Breast Care Specialist

HERS BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION

POSITION TITLE: Breast Care Specialist
DEPARTMENT: Patient Programs
SUPERVISED BY: Director of Programs
FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt, Full-Time, Part-Time
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Foundation and Position Overview

HERS Breast Cancer Foundation (“the Foundation”) is seeking a full-time Breast Care Specialist (BCS), to provide breast cancer patient assessment and fitting services for post-surgical products at its Fremont, California program location. Products provided and dispensed by the Foundation include breast prosthetics, pocketed bras, and compression garments, all of which facilitate physical and emotional healing.

In continuous operation since 1998, The Foundation is an invaluable resource that serves Bay Area breast cancer patients with compassion. Our goal is to restore our patients’ sense of “HERS”: Hope, Empowerment, Renewal, and Support.

An accredited Durable Medical Equipment (DME) provider and a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Foundation’s mission is to support all individuals healing from breast cancer by providing post-surgical products and services regardless of financial status.

Mission fulfillment is dependent on year-round fundraising efforts. These include events hosted by the Foundation and by community members, grants, individual donors, and medical insurance reimbursements for products dispensed by HERS. Additionally, the Foundation is generously supported by volunteers who provide day-to-day administrative and event-specific assistance.

Core Role Skills and Expectations
The role of Breast Care Specialist (BCS) is central to the Foundation’s mission, programs, and services. This direct patient services position involves working collaboratively with patients, Foundation staff members, and patients’ healthcare provider(s) in a professional clinical capacity under supervision of the Foundation’s Program Director.

Working in tandem with patients and their healthcare providers, allows BCS staff to advance understanding about post-surgical products, set goals and expectations, provide product use and care information, and ensure positive outcomes.
The ideal candidate should consistently demonstrate compassion and patience, possesses strong verbal and written communication skills, have an understanding of and appreciation for diverse patient populations, and work in a collaborative and dedicated manner to fulfill the Foundation’s nonprofit mission.

On occasion, this position may require working from a Foundation “satellite” location in the San Francisco Bay Area. For candidates with no prior experience, the Foundation’s certified staff will provide on-the-job training and supervision.
This role requires obtaining, through coursework and testing, a mastectomy fitter certification (CFm) within six months of the hire date. Related costs, including coursework, testing, certification renewal, and reasonable time spent in pursuit of the certification are covered by the Foundation. Bilingual/multi-lingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

Core Duties and Responsibilities
Patient Services:
• Provide patient assessments, including a health status review, and product recommendations, and work with patients to create individualized plans with clear goals and expectations.
• Take accurate measurements for prescribed mastectomy garments and/or ready-to-wear or custom compression garments, make product recommendations, and fit patients with products.
• Work collaboratively with senior fitters and/or the Program Director to address patients’ unique needs in order to achieve the best possible health and appearance outcomes.
• Recognize signs and symptoms of lymphedema and/or other breast cancer-adjacent conditions and encourage patients to consult their physician.
• Advise patients on product use and care; complete patient sales and dispense products.
• Document patient interactions and data accurately and in a timely manner (the charting process) using the Foundation’s EHR (Electronic Health Record) and PMS (Practice Management System) platforms.
• In all matters and at all times, observe strict HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliance to ensure that patient privacy and sensitive health information are protected and kept confidential.

Operations:
• Receive stock and help facilitate special orders as needed using the Foundation’s invoice and inventory platform.
• Coordinate patient orders; demonstrate ownership and responsibility of product order communications, including those from patients and vendors.
• Ensure a safe and clean environment by adhering to cleanliness and infection prevention policies in the Foundation’s Policy and Procedures Accreditation Manual.
• Develop and maintain Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPC) expertise for products dispensed by the Foundation.
• Participate in mandatory monthly staff meetings, BCS meetings as scheduled, and training sessions.
• Participate in the Foundation’s mandatory annual staff retreat.
• As needed/assigned, complete product vendor training and coursework with the goal of demonstrating product knowledge, use, and care.
• Work cooperatively with the Foundation’s team to meet product sales and monthly revenue targets.
Mastectomy Fitter Certification (“CFm”):
• If not in possession of Mastectomy Fitter Certification at time of hire, upon completing 120 hours of on-the-job supervised training, complete Mastectomy Fitter Certification (CFm) coursework and obtain certification by successfully complete the CFm testing process.

NOTE: Completing the coursework and successfully passing the certification test must be achieved within 6 months of hire date.
• Fulfill Breast Care Specialist tasks and responsibilities in accordance with DME Accreditation and Mastectomy Fitter certification standards.
• Complete continuing education courses as required and/or assigned to maintain and advance knowledge of mastectomy and lymphedema solutions and services.
• Complete training modules as required by healthcare provider partners.
• Submit proof of training and/or test completion for required and/or assigned coursework and modules to the Program Director and/or the Human Resources Manager.

Note:
Duties assigned by this position’s immediate supervisor may be added or changed based on business needs.

Required Skills:
• Effective and verbal and non-verbal communication skills are required; these include consistent and clear articulation and active listening.
• For patient charting, patient communications, and internal communications, clear and concise writing skills are required.
• Demonstrate compassion, patience, and an understanding of the challenges that cancer patients endure.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite; key applications include Word, Outlook, Teams, Excel, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
• Ability to type, with accuracy, a minimum of 40 words per minute.
• Demonstrate a high level of organization and attention to detail.
• Be reliable and punctual with regard to work attendance.
• Be willing to work collaboratively with colleagues and take direction from senior fitters and Directors.
• Demonstrate knowledge of, and compliance with, the Employee Handbook’s policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate knowledge of, and compliance with, the Foundation’s Accreditation policies and procedures.
• Consistently and correctly utilize the Foundation’s online human resources and time management system.

Qualifications:
• Associate or bachelor’s degree preferred; a high school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Preferred experience: medical/clinical, social work, and/or sales/customer service. Nonprofit experience is a plus.
• Mastectomy Fitter: 1 year of experience is helpful.
• Mastectomy Fitter Certification (CFm) or past experience in the field.
• Prior experience with electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PMS) systems is preferred.
• Bilingual/multi-lingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

Other:

• Be willing to undergo, at the Foundation’s expense, a background check; eligibility for employment depends upon successful completion.
• Be flexible regarding work site location; while not common, there are occasions when working at a Foundation satellite location may be necessary.
• Either possess or have access to reliable transportation to ensure timely and consistent work attendance.
• Be able to provide proof of vehicle insurance when/if travel from one Foundation location to another or from one Foundation location to a destination outside of the Foundation is required.
• Participate in events designed to support programs and services; these include two mandatory major fundraisers hosted by the Foundation on an annual basis.
• Participate in staff meetings, including BCS-specific meetings, and the Foundation’s annual staff retreat.
• Given the health vulnerabilities of our patients and to help prevent the spread of illness internally, HERS staff members are required to correctly wear Foundation-provided disposable face masks during the workday.
• Participate in annual physical inventory.

Benefits:

No Medical Benefits are offered at this time other than PTO (paid time off), Sick Time Off, and employee discounts. Additionally, term life insurance is available as a benefit for full-time employees. The Foundation observes a state and federal holidays which are paid holidays if they fall on an employee’s regularly scheduled workday.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Please refer to the following page for physical activities requirements and approximate frequency of each activity.

Breast Care Specialist (BCS)

Physical Activities Required and Estimated Frequency of Each

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT
Rarely: 0 – 12%
Occasionally: 13 – 33%
Frequently: 34 – 66%
Regularly: 67% +
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Seeing: Regularly - Must be able to see and read with or without corrective lenses.
Hearing: Regularly - Must be able to hear adequately to communicate with people in person and via phone or video systems.
Sitting: Regularly
Standing/Walking: Regularly
Climbing/Stooping/Kneeling/Bending: Frequently
Lifting/carrying up to 25 lbs.: Regularly
Lifting/carrying over 25 lbs.: Frequently
Pulling/Pushing/Reaching: Frequently
Grasping/Feeling/Finger Use (both hands): Regularly
• Must be able to write, type, use a keyboard and telephone system.
• Must be able to fit patients with garments, including but not limited to bras, prosthetics, compression sleeves, gloves, gauntlets, and bras.