Mental Health and Addictions Outreach Nurse (RN/RPN)

SALARY

JOB SUMMARY

Come work as a Mental Health and Addictions Outreach Nurse with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Vancouver Coastal Health is looking for a Registered Nurse (RN) OR Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) to join Intensive Care Management team as a Mental Health and Addictions Outreach Nurse in Vancouver, BC. Apply today to join our team!

Intensive Care Management Team

As a part of the Road to Recovery Initiative, Vancouver Community Specialized Substance Use Services is launching an Intensive Care Management Team, following BC provincial standards and guidelines. The team provides wrap around outreach services to clients who struggle with severe problematic substance-use, mental health, and chronic health conditions, and who are motivated to make changes towards recovery.  R2R ICMT outreach nurses will be part of a multidisciplinary team including allied health, peers, NP, and a psychiatrist.  Guided by trauma-informed and Indigenous cultural safety principles, the nurses will have a small caseload, allowing for therapeutic engagement with clients. To meet clients’ needs, the team will operate 7 days/week and have up to daily contact with clients. The eight week rotation includes only two weekends working for each nurse, and the schedule is flexible within operational requirements. Ongoing paid education and learning is supported in this role.

As a Mental Health and Addictions Outreach Nurse with VCH, you will:

• Conduct mental and physical status assessments and assess clients’ physiological, psychological, sociocultural and spiritual needs to determine priority of care requirements based on client needs, availability of resources and best practices.
• Provide counseling and assist client with reducing repeated contact with and use of acute and community healthcare services/programs/resources.
• Assess high risk situations and provide crisis intervention.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary team to develop, implement and adjust client’s care plan and meet the client’s need for integrated services and continuity of care across the continuum.
• Facilitate the movement of clients between acute care, community agency support site and designated health centre.
• Participate in case conferences/meetings with members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Assist clients with attendance to needed services such as medical appointments.

First Nations, Inuit, Metis ancestry is regarded as directly relevant to the skills and knowledge for excellence in the position. Pursuant to Section 41 of the British Columbia Human Rights Code, preference will be given to candidates who identify as Indigenous including First Nations, Metis or Inuit.

Education and Experience

• Current practicing registration as a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
• Diploma in Nursing or Psychiatric Nursing plus two (2) years’ recent related experience working with individuals with mental health and addictions illness or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Valid BC Drivers License. Local area travel may require the use of a personal vehicle.

Knowledge and Abilities

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of a client and family centered recovery model in mental illness.
• Broad knowledge of crisis intervention and counseling skills.
• Broad knowledge of mental health illness and treatment.
• Broad knowledge of psychopharmacology (indication and side effects).
• Broad knowledge of substance abuse and addictions treatment.
• Broad knowledge of other facilities and community resources.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct psychiatric assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to provide treatment planning, counseling, crisis intervention, and case coordination.
• Demonstrated skill in CPR techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with clients and their families, colleagues, physicians, and other health care staff, both one-on-one and in groups.
• Demonstrated listening and information seeking skills that promotes communication and lead to a cooperative approach to problem solving within a multidisciplinary setting.
• Demonstrated ability to establish workload priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to adjust schedule to deal with unexpected situations.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrated ability to provide consultation and leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve.
• Demonstrated ability to deal effectively with conflict situations.
• Ability to operate related equipment.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Basic computer literacy to operate a computerized client care information system and word processing, Internet and email software.