registered nurse

psychiatric nurse

senior information specialist

locator

senior psychologist

State of Maine

OIT really needs to do something about their job descriptions and how they relate to the day to day tasks a person will be performing.  You would think that if you're hired on as a computer programmer, you'll be devising and debugging code.  After all....that's what is in the so-called job description.  Right?  Wrong!

As a computer programmer, I've done most everything BUT write code!  Most of the coding is done by Indian contractors.  The in-house stuff (garbage) that's not written or maintained by Indian contractors is very outdated and quite archaic.  Most of the legacy systems do not work well with one another and requires a small army of legacy programmers to apply bubble gum and duct tape to the systems.  I can see why the State is going to hosted systems as time goes on, considering the fact that these legacy applications are poorly documented and rely heavily on a bunch of old guys and their fading memories to keep things going.

Speaking of old guys with fading memories, you should see some of the managers.  As with any organization, many are great.  However, you have some who are such poor managers, they should have been put out to pasture long before they were in reach of retirement age.  

OIT is, or has been, attempting to use Agile methodologies in their applications group.  The daily standup is used by some managers as a way to ridicule their people.  Some of these same managers have expected senior level programmer analysts to grovel and beg interns or lower level programmers to release code into production.  Again, some of these same managers can be heard belittling and berating their own people just one row of cubicles away.  Really....how does an organization expect people to be high performers when they know it's just a matter of time before their turn comes up riding the Great Barrel of Ridicule and Shame?  Now I see why Indian contractors are so popular here.  They have no choice but to tolerate management's BS.  Otherwise, they lose their H1B sponsorship.

Getting back to having job descriptions/job titles matching reality.  I'm allegedly a computer programmer.  However, my day to day activities involve most anything excluding code.  For the most part, my primary function is to do desktop support whenever there is an issue with one of our in-house applications.  Another function I have is to FTP code changes done by outside vendors up to our test and prod servers.  I often will act as a technical interface between outside contractors/vendors and our internal business units.  About the most technical portion of my job involves downloading applications for end users and helping them install the application on their desktops.

Let me say first, I am grateful for my job with the State of Maine and MaineCare.  

Management of MaineCare is stonger now than anytime in the last 5 years that I have worked here.  With each change of administration in the State House, MaineCare operations adjust and continue on the path to serve ever growing member numbers and make bugdetary ends meet. 

The State Budget cycle and the Legislature dictate ones workload during the late spring and summer months. Politics drives decisions, not necessarily seems right. This is probably the most difficult part of the job for me to accept.  

A typical day in Policy is juggled between preparing for and leading or attending meetings, actions items from those meetings and promulgating rules through the APA process.  I have learned to multitask, prioritize and move large intiatives through the enormous state system. The governor personally reviews MaineCare rules and approves each one before it is legally proposed. 

With each rulemaking, I conduct a public hearing, some which are well attended and some that are not attended.  As a MaineCare policy writer, I have pushed myself beyond what I thought I could do.  During the last budget cycle, I completed 5 emergency rulemakings concurrently. Honestly, I practically lost my mind doing it, but got it done.

I have numerous co-workers who are dedicated and thoroughly knowledged.  Specifically, there is one who took me under her wing when I started in the Policy Unit.  I have done the same for many others since.

At the end of the day, the most enjoyable part of my job has been the satisfaction in knowing that I have done my part to help Maine's most vunerable get the help they need and I have been able to do it despite hurdles and unrealistic expectations.



Typical day at work includes answering questions that the community may have regarding public wards health, mental health and working with each team regarding these wards. The work is challenging and fast paced as you are dealing with individuals with severe mental health illnesses who could cause harm to themselves or others. Due to the foreseeable changes in government policy and what the community will have to face due to budget cuts. It is only a matter of time when monies may not be available to make sure that they the wards or the community will be able to receive services that they will need. It is part of my job to search for available monies in the community through grants, federal funds or other resources so that wards can get some of the additional services that they need.

I have learned that you need to be quick on your toes most of the time. At the same time, may sure that you take care of yourself and that they,the wards, can survive without you for an hour, day or sometimes a week.

Management - because of the changes in government, management has had to face several tough challenges and that sometimes they have one of the toughest jobs. These managers have to deal with not only the community but to make sure that they can generate monies from grants, federal funds or other resources so that wards can get some of the additional services that they need.

Co-Workers - my coworkers are a great bunch of people. We work together to find the needed resources to help the wards that we have to help on a daily basis.

Hardest part of my job is to find the needed resources at times for individuals that need it. The most enjoyable part is finding the resources and seeing someone's face light up because they have just been given something that the needed in such a long time and now have it.

Crisis Services had no typical day as we worked from pager on an emergency basis. I would get paged and determine safety of client and conduct face to face evaluations in several different settings. Our role met the convenience of the client, such as going into homes, hospitals, doctors offices, therapist offices, etc. Traveling was an essential part of our jobs, as we traveled through out 2 counties to ensure services to these communities. Co-Workers were supportive and at times became safety as we entered high risk situations. I learned so much, such as assessments taught me to idnetify physical symptoms to appropriately diagnose clients; learned to manauver the system to best serve the clients in need; learned to engage and build trust quickly, by truly caring about the person in crisis, including emergency providers caring for clients wit high needs. Management varied, with one of the clinical supports being very supportive, patient and able to slow things down with high stress situations. There were other management that appeared not to care for us, as a crisis worker in these risky situations. Te hardest part of the job was the political fall out when resources were limited and the client's needs could not be met. I love the unpredictability of the job, the front line work, the integration and cooperative work with emergency providers, such as ERs and EMTs and enjoyed the family like co-workers that kept me from burning out. Overall, Mobile Crisis Worker was a fabulous job and I enjoyed it greatly.

The State provides decent benefits and the pay for CPS is of a high wage, however the work load is incredible and the expectations are indescribable. If you are on call and up all night your still expected to work a full 8 hour shift the following day. If your a permanency worker the responsibility includes subpoenas, petitions, referrals, visits, collateral calls, court testimony,  consistent Family Team Meetings, Family Plans, Guardian of the children, placements, monitoring parents progress, ALL DOCUMENTATION in a timely consistent manner, of course child safety,  sometimes removals, Hospital Duty, Duty Worker of the day, supervising visits oh and let's not forget your supposed to carry 10 cases but you will usually carry 14 to 16 cases. Supervisors often have no patience and appear nice or kind, but don't trust, they tell you one thing and do another.  There are numerous things that are NOT provided in training and your left to find out by surprise or your never told at all. DO NOT discuss anything personal in the office, and good lord don't answer your personal phone even though the supervisors will in front of you but you will get reprimanded. This the true story of the situation.  Co workers were wonderful ❤️,  most of them amazing, that was the best part as well as the actual heart of THE job, loved the children and families and loved helping them ❤️. 

To be a manager at the State of Maine can be tough. Learning how the unions functions is a must. There is plenty of educational opportunities and opportunities to develop your professional skills. Advancement can be very tough as well. People often take high paying job and don't leave until retirement. Union seniority can play a hand in this.  If you are an out of the box thinker, the state needs you. Far too often you will hear “that’s how’s it’s always been done” with a little investigation and ingenuity you can usually come up with a new and better way of doing things. 

Overall this is a great place to develop your skills but you need to understand the full implications of a union before diving in. The unions certainly do protect jobs but they often limit growth opportunities for you and have “bumping rights rules” that can leave you without job even if you had the job for years. I am sure I am not the first person to point these things out. But know what you get when taking a union job. 

It’s not all it's cracked up to be!

I worked for the State of Maine for over 30 yrs. A typical day would consist of seeing clients face to face for interviews, phone interviews, annual review updates, daily and weekly updates, income/asset/expense verification requested and received to determine eligibility for TANF/SNAP/Medicaid programs. Had to learn Federal/State policies. I learned to be more socially open and not to keep to myself. Always assisted co-workers if questions regarding computers/policies I could assist with. The hardest part of the job was finding that a elderly person may not be eligible for benefits. The most enjoyable part of the job was assisting those individuals whom you knew were truly needy and did not want to apply for services due to their pride, (elderly mostly). The commute was very long, to and from work, 1 hr each way, but over the yrs I got used to it. The benefits were good while working there. I retired early due to pension/health insurance changes that were taking place on 1/1/2012.

Typically I would provide direct care, home care, and community services for my client and my clients guardian was enrolled in self directed services. This made them my employer (instead of an agency) which allows more flexibility in scheduling, calling out, notes since they are people too and get more of a direct view of your life in comparison to an agency who has policies and limits they are required to enforce. This makes it a lot better in creating a work-life balance that is manageable and making sure the work you are doing is client centered.

I've had a few situations where my pay was delayed because of a miscommunication in authorization and hours allowed (which was not the clients family, the employers, fault). This proved to be stressful and frustrating, so making sure the family chooses a reputable financial broker is key to consistent pay and understanding of rates.

There was never a slow day or a slow time at the State of Maine. Determining benefits for people that are less fortunate was a job that I loved dearly. I took great pride in the work that I did and helping the people in need. It showed day in and day out when I would be one of the only people caught up in the office and asking for more help. This was very challenging, however it taught me to stay focused, and that these people depended on me to feed their families and to even live. The hardest part of my job was to cancel benefits or to turn someone down for various reasons, however, there are guidelines that every has to follow. The most enjoyable part of the job was to see the smile on the people's faces when they would receive even the smallest amount that would help their family out in a difficult time. By far, this was the most rewarding position I have held throughout my life, and continues to be my passion.

The Riverview Psychiatric Center is a Department of DHHS, within the State of Maine.  It was extremely busy being the only Forensic Hospital in the state.  the waiting times for admissions could be as long as a month for very ill psychiatric clients waiting to get in for treatment.  Because it is controlled by state government and you worked at the whim of the Governor , job security was not great and employees are in fear of loosing their jobs.  The budget was ridget and not suited for the organization.  The current budget was set by the legislature two years in advance.  Their could be 10 referrals per day and only on admission.  It was frustration and could have more input from Administration but their hands were tied.  The  Forensic population were dangerous but due to contraints put upon the Hospital due to a consent decree not much could be done.  There were a lot  of employee injuries.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 4 salaries reported	$63.25 per hour
Psychiatric nurse 45 salaries reported	$33.61 per hour
Senior information specialist 12 salaries reported	$73,427 per year
Locator 38 salaries reported	$21.55 per hour
Senior psychologist 1 salary reported	$86,507 per year

Working at State of Maine: Company Overview and Reviews

State of Maine

State of Maine Ratings

Popular jobs at State of Maine

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected