Direct Support Professional

Job Title: Direct Support Professional

Department: Community Supports and Services/Support Independent Living or Community Homes

Reports to: Program Supervisors or Home Manager IIs

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Revised Date: November 21, 2017

Typical duties and responsibilities generally associated with this type of work:

1. Occupation summary: Assists in providing self-care training, therapeutic treatments, and personal guidance to mentally and physically handicapped individuals home.
2. Essential Functions of this Occupation: These statements are broad summaries of each type of functions associated with this occupation. They are not all inclusive of each actual task, which may have to be performed.
3. 1. Assist recipients with activities of daily living including but not limited to bathing, dressing, eating, personal hygiene, appearance, body usage, communication, social skills, basic knowledge, and practical skills.
   2. Converses with recipients to reinforce positive behaviors and promote social interaction.
   3. Cooks and serves meals, documents deviations from menus, as well as eat with recipients to act as a role model.
   4. Accompanies recipients on shopping trips and instructs/counsels recipients in the purchase of personal items, groceries, and clothing.
   5. Administers therapeutic activities such as physical exercises, occupational arts and crafts, recreational games, and speech.
   6. Implements behavior management techniques including physical restraint of clients to prevent injury to themselves and others. Provides total care for a group of individuals.
   7. Observes and documents recipient’s behaviors such as speech production, feeding patterns, and toileting habits to facilitate assessment and development of treatment goals.
   8. Attends to routine health-care needs of recipients such as administering medications, accompanying to the physician, documenting medically pertinent information, and having prescriptions filled, all of which is done under supervision of Program Supervisor or Manager.
   9. Transporting clients to various destinations within the community regularly and outside the community occasionally.
   10. General domestic chores such as house cleaning, cooking, yard work, painting, gardening, and overall house and vehicle maintenance.
   11. Keeping abreast of daily written communication as well as informing others through documentation of the status of the client, facility, and vehicle.
   12. Attending required ID Team, safety, staff, and training meetings.
   13. Conducting and documenting monthly fire drills and other regulatory requirements.
   14. Provide emotional support and guidance to clients.
   15. Performs other related duties as may be required. Follows guidelines put out by the agency.
4. Marginal functions of this Occupation:
   1. Communicating with parents/guardians about the current care and status of the client.
   2. Filing, sorting, and placing paperwork.
   3. Communicating with non-agency sources and businesses.
5. Machines, Tools, Equipment, and work aids which may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this type of work:

Paper, pencils, in pens, automobile, stoves microwave, washer, dryer, hammer, screw driver, lawn mower, weed eater, toaster, ovens, gloves, face shields, protective gowns, lawn rake, hose pipe, broom, mop, bucket, basket, trash can, envelopes, knives, forks, spoons, wheelchairs, comb brush, scissors, bicycle, bleach cosmetics, table, gasoline, oil, first aid supplies, medications, books, tweezers, household cleaning chemicals, dustpan, feather duster, fire extinguisher, fire alarm system lift equipment for toileting and bathing, diapers shower trollies.

1. Typical working conditions generally associated with this occupations:

Mainly indoors in a home or facility that is air conditioned. Sometimes in a vehicle, out in the community, or outdoors.

1. Typical Environmental conditions (Hazards generally associated with this Occupation):
2. 1. Frequent use of household bleach and cleaning chemicals.
   2. Potential for exposure to blood borne and other pathogens.
   3. Potential to be physically handled by uncontrolled recipients.
3. Physical Strength Requirements generally associated with this occupation which indicates the level, which best applies to the essential functions of this job.

Medium Work in the Community Supports and Services, exerting up to

50 pounds or more of force frequently or occasionally, and/or in excess of 20 pounds or more of

force occasionally to move objects.

Medium Work at Lockport, Stevens, Country Club, Richland, and Narrow Homes, exerting up to 50 pounds or more of force occasionally, and /or up to 50 pounds or more of force constantly to move objects.

Very Heavy Work at Chackbay and Diplomat Way Homes exerting in excess of 100 pounds or more of force occasionally, and/or in excess of 50 pounds or more of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 pounds or more of force constantly to move objects.

1. The following are physical requirements generally associated with this occupation.

Acuity, far – Clarity of vision at 20 feet or more

Acuity, near – Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less

Depth Perception – Three-dimensional vision. Ability to judge distance and space relationships so as to see objects where and as they actually are. This factor is important when depth perception is required for successful job performance and/or for reasons of safety to oneself and others.

Field of Vision – Observing an area that can be seen up and in a given point. This factor is important when job performance requires seeing a large area while keeping the eyes fixed.

Color Vision – Ability to identify and distinguish colors.

Stooping – Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back and back muscles.

Kneeling – Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

Handling – Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hands. Fingers are involved only to the extent that they are an extension of the hand.

Fingering – Picking, pinching, or otherwise working with fingers primarily (rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling).

Feeling – Perceiving attributes of objects such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by means of receptors in skin, particularly those of fingertips.

Talking – Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Talking is important for those activities in which workers must impart oral information to clients or to the public, and in those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Hearing – Perceiving the nature of sounds. Hearing is important for those activities, which require ability to receive detailed information through oral communicating, and fine adjustments on running engines.

Tasting/Smelling – Distinguishing, with a degree of accuracy, differences or similarities in intensity or quality of flavors and/or odors, or recognizing particular flavors and/or odors, using tongue and/or nose.

1. Education and training generally required for this occupation include but is not limited to the following:

CPR, First Aid, Seizure Management, Medication Administration, Daily Documentation, Fire Safety, Exposure Control, Physical Management of Aggressive Behaviors, Life Safety Code, Orientation and Philosophy, Overview of MR/DD, Policy and Procedure, Personnel Handbook, Values Justification, Signs and symptoms of Illness, General Behavior Management, Drug Free Work Place, Family and Medical Leave, Comprehensive Safety, Food and Nutrition, Confidentiality, Staff Treatment of Clients (Client Rights), Emergency/Disaster Plan.