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Registered Nurses, SCOUT

Employer
Inner City Health Associates (ICHA)
Location
Toronto (City), Ontario
Closing date
Feb 20, 2022

View more

Discipline
Registered Nurse
Work Setting
Outpatient Clinic
Hours
Full-time, Part-time

Job Title:          Registered Nurses, SCOUT

                            (Street Clinical Outreach for Unsheltered Torontonians)

Salary:               $50.00/hour, variable shifts (days and evenings, 5-7 days/week)

Hours:               One full-time position, up to 37.5 hours/week OR two part-time positions                                   (part-time minimum: 4 shifts per 2 week pay period)

Location:          Encampments located throughout GTA

Timing:              Immediately, 3 month contract ending March 31, 2022

Background:

Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) is group of more than 100 physicians working in over 50 shelters and drop-ins across Toronto. ICHA provides transitional primary care, psychiatric and palliative care to those who do not otherwise have access to care. We serve people who are unsheltered and temporarily living in shelters as well as those who are precariously housed. ICHA is very pleased to have expanded its interdisciplinary team to include nursing and allied health providers including peer support workers and case managers to offer greater client supports. Many of these clients have complex health needs including untreated chronic and complex multi-system diseases, an elevated risk of acute health emergencies, and serious and persistent mental illness and substance use.

Role Description:

SCOUT Registered Nurses (RNs) will provide expert clinical care to individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly those living in encampment or other outdoor settings, using a holistic, client-centered model of care with an emphasis on harm reduction, psychosocial support and crisis de-escalation. SCOUT Nurses will use their knowledge, skill and judgment to meet clients where they are at in the community, and to assess and care for clients who may present with complex health conditions such as unmanaged chronic diseases, infectious diseases, skin conditions and wounds, mental illness and substance use issues.

The SCOUT RN will complete holistic assessments to address urgent and chronic health concerns, escalating issues immediately to the SCOUT physician and/or Emergency Services as needed. The SCOUT RN will also provide ongoing health assessments of and supportive interventions for clients’ physical and mental health through episodic primary care. SCOUT nurses will also provide health care case management whenever possible to support clients’ health and social care needs, including system navigation, client accompaniments, and help with health and social services. SCOUT nurses will collaborate with outreach case managers, community workers and other staff and/or volunteers to provide social and emotional supports including crisis mitigation and case management. An ICHA Director of Clinical Services will provide indirect supervision and ongoing support.

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Collaborates with referral sources to assess client eligibility and needs and triages requests and provides referrals as appropriate’ collaborated with outreach workers to build rapport with clients through outreach activities
  • Provides setting-appropriate primary care assessment, supportive counselling and treatment interventions in encampments throughout the GTA in collaboration with ICHA Physicians
  • Performs and documents holistic individual client assessments (physical, emotional and psychological) including client history, recording of vital signs, and risk assessment
  • Engages clients in health problem identification, goal-setting and collaborative decision-making around interventions for disease treatment, prevention and health promotion
  • Provides expert nursing care for clients’ wounds, skin disorders, infectious diseases and mental health and substance use issues and other presenting concerns
  • Provides health care case management to support clients’ health and social care needs, as much as possible and within the RN scope of practice
  • Dispenses over-the-counter (OTC) medications as indicated within the RN scope of practice
  • Liaises with and/or conducts medication reconciliation in collaboration with community-based pharmacies, where appropriate
  • Advocates with and on behalf of clients and their self-identified needs in encampments through existing organizational processes within ICHA, as well as part of collective advocacy efforts with other organizations engaged in outreach initiatives
  • Actively collaborates with other organizations engaged in outreach initiatives through participation in meetings with service provider and frontline worker groups
  • Keeps complete and accurate records of client interventions and care through timely documentation in the ICHA Electronic Medical Record (EMR—OSCAR) as per CNO Standards
  • Demonstrates conscientious management of supplies; collaborates on supply procurement with ICHA Clinical Coordinator and maintains an administrative log of existing and needed supplies
  • Able to support occasional client accompaniments for clinical appointments or hospital visits on a discretionary basis, particularly when the client would not otherwise pursue follow-up
  • Varied shifts, days and evenings Monday through Friday with some weekend availability needed on occasion

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS and EXPERIENCE:

  • A Registered Nurse with baccalaureate degree in nursing or equivalent
  • Current Registration and member in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario as a Registered Nurse with no restrictions
  • Current RNAO membership; evidence of liability insurance
  • Knowledge and a demonstrated ability to provide nursing care in community, primary care and/or public health settings or equivalent relevant expertise
  • Significant experience working with clients who are street-involved, clients who use substances, and/or who have serious and persistent mental illness
  • Demonstrated commitment to work from a harm reduction and anti-oppression, trauma-informed framework
  • Knowledge of and commitment to a client–centered philosophy of care
  • Open minded, non-judgmental with a commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of all people and respecting their diversity
  • A sound understanding of and commitment to the Social Determinants of Health, and the ability to effectively participate in the efforts of an interprofessional team to contribute to comprehensive health care
  • Knowledge and proficiency in current, evidenced-based methods and practices in health care delivery, with an emphasis on mental health, health promotion and risk management/reduction
  • Experience in autonomous practice (i.e. outpost nursing, field deployments, northern nursing, or related experience) and demonstrated independent expert clinical judgement is strongly sought and considered an asset for this position
  • Expertise in advanced assessment and complex wound care
  • Ability to perform venipuncture, IM injections, and collect other test specimens when ordered or when working under a medical directive
  • Current CPR certification
  • Knowledge and experienced in the application of electronic medical records (EMR)
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

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