting psychiatrist, and any external providers maintaining appropriate confidentiality procedures and boundaries.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date records and standardized data on all patients. Systematically reviews the caseload with the supervisor each week, focusing on new patients and patients who are having difficulties

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Current Certification as a Recovery Coach or Peer Specialist.
• Minimum of 6 years in sustained recovery.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Solid understanding of the Internet and Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Reliable transportation and comprehensive insurance coverage.
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, networking, and leadership skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, physicians, social workers, research assistants, and nurses.
• Strong advocacy skills along with knowledge of community-based services, resources, and local recovery community.
• Comfort with multiple pathways to recovery from SUD and willingness to embrace a patient-centered approach that recognizes an individual’s preferences and autonomy (“recovery by any means necessary”).
• Comfort in working in both medical and social service settings.
• Clinical skills in motivational enhancement strategies.
• Ability to provide accurate feedback to participants and employees without judgment or discomfort.
• Flexibility to adapt to unforeseen needs or circumstances.
• Excels at problem solving and multi-tasking, organized, efficient and goal directed. Ability to maintain effective working relationships with patients/families and staff.
• Ability to handle confidential information.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Prior leadership experience preferred

Organization

Realize Your Opportunities – A Career at UMASS Medical School

Inside Workings at UMASS Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), the Commonwealth's only public medical school, is proud of our role in serving the people of Massachusetts. Although, its the inside workings of UMMS that makes the difference.

Mission and Culture

• We’re serious about our mission and about our people.
• Real World Impact - Our people get excited about our mission of real-world impact in health sciences education, research and public service.
• International Prominence and New Opportunities - As this institution has grown to national – and international – prominence, we’ve found new opportunities to train tomorrow’s physicians, nurses and scientists, discover causes of and cures for disease and help improve the quality of health care.
• Deep Commitment - With our clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care, and our other teaching affiliates, we share a deep commitment to national distinction in patient care.
• Valued Partnerships – UMMS partners with Commonwealth Medicine, the health care consulting arm of UMMS. Also, UMMS partners with MassBiologics in scientific collaborations, technology management and creating partnerships for the development of products for the benefit of patients. These valued partnerships help us to provide services and programs to help meet our needs at UMMS and the public.
• Proud Contributors - People at UMMS enjoy the feeling of going to work every day knowing what they do is truly important and worthwhile.
• Complementary and Inseparable - These varied parts of our mission and culture are complementary and inseparable.

Careers

UMMS, the state’s first and only public academic health sciences center, educates physicians, scientists and advanced practice nurses to heal, discover, teach and care, with compassion. UMMS is a world-class institution with opportunities to match.

Competitive Compensation – UMMS offers salaries that are competitive with Worcester-area employers. When combined with our generous benefits, perks, and paid time off, many job seekers are surprised to find a total rewards package that matches or exceeds their current situation.

Targeted Hiring Process – At UMMS, there are actually multiple hiring processes for different segments of our workforce. In nearly all cases, UMMS hiring process is decentralized, with qualified candidates screened and referred to an academic officer or manager with hiring authority.

24/7 Access to Employment Opportunities – iCIMS is our online job search and application system. iCIMS is available 24/7 to provide you with a convenient and up-to-date view of the available employment opportunities across our campuses. Updates are made daily and include all faculty and non-faculty position listings from every school and department within the UMMS. When you identify a position you are interested in and qualified for, apply online. New opportunities become available frequently so it pays to check back often!

Benefits

With outstanding benefits, competitive pay, extensive learning opportunities, and a stimulating and attractive work environment, UMMS may be exactly the employer you’ve been looking for.

• Superior Benefits - UMMS offers a wide range of benefits and perks that invite comparison with the best employers in the Worcester area – and with academic institutions anywhere. UMMS provides superior medical and dental coverage for you and your family, fully funded retirement plans, generous time off, a Tuition Assistance Plan – and much more.
• People Centered - UMMS is an employer, but it is also a community. Its comprehensive medical and dental benefits, retirement plans, and even paid holidays reflect an institution built around people, with a deep respect for their differences and needs.
• Commitment to Healthy Living - UMMS provides resources to help you balance work and life and encourages healthy living through great programs and discounts for fitness, physical activity, weight management, nutritional counseling and general wellness available through our health insurance plans.
• Breadth of Offerings - Above all, the breadth of UMMS offerings set the School apart and makes it an environment favored by all sorts of smart, career-savvy people.

Apply for a Job

As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, UMMS recognizes the power of a diverse community and encourages applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives and backgrounds.

Online - To view all job opportunities and apply online, visit www.umassmed.edu/hr and click on the “Careers” tab.

Start Now and Realize Your Opportunities!

A History of Making Vital Improvements - UMASS Medical School Milestones

1962: Legislation establishes University of Massachusetts Medical School
1970: First medical students begin classes in Shaw Building
1974: First class graduates 16 MDs
1979: PhD program begins
1986: Graduate School of Nursing opens
1986: PhD program becomes Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
1994: Graduate School of Nursing initiates PhD program
1998: UMass Clinical System and Memorial Health Care merge to form UMass Memorial Health Care
2001: Lazare Research Building opens
2002: Campus Modernization begins on the University Campus
2004: Graduate Entry Pathway Program established at the Graduate School of Nursing
2005: PhD Program in Clinical & Population Health Research established at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
2005: Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories opens new manufacturing and filling facility in Mattapan
2006: Craig Mello, PhD, Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, is awarded the Medical School's first Nobel Prize. Dr. Mello shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Andrew Fire, PhD, of Stanford University, for their discoveries related to RNA interference.
2007: Michael F. Collins, MD, is named chancellor and Terence R. Flotte, MD, is named dean of the School of Medicine.
2009: Groundbreaking for the Albert Sherman Center, a 500,000-square-foot research and education facility slated for completion in 2012.
2010: Ambulatory Care Center opens
2012: The Albert Sherman Center, a 500,000-square-foot research and education facility, completed and opens