Indigenous Mental Health & Substance Use Outreach Nurse

ID# 002454

Come work as a Indigenous Mental Health & Substance Use Outreach Nurse with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Vancouver Coastal Health is committed to improving the health and access to culturally safe healthcare of the Indigenous people in our region, and we recognize that we all have a contribution to make in reconciliation and healing. VCH’s Indigenous Health team works with staff and physicians across all programs and departments to provide strategic leadership, partner collaboration and community engagement to assist VCH to become a more culturally competent and safe organization.

This position is part of the new Indigenous Crisis Response Team (ICRT) at VCH. The ICRT provides a non-police crisis response outreach services to individuals in the inner city who are experiencing a mental health and/or substance use crisis that cannot be resolved by their regular care provider or alternate crisis services. ICRT is a voluntary, non-police healthcare service that leads with cultural safety and sees individuals in encampments, shelters, or in their homes.

Work schedules and rotations can be discussed, as applicable with existing VCH policies and collective agreement requirements.

Vancouver Coastal Health is looking for a Indigenous Mental Health & Substance Use Outreach Nurse to join the City of Vancouver Indigeous Health Support team. Apply today to join our team!

As a Indigenous Mental Health & Substance Use Outreach Nurse with Vancouver Coastal Health you will:

• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide crisis intervention, triage and outreach services that are inclusionary and flexible for individuals with mental illness, addictions and/or chronic medical conditions.
• Conduct mental and physical status assessments and assesses clients’ physiological, biopsychosocial, and cultural support needs to determine priority of care requirements based on client needs, availability of resources and best practices.
• Provide counseling and assists client with reducing repeated contact with and use of acute and community healthcare services/programs/resources. Assesses high risk situations and provides crisis intervention. Collaborates 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. Facilitates 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.
• The position also works in tandem to Indigenous Health Outreach, in addition to other VCH Vancouver Community services, and liaises and works with the local First Nation community, other Indigenous serving organizations, community resources, and healthcare providers to assist Indigenous clients to access support services such as benefits or assistance as appropriate.
• Provide care within the interdisciplinary model through trauma and violence-informed practice, harm reduction, cultural safety, and a recovery-oriented care approach.
• Use a relational and strengths-based perspective to support the client to identify care goals.
• Practice in accordance with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) standards (professional & practice) and code of ethics for registered nurses or registered psychiatric nurses. Practices within the scope of practice as set by the organization, as per VCH policies and guidelines/clinical practice documents and within own competence.
• This practice is aligned with the vision, mission, goals and values of the organization as well as with the concept of the resident/client and family centred care model.

Education & Experience

• Current practicing registration as a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
• Diploma in Nursing or Psychiatric Nursing
• Two (2) years’ recent related experience working in Indigenous-led or Indigenous-serving organizations providing mental health and substance use clinical services in community-based settings or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. Valid BC Drivers License.
• Local area travel may require the use of a personal vehicle.
• Pursuant to Section 41 of the British Columbia Human Rights Code, preference will be given to individuals of Indigenous identity (First Nations, Inuit, M�tis).

Knowledge and Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge and demonstrated ability to provide culturally safe care, has completed Indigenous Cultural Safety training.
• Demonstrated understanding and in-depth knowledge of First Nations, Inuit, and M�tis Peoples and history.
• Demonstrated understanding of provincial and federal guiding principles and documents, for example In Plain Sight Report, and Calls to Action, to eliminate systemic racism in the health care sector.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and recognize current health care system gaps and barriers for Indigenous individuals and communities seeking health care.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and recognize power inequities within the healthcare system associated with ongoing impacts of colonialism.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles of recovery in mental health and substance use.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in Trauma and Violence Informed Practice
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to apply a Harm Reduction approach to care.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of a client and family centered recovery model in mental illness.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act as it applies to the rights and obligations of clients and staff.
• 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.

The hours of work including days off and work area may be subject to change consistent with operational requirements and the provision of the Collective Agreement and applicable statutes. Successful applicants may be required to complete a Criminal Records Review Check.

As per the current Public Health Orders, as of October 5, 2023, all employees working for Vancouver Coastal Health must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have received a single dose of the most-recent, updated COVID-19 vaccine. Proof of vaccination status will be required.