Accreditation Surveyor

As the cornerstone of the organization’s peer review accreditation process, surveyors promote CARF’s mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives by conducting on-site reviews of health and human service organizations. In applying standards from the respective CARF standards manual, surveyors interview personnel, persons served, and other stakeholders; observe organizational processes and service delivery; and review documents, including records of persons served, plans, policies, and procedures to determine conformance to the standards. Surveyors offer consultation to the organization regarding conformance to the standards and performance improvement. To conclude the survey process, surveyors present survey findings to the organization and submit a comprehensive report to CARF for final determination of the accreditation outcome. Part-time, intermittent surveyors are professionals in their fields with full-time responsibilities independent of CARF.  On an as needed basis, surveyors travel to survey locations and represent CARF only when actually performing activities necessary to complete scheduled surveys and certain other expressly agreed-upon activities.   Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The following duties and responsibilities represent the essential functions of this job that an individual must be able to perform with or without a reasonable accommodation:

• Maintain ongoing communication with CARF regarding availability to survey, contact information, employment and expertise.
• Offer to conduct and accept assignments only to surveys for which an individual has the requisite expertise and experience.
• Utilize available resources (e.g., standards manuals, Surveyor Website) to remain current with CARF standards, accreditation and survey processes, and surveyor roles and responsibilities.
• Collaborate with other members of the survey team to conduct all aspects of the survey including:
  • If assigned as the team coordinator, complete pre-survey arrangements including:
    • Contacting the organization to establish interview schedules, site visits, review of programs to be surveyed and time for orientation and exit conferences; and
    • Contacting team members to coordinate travel arrangements and convey logistical arrangements for interview schedules, site visits, review of programs to be surveyed and time for orientation and exit conferences.
  • Present an orientation conference to:
    • Provide information about CARF and the survey process; 
    • Confirm with the organization the programs, services and locations to be surveyed;
    • Verify the accuracy of information included on the “report top”; and
    • Advise the organization of the survey schedule.
  • Apply each applicable standard while conducting a survey;
  • Interview personnel, persons served, and other stakeholders of the organization to gather information relative to the survey;
  • Review documents, including records of persons served, plans, policies, and procedures to determine conformance to the standards;
  • Observe organization processes and service delivery to gather information relative to the survey;
  • Offer consultation to the organization regarding conformance to the standards and performance improvement; 
  • Offer the option of a pre-exit meeting; and conduct a pre-exit meeting, if requested;
  • Present an exit conference to advise the organization of the survey findings;
  • Prepare the eChecklist for the sections of the manual for which an individual is responsible;
  • Prepare the survey report that accurately reflects the survey findings for sections of the manual for which an individual is responsible;
  • Merge the eChecklist and collaborate on sections of the survey report, as appropriate;
  • As part of a survey team, provide a recommended accreditation decision to CARF;
  • If assigned the report compiler role, prepare the team’s consolidated survey report for review by the survey team and submission to the CARF office;
  • If assigned the role of team coordinator, submit the survey report and eChecklist to CARF within five (5) days of the last scheduled day of the survey;
  • Respond to CARF staff inquiries regarding the survey report in a timely manner;
  • Track and record all expenses, per established guidelines, for reimbursement and submit surveyor expense reimbursement requests within seven (7) days of completing the survey; and
  • Complete applicable online feedback questionnaires for each survey conducted.
• Participate in surveyor continuing education and other professional development activities per recommended guidelines.

Note: Duties and responsibilities are not all inclusive and may change at any time, with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

In addition to the benefits listed on the CARF website's Become a Surveyor page:

• CARF International - Employee-surveyors residing in the U.S. are compensated at a rate of $135 USD for one travel day per survey, each survey day, and the eChecklist submission for the assigned report compiler.  U.S. employee-surveyors are eligible for sick leave and if eligible, may participate in the 403(b) retirement plan. 
• CARF Canada - Employee-surveyors residing in Canada are compensated at a rate of $165 CAD, plus statutory vacation, for one travel day per survey, each survey day, and the eChecklist submission for the assigned report compiler.
• CARF Europe - Contract-surveyors residing in locations other than the U.S. or Canada are compensated at a rate of $135 USD for one travel day per survey, each survey day, and the eChecklist submission for the assigned report compiler. 

Surveyors may be eligible for any incentive programs that may be in effect from time to time.

ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATIONS

The following represents the eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications required to perform the essential duties and responsibilities successfully:

Eligibility requirements:

• Currently work for a CARF-accredited organization or be otherwise engaged directly with the CARF standards and/or CARF’s continuous quality improvement model.
• Have at least four years of current field or industry experience in one or more areas that CARF accredits.
• Not be employed by or perform any services for a competing accrediting body.
• Be available to conduct at least three surveys per calendar year (January 1– December 31).
• Be available to travel to survey locations.
• (U.S. residents only) Must be authorized to work in the United States.  Does not now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status, including but not limited to H-1B visa status.

Minimum qualifications:

• Have sufficient knowledge of and experience with CARF standards and survey process.
• Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well as a team member.
• Proficiency with written and verbal communication in English.
• Have good time-management and organizational skills.
• Have experience using internet-enabled devices, including navigating electronic documents and participating in electronic communication; e.g., Microsoft Office.

CARF’s business language is English.  To participate in the surveyor selection process (including the highly interactive surveyor training and assessment program) and/or conduct accreditation surveys (including the preparation of written survey reports), surveyor-applicants and surveyors must be proficient in English.  Bilingual is a plus.

ROLE-SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Individuals must meet the following role-specific (i.e., program, administrative, and/or finance surveyor) experience requirements:

Program Surveyor:

• For not less than five years during the individual's career, the individual directly:
  • Provided services to persons served in the specific programs to be surveyed; or
  • Supervised the day-to-day direct provision of services to persons served in the specific programs to be surveyed.
• During each of at least three of the past six years, the individual directly:
  • Provided the services or supervision described above; 
  • Consulted, other than as a CARF surveyor, on the services or supervision described above for not less than fifty (50) days; or 
  • Worked, as a governmental employee, with organizations to improve the quality of services to persons served in the specific programs to be surveyed.

Administrative Surveyor:

• For not less than five years during the individual's career, the individual had administrative, managerial, or other oversight responsibility for an organization that offers program areas within the applicable customer service unit.
• During each of at least three of the past six years, the individual directly:
  • Maintained the administrative, managerial, or other direct oversight responsibility described above; 
  • Consulted, other than as a CARF surveyor, on the administrative, managerial, or other direct oversight described above for not less than 50 days; or
  • Worked, as a governmental employee, with organizations to improve the quality of administration, management, and other oversight of program areas within the applicable customer service unit.

Finance Surveyor (CARF-CCRC only):

• For not less than five years during the individual's career, the individual had responsibility for financial matters of a continuing care retirement community (including internal control policies, budgeting, banking relationships, investments, and financial planning).
• During each of at least three of the past six years, the individual directly:
  • Maintained the financial responsibility described above; 
  • Consulted, other than as a CARF surveyor, on the financial responsibility described above for not less than 50 days; or
  • Worked, as a governmental employee, with organizations to improve the quality of financial matters at continuing care retirement communities.