Nurse Team Lead

at  AVI Health and Community Services

AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community-based organization, providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services out of 5 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. For more info see: www.avi.org.
The AVI Nanaimo Community Health Centre provide services on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. The Enhanced Harm Reduction Program (EHR) is a flexible, community-based, harm reduction program that provides safer, pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic drug supply. The EHR provides wrap around services to ameliorate the harm caused by poverty and homelessness and prescribed alternatives to reduce risk of dying due to drug poisoning.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Nurse Team Lead is responsible for collaborating with the Nurse Manager to develop, support, and deliver nursing care within AVI Health and Community Services Nanaimo.
The Nurse Team Lead provides administrative and clinical supervision for nurses, leadership and functions as a role model and coach to all EHR nursing staff. They work in partnership with the Nurse Manager and leadership team to ensure support for the EHR multidisciplinary teams and to continuously develop and ensure quality program nursing practice and protocols.
Per the BC College of Nurses and Midwives “BCCNM does not have any limitations for LPNs acting in leadership or administrative roles. BCCNM does not restrict LPNS from providing supervision to other designations. LPNs are expected to uphold BCCNM professional standards and practice standards and to practice within the LPN scope of practice.”
This position provides person-centered healthcare including assessment, screening, and education to support the clients of AVI. They will use a trauma and violence informed, client-centred approach and demonstrated clinical skills and experience to independently assess individuals with complex primary care health needs and active poly-substance use.
This position requires a professional who is experienced with harm reduction and is committed to collaborating with multiple stakeholders including people with lived/living experience of criminalized drug use. This position reports to the Nurse Manager or designee.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduation from an approved school of practical nursing with a diploma in practical nursing with current practicing registration as an LPN with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
• Minimum 3-5 years recent full scope nursing experience working with people with high levels of poly-substance use.
• Experience in healthcare education, adult education, or program development is an asset.
• Leadership experience within a BCNU or other union work site an asset.
• 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.).
• Strong knowledge of substance use disorder and opiate agonist treatment options.
• Commitment to harm reduction and social justice principles and experience working with individuals who experience intersecting systemic oppression. Commitment to bringing harm reduction and social justice principle to leadership practice as well as clinical practice.
• Understanding of the impact on individual health and well-being, as well as the considerations for service delivery, related to systemic barriers associated with poverty, mental health, substance use, trauma, racism, colonialism, heterosexism, and gender discrimination.
• Able to respectfully engage and support Indigenous relationships, with a trauma informed and decolonial lens
• Demonstrated understanding of public health and equity-oriented models of social support and health care.
• Relevant or applicable training/experience in anti-racism and a demonstrated commitment to anti-colonial learning/unlearning.
• Strong analysis of colonialism and the ways in which historical and ongoing colonial violence impacts Indigenous People intergenerationally.
• Knowledge of local Indigenous and non-Indigenous social services including housing, income and food security supports that may benefit persons served.
• Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of primary care, substance use, harm reduction, HIV, HCV, sexual health, mental health, and health promotion.
• Demonstrated commitment to person-centered healthcare service provision.
• Works well under pressure and in stressful situations.
• Capable, independent practitioner and committed team member.
• Excellent communication, conflict resolution and crisis management skills.
• To comply with current BC Public Health Orders, must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an approved medical exemption. Proof of vaccination status will be required for successful applicants for positions covered by the order.
• Current Valid BC Drivers’ License an asset.
• Ability to work weekends.

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.
• Demonstrated commitment to the policy and practice of harm reduction, cultural safety, and trauma and violence informed practices.
• Ability to establish and maintain respectful rapport with participants.
• Ability to observe and recognize subtle changes in participants.
• Strong advocacy skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbal and written.
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload.
• Practiced conflict resolution and non-violent crisis intervention skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to use related equipment including computer to complete documentation, data, and reports using Electronic Medical Records.
• Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position and operate related equipment.
• Ability to work outdoors during all types of weather and in all seasons.

Clinical Expertise:

• Stays up to date on current research and best practices in treatment harm reduction prescribing, treatment of substance use disorder, HIV, HCV, and other primary care and specialty care areas of relevance.
• Determines educational opportunities of nursing staff and develops learning plans in collaboration with the NM to ensure nursing team is working to a standard of best practice.
• Coordinates access to certification courses in topics such as phlebotomy, harm reduction fundamentals, basic counseling skills, wound care, assessment skills, etc. to staff by means such as preparing written materials, facilitating workshops, and overseeing clinical practice sessions.
• Collaborates in the development of policy and protocol as pertains to clinical practices.
• Supports orientation of new nursing staff members to organizational practices, standards of care, and policy and procedure.

Team Leadership

• Shared supervision, mentorship, and coaching of all nursing designations at the EHR program alongside the NM.
• Collaborates with the NM to ensure open communication and coordination across the multidisciplinary EHR services.
• Works with site leadership to identify and respond to nursing staff support needs, participant concerns, and issues related to clinical practice.
• Supports NM in addressing practice improvement with nursing team members.
• Monitors and supports nursing staff needs, the work environment and relevant risks ensuring appropriate resources are in place.
• Evaluates equipment, products, and supplies in coordination with the leadership team to ensure efficient and effective inventory and purchasing processes, as well as the identification and follow-up of maintenance issues.
• Promotes and facilitates a safe and therapeutic environment for the provision of care including addressing and documenting and following up on any risk management, critical incidents, and emergency-related issues.
• Additional responsibilities include supply ordering, PharmaNet/chart audits, scheduling, coordinating case conferences and reporting, all in collaboration with the NM.
• Per the BCCNM “LPNs cannot supervise employed student registrants. Whether an LPN works in a leadership role would be at the organization’s discretion based on many factors. LPNs work with clients of all ages, with a focus on stable or predictable clients and in a team nursing approach. An LPN lead would need to work within scope, so if there are care decisions or activities that are out of scope of practice LPN there would need to be resources and mechanisms for the LPN to have support.”

Clinical Practice:

• Provision of direct participant care as a clinic nurse. The nurse team lead is considered supernumerary to baseline staffing but is intended to be an in-clinic leader who provides direct participant care and mentorship to the nursing team.
• Regularly meets with the leadership team to review and incorporate feedback from participant experiences and identified safe supply priorities from local, provincial, and national networks of People Who Use Drugs.
• Regularly reviews and supports development and implementation of clinical protocols in collaboration with the leadership team and community partners.