Taking the Test Sharon DonerFeldman Study Tips Practice Questions President TRAINING FOR YOU You Are Almost There You are a professional Together we are going to put the icing on your preparation ……..and just remember……. I’M SAFE I – I will not let myself get sick over this Me - Taking care of me .. exercise, good night sleep, Stress – I’m not going to pick a fight with a family etc member the night before the test Achiever - I have achieved many other things in my life Feel Good – I know that I know “my stuff” Eating – I will not decide to start my diet the day before the test Composition of AIRS Certification Tests For CIRS Examination: I&R Systems/Services I&R Process Special Interventions Special Populations/Scenarios 10% of exam (approx.) 45% of exam (approx.) 10% of exam (approx.) 35% of exam (approx.) For CIRS-A Examination: I&R Systems/Services I&R Process Special Interventions Special Populations Aging Specific Information/Scenarios 10% of exam (approx.) 40% of exam (approx.) 10% of exam (approx.) 10% of exam (approx.) 30% of exam (approx.) For CRS Examination: Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Record Structure/Data Elements Indexing Principles Classification System/Taxonomy Database Maintenance Service-Specific Questions Indexing/Proofing Scenarios 10% of exam (approx.) 25% of exam (approx.) 25% of exam (approx.) 10% of exam (approx.) 10% of exam (approx.) 15% of exam (approx.) 5% of exam (approx.) What do the Exams cover? Competencies - knowledge for doing our jobs Tenets – Bill of Rights & Philosophy Standards- understanding and following our professional standards ABCs of I&R- recognizing values, perceptions and the specialist/inquirer relationship What do the Exams cover? (continued) Crisis response knowledge - trained to handle difficult people, drug and alcohol and mental illness issues Special Populations - sensitive to the needs of special population groups such as older adults, people with disabilities, teens, and military personnel Specialized Knowledge – regarding older adults or database management (CIRS-A and CRS) AIRS Professional Standards Addresses all aspects of an I&R service’s operations from answering the phone to working cooperatively within a system of service delivery Establish reference points that define best practices Indicators of service quality & effectiveness Certification based upon fulfillment of AIRS standards Foundation for AIRS Accreditation Tenets of I&R I&R Bill of Rights Philosophy of I&R Main Functions of an I&R Service Services for Individuals Services for Communities Tenets of CIRS-A Know the Older American’s Act Information and Referral Slightly different in each section Example: AIRS supports practices that respect the older adult & his/her caregiver’s right to • Be empowered to the extent possible • An appropriate level of support in obtaining services I&R Bill of Rights AIRS supports practices that respect everyone’s right to: Anonymous and/or confidential access to information Be empowered to the extent possible Assistance based on the inquirer’s personal value system Treatment based on respect and sensitivity to cultural, generational and age/disability related differences Self-determination and the opportunity to access and choose the most appropriate I&R service available in the system Accurate and comprehensive information about services An appropriate level of support in obtaining services A grievance procedure if they feel they have not received satisfactory service from the I&R specialist To Remember the Bill of Use acronyms Rights Example: To remember the Bill of Rights – use AARCIE’S (the opposite of Archie Bunker’s Bill of Rights) – A for Access – A for Assistance – R for Respect – C for Choice – I for Information – E for Empowerment – S for Support And when not satisfied, then you file a Philosophy of Information & Referral 1. Attempt to understand and listen to each inquirer’s situation including the origins of the difficulty, the feelings inquirers have about their circumstances, the personal resources inquirers may bring to bear on the issue, and the barriers to resolution of the problem 2. Offer immediate and appropriate response and support when the individual is experiencing a crisis or other emergency situation 3. Be available, not to solve inquirers’ problems for them, but to empower inquirers to understand and solve their own problems 4. Help inquirers prioritize their needs and build an action plan Philosophy of I&R cont… 5. Help inquirers identify resources that can meet their needs 6. Be careful not to overwhelm inquirers with a myriad of options or provide them with too few to allow them an informed choice 7. Advocate on behalf of the inquirers who require extra support to access necessary services either because they don’t have the appropriate skills or because the service is difficult for the person to access. 8. Follow up on all cases involving endangerment and situations in which the specialist believes the inquirer does not have the necessary capacity to follow through and resolve their own problem. To Remember Philosophy Philosophy of I & R (We are SPECIAL people) – S support – offer information & caring – P prioritize needs – E empower – not to solve – C careful not to overwhelm with options – I identify resources – A advocate when necessary – L listen to understand And we always FOLLOW UP our actions! 6 Main Categories-with 28 Standards 1. Service Delivery (6 standards) (Information, Referral, Advocacy/Intervention, Crisis & Follow-Up) 2. Resource Database (6 standards) (Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria, Data Elements/ Classification System (Taxonomy), Indexing the Resource Database/Search Methods, Database Maintenance) 3. Reports & Measures (2 standards) (Inquirer Data Collection, Data Analysis & Reporting) 6 Main Categories with 27 Standards 4. Cooperative Relationships (2 standards) (Within the Local I&R System, Within the Local Service Delivery System, Among Local, State, Regional, National and International I&R Providers) 5. Organizational Requirements (5 standards) (Governance, Personnel Administration, Staff Training, Promotion and Outreach) 6. Disaster Preparedness (7 standards) (Emergency Operations & Business Contingency Plan, Formal Relationships with Gov’t. and other Relief Agencies, Pre & Post Disaster Database, Inquirer Reports, Technology Requirements, Training and Exercise) Examples of Standards and Criteria Service Delivery Standard 1: Information Provision Provide information to an inquirer in response to a direct request for such information Criteria: 1) Information shall be accurate and pertinent 2) I & R specialist shall encourage recontact Ways to Remember Standards Think logically!! Example: Service Delivery • We need to have information about resources • We assess and give referrals • We advocate to make sure that people get what they need • We follow up to make our customers had their needs met. It’s what we do every day!! Another Example of Standards Resource Database Standard 8: Data Elements The standardized entry must contain all required data elements. Criteria: Agency/Main Site Unique ID number Record Ownership Code Agency Name AKA Street/Physical Address Mailing Address Web Site Email address Phone numbers Agency Description Main Site Description Hours of Operation Legal Status Date of Last Complete Update Date of Last Partial Update Contact for Updating Purposes Skills Needs for Standards Under Referral Provision How do you do your job as an I & R Specialist? Rapport Non-judgmental Assessment Various approaches Inquirer’s own resources Use resource information system Provide no more than 3 referrals Suggest ways inquirer can advocate for themselves Refer to an advocacy org Encourage callers to call back Follow up Accurately record phone calls. ABCs© of I &R- Competencies A to Z for Information and Referral Building Blocks of I & R How do we do I & R 3 C’s of Communication (Contact, Clarification and Closure) Resource File Management – how do we organize our resources (inclusion, exclusion, data elements, indexing, taxonomy, updating resources) More Competencies Special Challenges – assisting difficult callers, chronic consumers, alcohol and drug abusers, mental disabilities Populations with Special Needs – older adults, hearing impaired, youth Professional and Personal Growth & Development – values, perceptions, self-awareness, professionalism, stress and time management And More Managing an I & R Program – boards, policies and procedures, data collection and analysis, managing change Staying Afloat – selling your data, maximizing collaborative efforts, grantsmanship, directories, strategic planning I & R in Times of Disaster – specialists in preparing CIRS-A Exam What is SSI, SSDI, Medicare, Medicaid Elder Abuse Older Americans Act Specific services for older adults Alcoholism and drug addictions Effects of addictions on families Referral options for people with addictions Definitions of “older” and “elderly” The aging process Overcoming barriers to communications Specialized Competencies CIRS, CRS and CIRS-A each have their own competencies. However, everyone needs to know the scope and variety of comprehensive and specialized I & R services: – Comprehensive serving the entire community – Older adults – People with disabilities – Victims of crimes – People in military and their dependents – Children and youth – Other targeted populations – Hotlines and helplines – Crisis intervention programs – Volunteer clearinghouses 2-1-1 A National Initiative to Link People with Community Services National abbreviated dialing code for free access to health and human services information and referral (I&R). Makes a critical connection between individuals and families in need and the appropriate community-based organizations and government agencies. In 2008, 2-1-1 services in the U.S. answered more than 14 million calls! As of April 2009, 2-1-1 serves over 240 million Americans (more than 80% of the entire population) covering all or part of 46 states (including 33 states with 90%+ coverage) plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The remaining states are all in various stages of planning and implementation . As of September 2008, more than 9,300,000 Canadians -more than 28% of the population -- have access to 2-1-1 Canadian services. The Best Way to Learn Discussing our questions and teaching each other. No question is too small or insignificant – let’s ask them all. What is the Test? 100 Multiple choice questions Four answers to choose from No All of the Above or None of the Above Questions are straightforward but need to pay attention to what the questions are asking. Tips on Taking Multiple-Choice Look over the test and pace yourself. Take a few breaks during the exam in your seat. Read the question and try to answer it BEFORE looking at the answers. But make sure you look at all the answers before choosing. Do not spend too much time on any one question. If the question asks you something you do not know, see if you can cross out any of the wrong answers before you guess More Tips on Taking Tests Strategies to help narrow the answers to one answer does the answer you’re considering completely address the question “trick questions” are only tricky because they’re not taken at face values – don’t read too much into the question "All of the above" answers are often correct. If you know two of three options are correct, "all of the above" is a strong possibility. Reread all questions and look out for all, some, none, most always, usually, seldom or never. This will help you eliminate those answers that are not appropriate And Yet More Tips Resist changing your answer. Don’t skip around – answer in order – flag it to come back if you absolutely can’t answer it “You need to practice answering questions that someone else has written.” Example Questions 1. A person may be suicidal if he or she: a. Gives away prized possessions b Refuses to share her lottery winnings c. Is very cautious d. Likes to play practical jokes 2. When speaking with an elderly client, you should use the word a. Senile b. Forgetful c. Stupid d. Archaic More Examples 3. When would it be appropriate for you to actively advocate for a client? a. When you feel very benevolent b. The client is not moving fast enough for you c. A client offers you a home baked cake to speak for her d. The client doesn’t speak English and the agency referred to doesn’t have an Spanish interpreter 4. Active listening is focusing your attention on what the client is a. b. c. d. expressing both verbally and non-verbally expressing verbally using sign language expressing non-verbally Study Main Points and Questions ABC’s Guide Handouts each chapter has main points Questions each chapter has questions and answers Study them very carefully!! Anything You Wanted to Know About I&R But Were Afraid to Ask? Glossary Competencies Standards Crisis Intervention Difficult Clients Knowledge of Government and Community Systems We Are Not in this Work for the Bucks!! You have a desire to help and to enable others to help themselves.