Summary of the Position:
Work Location: AVI Health Centre, 102-55 Victoria Road, Nanaimo
Hours of Work: 15 hours a week, 2 days per week during clinic hours. Clinic hours: 9:00 – 5:00 Monday – Thursday. Specific days to be determined.
Start Date: ASAP
End Date: March 31, 2021
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter to jobs@avi.org by 5:00pm on Wednesday, October 7, 2020.
Job Summary:
The Outreach Nurse will work in partnership with our interdisciplinary team to provide person-centered healthcare including assessment, screening, referrals, education, and support for people who are contemplating or accessing substance use treatment. The Outreach Nurse will use a harm reduction, trauma-informed approach and is required to have clinical skills and experience to independently assess clients with complex primary care health needs with the goal of improving health outcomes through case management, assistance with treatment adherence, and harm reduction education. This position reports to the Manager of AVI Nanaimo Health Centre.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Supports people contemplating or accessing OAT and substance use services in outreach and telehealth formats.
- Provides assessments, screening, phlebotomy, education, referrals, and client advocacy regarding substance use, acute and chronic health concerns, mental health, sexual health, wound management, and general wellness, including primary and specialist care, substance use services, diagnostic and laboratory services, and medication adherence.
- Provides systems navigation, advocacy, and referrals to services for housing, disability, nutrition support, and other relevant services.
- Provides harm reduction support through individual risk reduction counselling, education, distribution of harm reduction supplies, and Naloxone trainings and distribution.
- Works collaboratively with clients and care team to maintain individualized care plans, providing ongoing monitoring and support with clients in accordance with the care plan.
- Work with clients to enhance understanding of their health status and to build capacity to manage their own health, including self-advocacy and navigating barriers to care.
- Works closely with community partners to ensure seamless support of mutual clients.
Qualifications:
Education, Training, and Experience:
- Registered Nurse with STI Certified Practice.
- Two years prior experience working with multidisciplinary community team.
- Prior full scope, outreach nursing experience working with people who are homeless and/or marginally housed.
- Prior nursing experiences with primary care, mental health, harm reduction, and addictions services.
- Prior nursing experience with sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections services.
- Certifications in phlebotomy, immunizations, STBBI services, and Well Woman Exams.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with team and community partners.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Valid class 5 Driver’s License.
Skills and Abilities:
- Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of primary care, substance use, harm reduction, HIV, HCV, sexual health, mental health, health promotion, and impact of systemic poverty.
- Understanding of the impact on individual health and wellbeing, as well as the considerations for service delivery related to systemic barriers associated with poverty, mental health, substance use, trauma, racism, ongoing colonialism, heterosexism, and gender discrimination.
- Demonstrated commitment to the policy and practice of harm reduction, cultural safety, and trauma and violence informed practices.
- Ability to work with a diversity of people, including vulnerable populations.
- Ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients.
- Ability to observe and recognize changes in clients.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Strong advocacy skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbal and written.
- Ability to organize and prioritize workload.
- Ability to use computer effectively to complete documentation, data, and reports including experience with Electronic Medical Records (EMR).
- Ability to analyze and resolve problems.
- Conflict resolution and non-violent crisis intervention skills.
- Ability to work under pressure and in stressful situations.
- Ability to operate related equipment.
We encourage applications from, but not limited to, Indigenous persons, persons of colour, persons living with disabilities, persons who use/d illicit drugs, persons with experience of sex work, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.