Addiction Medicine Services Clinic Nurse –rn/rpn - FT

AVI Health & Community Services (AVI)

AVI is a multi-disciplinary community-based organization, providing HIV, hepatitis C, and harm reduction services out of five locations across Vancouver Island. AVI provides services to people living with HIV and hepatitis C and harm reduction clients. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework – ensuring equity and access to services for all – and from a harm reduction perspective, understanding that clients are the best sources of knowledge regarding the services and supports they need.

AVI provides comprehensive, accessible, and effective education, prevention, care, treatment, and support services to residents of Vancouver Island with offices in Victoria, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, and Campbell River.

Program Summary

The AVI Nanaimo Community Health Centre (CHC) hosts a variety of program options for community members and service users to access. Staff work across different programs to provide care and support to service users who have different goals of care across the continuum of health and wellness. The CHC provides primary care, HIV/HCV, substance use, OAT, STBBI, PrEP/PEP medical services, as well as outreach, supports, and social programming for our clients. We also provide education services for the communities we support and for health and social services students and professionals that work with the same communities.

The CHC also provides streamlined access to addiction medicine and substance use services while offering complementary support under one roof. This includes the Enhanced Harm Reduction (EHR) program. The EHR is a flexible, community-based, nurse-led, harm reduction program that provides pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic street drug supply along with wrap around supports. The EHR program aims to help individuals reduce their risk of dying from a drug poisoning event and our service users may not have sobriety or abstinence included in their goals of care.

Our services are delivered across the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Stz'uminus, and Snaw'naw'as People.

Join our supportive, dedicated, and client-centered team in promoting the health, dignity, and well-being of all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction-based education, prevention, and/or support services.

Job Summary

We are looking for a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse who is interested in being a leader in innovative healthcare to those seeking support for their poly-substance use. This unique, nurse-led program exemplifies the integration of core harm reduction principles within a novel, self-driven service delivery. AVI is the first non-health authority organization to support this dynamic nurse-led program.

The Addiction Medicine Services clinic nurse will work primarily in our substance use services supporting access to a range of medications for substance use while also supporting the other community health centre programs as needed.

The successful candidate must be committed to completing the Provincial Opioid Addiction Treatment Support Program (POATS-P) course and preceptorship with a prescriber. The completion of the 16-hour online course and the subsequent 40-hour practicum must be completed within one month or within a reasonable timeframe as mutually agreed upon by the employee and employer, to obtain BCCNM certified practice (CP-OUD) designation and begin assisting clients within this nurse prescriber program immediately following obtaining the prescriber designation.

This position requires a professional who is experienced with harm reduction and requires a commitment to collaboration with multiple stakeholders including, first and foremost, people with lived/living experience of criminalized drug use.

The nurse will also work in partnership with an interdisciplinary team, including addiction medicine physicians and nurse practitioners to provide person-centered healthcare including assessment, screening, and education to support clients accessing the programs. The nurse will use a harm reduction, trauma-informed approach, and clinical skills to independently assess individuals with complex primary care health needs and active poly-substance use.

The successful candidate will embody a philosophy and practice of collaboration, while working from a relational perspective that upholds values of harm reduction, empathy, social justice, cultural humility, and trauma-informed care.

The AMS clinic nurse works under the direction of the Nurse Manager of the Nanaimo CHC.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide medical care and support for individuals with high levels of poly-substance use and a variety and complexity of acute and chronic conditions.
2. Provides prescribing within scope of a range of Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) after completion of the (POATS-P) course.
3. Provides assessment, intake, education, referrals, follow up and support for patients of OAT, Primary Care, STBBI, PrEP, PEP, and EHR services.
4. Work both independently and collaboratively with team to support people contemplating or accessing pharmaceutical alternatives to illegal/toxic substances.
5. Provide care, assessment, screening, education, referrals, and 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 management.
6. Provide harm reduction support through collaborative risk reduction strategy, education, distribution of harm reduction supplies, and overdose prevention education including Naloxone training and distribution.
7. Collaborate with participants and the team to develop and maintain individualized care plans, providing ongoing monitoring and support with participants in accordance with their specific care plans.
8. Provide education, information and appropriate referrals that are responsive to the self-identified needs of participants to manage their health, enhance understanding of their health status, and navigate through the diverse services and community supports related to their care.
9. Provide screening and assessment and administer medications as ordered by program physicians.
10. Collaborate with community partners to ensure seamless support of program participants.
11. Participate in staff meetings, trainings, educational forums, and engagement in community building and networking.
12. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

1. Designation from an accredited institution and current full registration with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives as a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse
2. Noted consideration will be given to those that have already completed the (CP-OUD) designation or the 16-hr online course work.
3. Minimum 2-3 years of nursing experience working with people with high levels of poly-substance use and mental health challenges.
4. Previous experience working in supervised consumption/overdose prevention services or safer supply programs, including experience responding to medical emergencies such as overdose (naloxone administration, airway management, etc.).
5. Certified courses in phlebotomy, immunization, wound care, foot care, and addictions treatment preferred.
6. Strong knowledge of substance use disorder and opiate agonist treatment options.
7. Demonstrated practice of social justice, anti-racism, decolonization, and trauma-informed care.
8. Demonstrated understanding of public health and equity-oriented models of social support and health care.
9. Commitment to harm reduction principles and practice, with experience working alongside coworkers and program participants who experience intersecting systemic oppression.
10. Commitment to honoring Indigenous communities and ways of knowing, while approaching learning about the ongoing impacts of colonial violence with humility.
11. Experience working with Trans, queer, gender-nonconforming, bi, questioning, and/or gay male identified communities.
12. Understanding of how systemic barriers associated with poverty, mental health, substance use, trauma, racism, colonialism, heterosexism, and gender discrimination impact individual health and well-being, as well as service delivery provision.
13. Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of primary care, substance use, harm reduction, HIV, HCV, sexual health, mental health, and health promotion.
14. Demonstrated commitment to person-centered healthcare service provision.
15. Works well under pressure in a dynamic environment.
16. Capable, independent practitioner and committed team member.
17. Excellent communication, conflict resolution, and crisis management skills.
18. Valid class 5 Driver's License
19. Valid CPR/BLS for Healthcare Providers certification

Skills and Abilities

• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position and operate related equipment,
• Ability to establish and maintain respectful rapport with participants,
• Ability to observe and recognize subtle changes in participants,
• Strong advocacy and networking skills,
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team,
• Be able to respond to drug poisoning situations,
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