JOB TITLE: Direct Support Professional

HOURS/WEEK: 40 hours per week

DEPARTMENT: Operations Department

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: Program Manager, Assistant Program Manager, or DSP Manager

WORK SCHEDULE (HOURS): Hours and days may vary; typically, will be 6a-2p, 2p-10p or 10p-6a but there will be a requirement to work different shifts and work areas to complete job functions.

FLSA: Nonexempt

JOB SUMMARY:

The Direct Support Professional (DSP) is responsible for a variety of duties related to the overall care of individuals who receive services in a West Mont residential and/or vocational program. This includes direct care of clients and implementation of Personal Support Plans (PSPs) while following the organization’s policies and procedures. Will be required to be pulled or crossover to other work locations as needed.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:

The Direct Support Professional is directly responsible to the Program Manager and will have a close working relationship with all West Mont staff.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Support the West Mont Mission, Vision and Core Values.
2. Follows the organization’s policies and procedures and the established program guidelines and regulations.
3. Treats all clients and coworkers and with dignity, respect, and fairness, ensuring everyone’s rights are protected.
4. Ensures residential and/or vocational areas –both interior and exterior – are kept clean and organized.
5. Provide individualized support and care for the clients following protocols, PSP actions and documentation as required.
6. Assists clients, as necessary, with personal care such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transportation, community integration, and other activities of daily living to achieve the client’s maximum potential and self-sufficiency.
7. Promotes client independence with daily skills such as household chores, laundry, cleaning, and meal prep, as appropriate according to their implementation strategies.
8. Respond effectively following protocols and policies in emergency situations.
9. Completes assigned advocacy duties to include maintaining and updating personal possession list, assisting with clients with family communication (ex: cards/gifts), completing purchase order requests for client’s needs, assisting clients with keeping bedrooms clean.
10. Assist with the administration of prescribed medications to individuals as assigned, ensuring Medication Administration Record (MAR) entries are completed daily and documents inaccuracies in counts and other problems, reporting, and documenting client responses to medications during shift.
11. Documents individual’s health (i.e., seizure charts, weight, bowel movements, fluid intake, etc.). Monitors, and reports injuries, bruises, and changes in behavior, emotional and physical status
12. Will be required to participate in, successfully complete, and recertify (as required) in all designated training the following trainings and attends required staff meetings. Actively attempts to pass the Medication Assistance Certification.
13. Performs all functions in the safest manner possible and according to the organization’s policies and procedures, assuring the safety of clients and co-workers. Reports safety issues, injury, or potential problems to Supervisor/Manager according to policy
14. Serves as a representative of the organization, conducting oneself appropriately at all times, in manner, dress, and actions. Interaction others must be in a manner that is friendly, supportive, courteous, respectful, cooperative, and professional. This behavior should promote an atmosphere of teamwork that is consistent with the organization’s standards and guidelines to promote positive relations.
15. Maintain confidentiality of all West Mont transactions and of all pertinent client care information to assure client rights are protected.
16. Perform other related duties and responsibilities that may become necessary or as directed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Moderate exposure to physical risk.

• Moderate physical effort to perform functions. Extensive walking, reaching, standing, stooping, and assisting with transfers.
• Occasionally required to lift, move, and/or push objects and wheelchairs up to 50 pounds and up to 100 pounds of force.
• Requires full range of body motion, including transferring of clients, (moving them horizontally on even or uneven terrain, or moving from lower to higher positions to physically assist clients in/out of vehicles, tubs, chairs, houses, etc.), responding to challenging and potentially aggressive behavior, and protecting the client from injury to self or others with quick response.
• Requires use of universal precautions. May come in contact with bodily fluids, hazardous chemicals, unpleasant environments, odors, or tasks and may be exposed to infectious illnesses.
• May be subjected to interruptions and working under stressful conditions frequently.
• Requires working irregular hours and days occasionally.
• Occasional exposure to outside elements (heat, cold, humidity, etc.) while traveling to and from work locations, maintaining facility safety such as snow shoveling, and while accompanying clients.
• May be subjected to hostile and emotionally upset clients and personnel.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of this position and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

I have read this job description and fully understand the requirements. I hereby accept the position of DSP and agree to abide by the requirement(s) set forth and will perform all duties and responsibilities to the best of my ability.