AVI Nanaimo Health Centre is seeking Physician for HIV-focused Community Health Centre
AVI Nanaimo Health Centre in beautiful Nanaimo, BC, is recruiting physicians who are interested to provide care for gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, and gender non-binary people and who have experience providing or relevant knowledge and a strong interest in providing: primary care for people living with HIV, pre and post-exposure prophylaxis for people who are HIV negative and at risk of HIV, gender-affirming care, as well as Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) and HCV treatment for marginally housed and vulnerable communities.
AVI Nanaimo has operated as a community-led Health Centre in downtown Nanaimo for 25 years with a health equity and social justice approach. We are currently a staff of 15 people. We are both a clinic and a community centre that works to address physical health, mental wellness, sexual health, substance use, social inclusion, and the social determinants of health for the specialized populations that we support. We currently provide low-barrier TasP HIV primary care, HIV prevention (PrEP and PEP), various Opioid Agonist Treatments (OAT), alcohol treatment, HCV treatment, gender-affirming care, a range of STBBI services and supports, counselling, health care navigation support, outreach services, life skills training, peer support, community building and social inclusion programming, health promotion education services for clients and for community health professionals, and free safer sex and drug use harm reduction supplies. AVI’s staff has built long standing relationships with many vulnerable individuals and communities throughout our years of operation as a community health centre and we continue to evaluate and develop appropriate services based on community feedback and identified needs.
We support:
- People who identify as Queer, Trans, Gay, Bi, Two-Spirit, Pansexual, and/or Gender Non-binary
- People who identify as First Nation, Metis, or Inuit
- People living with or who have an increased risk of contracting HIV
- People living with HCV
- People who engage in sex work
- People who use drugs and/or alcohol
- People who are at risk of fatal toxic drug poisoning
- People who are at risk of social isolation
- People who are living in poverty
- People who are homeless or marginally housed
- People who are being released from jail or hospital
- Communities who are negatively affected by stigma and discrimination
- Communities who are negatively affected by structural and social determinants of health
Our Health Centre’s model of care is relational, client-centred, research-based, and allows for the adaptation of services in the context of individual clients and populations of focus. Our care model remains low-barrier and allows for clients to easily transition between services by co-locating clinical services with counselling, support, and outreach services and by embedding gender-affirming care, sexual health, mental health, and substance use services in primary care. We are guided by trauma and violence informed practice, the principles of cultural safety and humility, harm reduction, low-barrier access, peer involvement, community collaboration, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, and the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We strive to provide rapid access in those moments when people are seeking treatment, looking for culturally safer health and wellness services, and/or looking for community connections.
Qualifications:
• Current license with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC
• Enrolment with MSP
• Appropriate training and qualifications to prescribe OAT
• Clinical experience or relevant knowledge & strong interest in providing HIV prevention and primary care
• Clinical experience providing OAT and substance use care
• Clinical experience or relevant knowledge & strong interest in providing Gender-affirming care
• Clinical experience or relevant knowledge & strong interest in caring for QGBT2S+ people
• Clinical experience working with vulnerable populations
• Experience collaborating in a team environment
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills
Clinical Duties:
• Approach all aspects of job in accordance with AVI Health & Community Services mission and core values
• Provide comprehensive, low-barrier primary care services for people living with HIV, including intake visits, longitudinal care, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illness according to evidence-based standards
• Provide prevention services to HIV negative clients at risk for HIV (Post-exposure and Pre-exposure prophylaxis)
• Provide high quality, low-barrier substance use care
• Manage the following conditions: HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, opportunistic infections, co-morbidities associated with HIV, substance use, depression, anxiety, and common primary care health conditions
• Obtain clinical histories, conduct appropriate physical examinations and assessments, order diagnostic testing, and formulate treatment plans including prescribing medications
• Conduct routine health examinations and evaluations and make recommendations for preventive health maintenance and screening tests as appropriate
• Review documents including outside records and consultant reports to summarize information in the medical record. Determine need for additional services
• Order and interpret diagnostic and therapeutic tests
• Prescribe appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment modalities
• Provide appropriate health promotion, risk reduction education, and guidance for clients
• Make appropriate referrals
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, participate in regular multidisciplinary clinical team communication, and assist in the coordination of care in a team-based setting. AVI Health Centre’s team includes physicians, RN(C), LPN, Registered Social Worker, support workers, outreach workers, wellness counselor, care coordinator, peers, and health promotion educators
• Participate in training to enhance ability to care for specific populations and conditions
• Interest in scholarly activity related to the care of people living with HIV, including clinical and didactic education of medical trainees, quality improvement initiatives, and/or outcomes research
• Knowledge of effects of intersectionality and experience working with structurally vulnerable groups, including, but not limited to queer, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-binary people, Indigenous people, people of colour, people who engage in sex work, people who use drugs, people living with HIV, people living in poverty, people living with disabilities, people who have been incarcerated, and people who are homeless and/or marginally housed
• Holistic understanding of HIV, HCV, and STBBIs, substance use, harm reduction, sexual health, heterosexism, cisgenderism, homophobia, transphobia, Indigenous health, population health, and health promotion strategies
• Work in partnership with the Manager of Services
• Other duties as assigned
Please express interest by sending CV and Cover letter to health.centre@avi.org
We encourage applications from, but not limited to, Indigenous persons, persons of colour, persons living with disabilities, persons who use/d currently illegal drugs, persons with experience of sex work, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.