Taking the Test

Study Tips

Practice Questions

Sharon DonerFeldman 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, etc Stress – I’m not going to pick a fight with a

family 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 10% of exam (approx.) I&R Process 45% of exam (approx.) Special Interventions 10% of exam (approx.) Special Populations/Scenarios 35% of exam (approx.)  For CIRS-A Examination: I&R Systems/Services 10% of exam (approx.) I&R Process 40% of exam (approx.) Special Interventions 10% of exam (approx.) Special Populations 10% of exam (approx.) Aging Specific Information/Scenarios 30% of exam (approx.)

For CRS Examination: Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria 10% of exam (approx.) Record Structure/Data Elements 25% of exam (approx.) Indexing Principles 25% of exam (approx.) Classification System/Taxonomy 10% of exam (approx.) Database Maintenance 10% of exam (approx.) Service-Specific Questions 15% of exam (approx.) Indexing/Proofing Scenarios 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 sectionExample: 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 RightsAIRS 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 Rights Use acronyms

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 SupportAnd when not satisfied, then you file a Grievance!

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 Standards1. 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 Standards4. 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 DeliveryStandard 1: Information Provision

Provide information to an inquirer in response to a direct request for such informationCriteria:

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 DatabaseStandard 8: Data Elements

The standardized entry must contain all required data elements.Criteria: Agency/Main Site

Unique ID numberRecord Ownership Code

Agency NameAKA

Street/Physical AddressMailing Address

Web SiteEmail address

Phone numbersAgency Description

Main Site DescriptionHours of Operation

Legal StatusDate of Last Complete Update

Date of Last Partial UpdateContact 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 Questions1. 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 worda. Senileb. Forgetfulc. Stupidd. Archaic

More Examples3. When would it be appropriate for you to actively

advocate for a client?

a. When you feel very benevolentb. The client is not moving fast enough for youc. A client offers you a home baked cake to speak for herd. 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. expressing both verbally and non-verballyb. expressing verballyc. using sign languaged. expressing non-verbally

Study Main Points and QuestionsABC’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.