registered nurse

registered nurse ii

social worker

physician

mental health technician

Department of Human Services

Human services caseworker is not what you think. I thought I’d be helping people but instead your given a computer system that seems to seldom works, training that consists of being read to and when you have questions your not to ask anyone bc they are busy. Your expected to know policy which is ridiculous because it changes with each case. If you get into a case your name is now on it so it’s yours even if you had nothing to do with it case association. They do everything to throw you under the bus. This is a toxic environment. You work hard all day and just accumulate more work. People seldom answer their phones for interviews and when they do they don’t have time to talk. You cancel benefits due to lack of keeping their appointments or verifications and then they come in and don’t understand why. It enables people and the ones who really need it cannot get it bc they work and are above standards. Your expected to know Medicare a and b, Medicaid, spend downs and cash. SNAP is federally funded and watched closely. Let’s throw the newest employee into this and see if they can do it. All day received emails about how this and that case is messed up. I cannot ask anyone questions though bc they are busy.  My supervisor is always on the phone or with customer. Who do you ask? I would go home crying and dread coming back. They say they throw you to the wolves and it’s true. This is the worst training I’ve ever had. The best part are the customers when you can help them. The other side of that is you get people who are drunk and on drugs in the office. Bed bugs, lice and body odor are quite common so ensure your arsenal. Co workers were great but the office was very divided. Just my two cents. If you like being treated like your ignorant, incompetent and such this is the job for you!

-On average I interview and process about 7 cases a day. This does not change from usually, but what does change is the format. Sometimes they are walk in's, or phone interivews. Other applications do not require the client to come into the office or call in at all. This can make it easier in some cases and a bit more challenging in others. Due to state and federal policies changing everyday, it is sometimes difficult to catch up with all the changes but management does do a great job of sending us updates frequently. My co-workers are very helpful and always willing to share their experiences to help the new staff learn how policies are implemented and affect clients' benefits. 
The most enjoyable part of my job is that I never, or very rarely see a client that only needs one or two state services. Generally, clients are struggling in one way or another with housing, employment and finding food. Not all clients are elligible for assistance from the State. My previous experience with elected officials and community organizations help greatly in these cases in that I can usually refer clients to an agency or organization that is able to assiste them. At the same time, due to the high volume of clients our office sees everyday, this can be very difficult to do in such a short time period. However, I have learned to ask very general questions initially which provide me with enough information to conduct their required interview and identify which services they may need.

Started as a Social Services Career Trainee in March 2020, about 2 weeks before COVID hit big time. We stayed in our office a week longer than anyone else I knew. Finally we were sent home and our 10 week in person training we were supposed to have turned into a 4 week online training that was barely helpful. After that, radio silence for almost 4 months. I barely heard from my manager. I still had no clue what I was doing. Finally have figured out for the most part how to do my job with little support or encouragement from upper management. If you don't have seniority, don't plan on taking vacation for the holidays for your first two years. Ridiculous. Upper management has no idea what they're doing half the time and get strangely annoyed when you ask for help or direction in any way. They don't explain random little things to you and then get upset when you don't do it their exact way. Only good thing is the job security although I'm not sure what the union even does for you. Every time I have asked them for help with something I either never hear back or they say they can't help. Pay is decent but not amazing. Honestly, after my certification I will probably go to a different government agency or at the very least switch offices. Unless you have literally no other options, I would not work here.

I love my job, but management is awful. There is a high turnover rate because management is so unreasonable. The work load can be stressful especially since you are assigned work when your not there & are expected to catch yourself up. The job involves a lot of writing & a lot of technical & medical knowledge. Most of the coworkers are great. Again management is awful. You can be the best employee in every way possible & they will find the stupid stuff to call you out on. I’ve gotten emails complaining about my punctuation & the way I make reminder notes. I’ve also seen numerous emails sent to other employees essentially tearing them down over things that are out of there control. These emails are demeaning & overall rude. One week they will tell your everything you did wrong & the next week you get a congratulations email about completing a lot of work. Most of the positions require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree & the training last 18 months. Some people have masters & law degrees, that doesn’t make a difference to management, they tend to treat employees like they are expendable. Employee moral is nonexistent. 

In working with the sick, physically and mentally challenged people, in home healthcare, your work is very physical, and strenuous./ I learned without proper training, one can seriously hurt themselves and that you really have to have a caring heart for these people./ As for management, just keeping the "lines of communication" opened is very important. We just have to know how to do it in a way that don't encourage loosing your job. The same goes for your co-workers. "Communication" should build team-work, not team-division. and we have a lot of that in home care./ The hardest part of my job is getting the clients to trust./ The most enjoyable part of my job is keeping the client out of the hospital and nursing homes. Taking them out into the community to visit family and friends, to shop at the mall or go to the movies or plays like they did before their health changed. Even those with birth defects, deserve to part take of such events as a way to say you are no different from me. We just laugh differently, that's all. {:-D 

The clinical side of this position was wonderful. You will be working with a very challenging population and the rewards are great. The clinical staff were excellent and very helpful. The hours and patient-to-staff ratios are very fair, the pay is also very fair. The Administration was not. 

The Administration was consistently disorganized, nonsupportive, and unhelpful. They were often not able to make a simple decision without much turmoil and meetings about the subject. Many times if Administration made a decision it would be recanted or changed and no one was aware of the new changes until the decision became an issue. 

The facility was very poorly managed from the top-down and was managed using fear tactics and micromanaging which made the enjoyable piece of working there very complicated and unnecessarily stressful. Many decisions made by Administration were emotional, not factual, and often based on fear of the unknown/what-if mentality. Administrative decisions were also not merit-based, but rather on if you were a "yes man", or a part of their clique.  

There was not a way to work and stay away from the chaos of Administration, it was very political. 

A typical day at work starts off with myself bathing my client, clothing and grooming. Then I would prepare breakfast and administer medication if needed. Next we just sit around communicating and looking at television. After a few hours of that I prepare lunch for the client. At times the client will have a doctors appointment or needs and if not, Then I  will run errands to ensure that he/she have whatever they need. I have learned a lot from caring for my clients. You have to have patience and a open relationship with your client. My co-workers were very helpful when it comes to communicating about our job we all experiences different things. We love our job and helping others. There is nothing hard about the job if you are open with your client. Sometimes you have to use different ways to approach your client if they are not having a good day. Usually the day goes very well the client is happy and myself also. The most enjoyable part of my job is helping someone who needs it. I have been doing this for over ten years so yes I'm a very helpful person. I love to see everyone happy cause I'm a happy person also.

The Department of Human and Rehabilitation Services provides a valuable resource to victims of stroke throughout Illinois. In this position I am responsible for administering personal care as it is necessary to my employer (person in which I am aiding). This position has given me an opportunity to hone in on my interpersonal skills and work directly with others while contributing to a progressive organization that works to help maintain the living standards of Illinois stroke residents. I enjoy this job very much and find the work done exceptionally valuable. In turn, I am proud to be involved in an organization that works with the under-served and marginalized who need additional help but have very little access to resources which provide such help. I feel as though I have made a difference, and continue to make a difference every day, through working with the Department of Human and Rehabilitation Services.

The daily routine of a Human Service Caseworker varies from day to day, but the outcome is to service the needs of the people in the community we serve. I have learned that in a public service job it is my duty to serve my customer as I would myself, seeing the need and serving the person with care and respect. Management can be a challenge in an arena in which the unthinkable happens, but flexibility and an open mind and open ear to new ways of tackling the unexpected will grant you the upper hand every time. The morale between co-workers as a team directly effects the execution of excellence and quality of service executed. The most challenging task of being a human service caseworker is assisting the customer exhaustively, and still see the customer in need of so much more. There is nothing to compare to assisting a customer, to hear laughter come from places of despair, smiles of hope from a worn vessel, and blessing from richness of survival! That is the best, to sip and share life with customers, it may not happen everyday, but when it happens its the sweetest tea around!

My time working varied from enjoyable days to extremely difficult days when my clients health was in decline. I learned to have more compassion than I already had for the handicapped, and terminally ill and became more thankful for my own good health and that of my many family members. 
As each shift was manned by one person I had no co-workers other than at shift changes when we would relay updates on our own shifts and pertinent information the next care giver needed to attend to the clients current situation.
I loved  when I knew the client was having fun and enjoying his life, but it was heart wrenching to see at those times he was seriously ill from just a simple cold for example, and he would voice his fear of death.
I eventually was discharged due to my inability to safely lift him on my own after having a surgery, and the fact at my age it was becoming more and more difficult even before the surgery. He required care 24 hours daily, I worked from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am five and six nights a week, and being able to  perform the task of lifting him was crucial.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 5 salaries reported	$7,135 per month
Registered nurse ii 9 salaries reported	$8,163 per month
Social worker 3 salaries reported	$8,309 per month
Physician 14 salaries reported	$18,476 per month
Mental health technician 15 salaries reported	$4,790 per month

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