Direct Support Professional - FT at Opportunity Matters Inc – Sartell, Minnesota

Positively impact the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) help people with cognitive and/or physical disabilities by assisting with daily living activities. The DSPFT assists persons served with personal care, such as bathing, toileting, and dressing; performs household chores such as vacuuming, washing dishes, laundry, cleaning bathrooms, and tidying; transports and/or accompanies persons served to appointments and activities; prepares or helps prepare meals; and helps persons served achieve outcomes as written in support plans.

At Opportunity Matters, we encourage the persons served to be as independent as possible, by teaching independent living skills. Depending on the needs of the person, the work may include performing the tasks completely for others, or it may be assisting in the completion of the tasks. DSPFT’s have a strong desire to create positive impacts on the lives of persons served and enjoy encouraging, mentoring, and coaching others to achieve their goals.

Direct Support is a fulfilling career with a sense of purpose and the ability to witness the tangible results of your work. Foster meaningful relationships and advocate for the needs of those you support within the community.

Essential Duties – The DSP-Full Time assists the Program Coordinator, Program Manager, and/or Director with the general oversight of the home.

• Help ensure staff coverage, cover open shifts along with PC/PM/PD or staff.
• Train staff to the site/program.
• Foster a positive work environment, professionally represent the Organization.
• Resolve issues that arise throughout the shift
• Provide personal hygiene cares for adult males and females.
• Provide physical assistance to sit down/stand up, walk, transfer, lay down, or other required mobility demands.
• Ensure supervision of persons served according to the support plans.
• Act as an appropriate role model.
• Follow applicable and approved behavioral redirection techniques.
• Interact and engage with persons served.
• Transport and accompany persons served to appointments and community activities.
• Administer client medications and treatments.
• Prepare and clean up meals, snacks, and beverages.
• Complete records, documents, charts, and client information, legibly.
• Complete cleaning tasks and household chores
• Assist persons served with money transactions.
• Immediately respond and address emergency situations.
• Communicate with and assist other staff positively and professionally.
• Assist with and complete duties that need to be done at the home, following Organization policies and procedures.
• Perform and complete additional job duties as requested or directed by PC/PM/PD. Complete monthly fire drills, document, and go grocery shopping.

Required Qualifications and Education (must-haves)

1. High School Diploma or Equivalent.
2. Obtain and maintain acceptable clearance of the DHS Background Study.
3. Obtain and maintain OMI Medication Administration certificate within 60 days of hire.
4. Valid U.S. Class D Driver’s License with acceptable record under insurance guidelines.
5. Ability to lead individuals we serve and display appropriate behavior as a role model, work without immediate supervision, multi-task, effectively communicate, make decisions, accept and follow change, and interact with others at all levels of the organization.
6. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from Supervisors, Directors, clients, customers, and the general public. Read, Write, and Speak English fluently.
7. Reasoning ability to solve practical problems, deal with a variety of variables in situations, interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral, or schedule form.
8. Ability to prepare food/meals: Understanding of ingredients, measuring sizes, following a recipe, and preparing all types of foods.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The work environment may be slow or fast paced, depending on what is happening at the client home. This is an environment of constantly working with others. The noise level is generally moderate but can be loud.

• Regularly lift up to 20 lbs and occasionally lift and move up to 50 lbs to waist height unaccompanied.
• Alternate sitting and standing and walking for duration of shift.
• Frequently required to walk, stand, bend, twist, or stoop.
• Frequently apply coordinated use of hands and fingers to grasp, feel objects, transfer small items from one hand to another, fine manipulation, and bilateral reach with arms.
• Use of close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Pay and Benefits

Starting pay range for this position is $19.50-$20.50/hr. Overnight sleep shifts paid at minimum wage (can sleep at work on designated sleep shifts only). Benefits are Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Healthiest You Teledoc, H.S.A., Life Insurance, Paid Sick and Safe Time, Paid Time Off, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, 401k, 401k Match, employee assistance program, and pay differential for working holidays and weekends.

EEO/AAP Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, creed, disability, familial status, marital status, national origin, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or membership or activity in a local human rights commission.