Health Worker 1 - Citywide, H00194

Job Description

Location: Positions may be located but not limited to: Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH), and various clinics. 

Shift: Days, nights, weekends, and/or holiday shifts may be required, depending on the position.

Under the close supervision and guidance of health professionals and paraprofessionals, the
Health Worker 1 effectively communicates with community residents, as well as program staff
and performs a wide variety of well-defined duties designed to aid and encourage members of
the community to utilize Health Department services. The essential functions include, but are not limited to: 

• Participate in an intensive training program to become familiar with community resources
• Provide general advice to patients and others regarding available services
• Assist patients in utilizing available health and community resources
• Receive, sign in, and route patients reporting for treatment or other assistance at program facilities
• Set up and clean up after clinics and other meetings
• Maintain needed supplies; may collect patient specimens for required lab tests
• Provide language interpretation services for patients; may translate letters, pamphlets, booklets, films, and other materials
• Assist patients in making appointments for needed services
• Guide and process patients through clinics, hospitals, and other facilities
• Visit patients and community residents at home or in hospitals to provide assistance and support
• Perform routine clerical tasks related to maintaining records of the specific program involved

The Health Worker 1 may perform other duties as assigned/required.

Working Conditions: Some positions may require employees to work directly with the homeless population and individuals who have or are carriers of infectious/communicable diseases; or individuals within locked jails or psychiatric facilities. Some positions may also require exposure to inclement weather conditions and/or heavy lifting. 

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE: Six (6) months of verifiable experience, performing a combination of at least two (2) of the following duties:

• Serving as a liaison between targeted communities and healthcare agencies
• Providing culturally appropriate health education/information and outreach to targeted populations
• Providing referral and follow up services or otherwise coordinating care
• Providing informal counseling, social support and advocacy to targeted populations
• Escorting and transporting clients
• Providing courier/dispatcher functions
• Performing pre-clinical examinations of vital statistics, such as measuring a patient's weight, height, temperature and blood pressure

Substitution: Possession of a Community Health Worker Certificate from City College of San Francisco can substitute for 6 months of the required experience. 

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) 

SPECIAL CONDITIONS: Depending on the department's needs, some positions may require applicants to meet additional special conditions, which may include, but are not limited: 

• Bilingual Proficiency in a variety of languages. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for bilingual positions
• Experience providing health or social services to diverse populations

Verification of Education and Experience: 

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.   

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/. 

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. 

Additional Information

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.

Multiple Choice Examination (Weight: 100%)

The Multiple-Choice Exam is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to: 

• Ability to: build and maintain effective, cooperative, and collaborative relationships in diverse, multicultural environments; manage time and materials efficiently, maintain accurate records, file, code, and schedule appointments and meetings; exercise sound judgment and make informed decisions; interview patients/clients; apply de-escalation or counseling techniques in sensitive or high stress situations; read and understand information; utilize technology and work with data using various software and systems; communicate written information in a clear, concise, and understandable manner; ability to interpret and apply policies, laws, rules, regulations and procedures; 
• Knowledge of health and community services

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the written multiple-choice exam in order to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score. 

Language Proficiency Exam:
For positions requiring bilingual fluency, candidates deemed qualified who meet the special language condition must pass a department approved language proficiency exam prior to appointment. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for the bilingual position.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Score Banking: Scores attained on the 2585 Health Worker 1 Exam will be 'banked' for three years, from the examination date. During this period, candidates are not required to retest. If a candidate applies and qualifies for another job using the same 2585 Health Worker 1 Exam within one year of the 2585 Health Worker 1 Exam date, their score would be automatically applied to that announcement. After one year, a candidate has the option to either (a) apply their test score to the other announcement or (b) re-test. Re-testing is allowed after one year from the date of the test only if a candidate applies and is qualified. The most recent score becomes the official score if a candidate chooses to retest. 

If the examination undergoes significant changes in the future, the use of “banked” scores may change. Candidates with “banked” scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period if they apply to a job opportunity using the same modified exam.  

Certification 
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of List. 

Eligible List/Score Report: 
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

Candidate names will remain on the list for a maximum period of 12 months. Candidates that are not selected and expire off the list may re-apply. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city’s Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: 

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.]  

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission 

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:  

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Where to Apply 

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account. 

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.  

Your application will be active for the duration of the eligible period listed above. You do not need to reapply during this period. 

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Elaine Adams at [email protected]or (628) 271-6974.  

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging. 

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.