Medical Assistant, HIV/STD Counselor at APLA Health

APLA Health’s mission is to achieve health care equity and promote well-being for the LGBT and other underserved communities and people living with and affected by HIV. We are a nonprofit, federally qualified health center serving more than 14,000 people annually. We provide 20 different services from 15 locations throughout Los Angeles County, including: medical, dental, and behavioral health care; PrEP counseling and management; health education and HIV prevention; and STD screening and treatment. For people living with HIV, we offer housing support; benefits counseling; home health care; and the Vance North Necessities of Life Program food pantries; among several other critically needed services. Additionally, we are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation that positively impacts the LGBT and HIV communities, provide capacity-building assistance to health departments across the country, and conduct community-based research on issues affecting the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us at

We offer great benefits, competitive pay, and great working environment!

We offer:

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance (no cost for employee)
• Vision Insurance (no cost for employee)
• Long Term Disability
• Group Term Life and AD&D Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 12 Paid Holidays
• 3 Personal Days
• 10 Vacation Days
• 12 Sick Days
• Metro reimbursement or free parking
• Employer Matched 403b Retirement Plan

This is a great opportunity to make a difference!

This position will pay $25.60 - $28.43 hourly. Salary is commensurate with experience.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The HIV-STD Counselor/Medical Assistant will provide patient care services under the direction of a licensed health care provider inclusive of culturally appropriate HIV/STD services to APLA Health & Wellness patients. In collaboration with prevention program staff, the HIV/STD Counselor/Medical Assistant will work to identify HIV positive individuals who are part of our prevention programs and who are not yet linked to HIV medical care, including newly diagnosed individuals, persons who know their HIV status but have never been engaged in care, and others who know their status and have dropped out of care to access medical care services. The HIV-STD Counselor/Medical Assistant will perform administrative front office and clinical back office duties in the medical clinic, including submitting and tracking referrals, taking vital signs, preparing examining rooms, administering medications as ordered by a licensed healthcare provider, performing phlebotomy and other technical clinical functions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or has a logical assignment to this position.

· Greets and register patients when needed; assists them with completion of necessary forms; answers telephones and schedules appointments; retrieves medical files; maintains medical records and files.

· Provide pre/post test client-centered HIV counseling.

· Conduct HIV/STD risk assessments.

· Provide HIV/STD risk reduction and prevention coaching/counseling.

· Prepares treatment rooms, ensuring that rooms are neat and clean, and stocked with the necessary supplies and equipment for patient examination; maintains sanitary and sterile supplies and equipment.

· Interviews patients to obtain basic medical information and history; measures and records vital signs, height, weight and body mass index (BMI); prepares medical records for provider review.

· Performs phlebotomy to collect blood samples; collects urine and other non-invasive specimens; logs specimens for testing; performs urine dip sticks and finger-sticks for hemoglobin and glucose measurements.

· Provides counseling and rapid HIV testing to clients seeking those services.

· Maintains monthly equipment logs, i.e. Glucometer, Hemocue, and Refrigerators.

· Develop a set of focused strategies, designed to improve the linkage (and ongoing engagement) to HIV primary medical care of recently diagnosed HIV-infected persons; individuals of known HIV status who have never sought medical care and HIV-infected persons who have dropped out of care and are no longer seeking HIV medical care and treatment.

· Assists physicians and nurses in examining and treating patients; handling instruments; preparing and disinfecting treatment sites; applying and removing dressing and bandages; administers medications in accordance with providers orders; administers subcutaneous and intramuscular injections as ordered by mid-level providers and physicians.

· Assist in the preparation of reports as requested.

· Maintain HIV/STD testing records to ensure that all documentation required by funders and agency Quality Management Plan is on file.

· Carries out patient discharge processes; clarifies and provides patients with follow-up care instructions and referrals.

· Follows steps outlined in APLA Health & Wellness referral tracking policy to ensure that patients gets the referrals needed and that referrals are appropriately logged and tracked.

· Administers Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in a medical emergency.

OTHER DUTIES MAY BE ASSIGNED TO MEET BUSINESS NEEDS.