SAFER Licensed Practical Nurse - Casual

AVI Health and Community Services • Victoria, BC

1d • CA$33 - CA$41 • Hybrid

About The Position

AVI HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community-based organization providing HIV, hepatitis C, and harm reduction services across Vancouver Island. We operate from a social justice and health promotion framework, ensuring equity and access to services for all, with a strong emphasis on harm reduction. Our core commitment is to create meaningful connections within our teams, with clients, and with the wider community. We offer comprehensive education, prevention, care, treatment, and support services through our offices in Victoria, the Westshore, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, and Campbell River. This casual Licensed Practical Nurse position is part of the SAFER program, a flexible, community-based harm reduction initiative providing pharmaceutical alternatives to the illicit drug supply. The role is situated on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən peoples. The SAFER Nurse will work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team, providing participant-centered healthcare, including assessment, screening, and education, utilizing a harm reduction and trauma-informed approach. This role requires demonstrated clinical skills and experience to independently assess individuals with complex primary care health needs and active poly-substance use.

Requirements

• Licenced Practical Nurse with minimum 1 to 5 years’ full scope nursing experience working with people with high levels of poly-substance use and mental health challenges.
• Previous experience working in supervised consumption/overdose prevention services, safer supply or other harm reduction programs.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice principles and practices, including harm reduction, anti-racism, decolonization, combating stigma related to drug use, HIV, hepatitis C, and challenging gendered oppression, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia.
• Experience working in solidarity with diverse populations including people who are criminalized for their drug use; people who are denied housing/precariously housed/warehoused; racialized identities; Indigenous persons; LGBTQI2S+ identities; sex workers; people with disabilities.
• Relevant or applicable training/experience in anti-racism and a demonstrated commitment to anti-colonial learning/unlearning.
• Strong analysis of colonialism and intergenerational impacts of historical and ongoing colonization.
• Demonstrated understanding of public health and equity-oriented models of social support and health care.
• Strong knowledge of typical medical approaches to substance use disorder and opiate agonist treatment options.
• 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.
• Physical ability to carry out 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 skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbal and written.
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload.
• Ability to use related equipment including computer to complete documentation, data, and reports using Electronic Medical Records (EMR).
• Practiced conflict resolution and non-violent crisis intervention skills.
• Ability to work outdoors during all types weather in all seasons.

Nice To Haves

• Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License and use of own vehicle for work purposes is an asset but not required for this position.

Responsibilities

• Provide care and support for individuals with high levels of poly-substance use and a variety and complexity of acute and chronic conditions, related but not exclusive to conditions of poverty and criminalization.
• Work both independently (under the Working Alone Policy, when appropriate) and collaboratively with the SAFER team to support people contemplating or accessing pharmaceutical alternatives to illegal/toxic substances in a variety of settings (e.g., primarily at SAFER clinic but also potentially via outreach to parks, drop-in centres, shelters, supported housing, OPS/SCS, etc).
• 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.
• Provide harm reduction support through collaborative risk reduction strategy, education, distribution of harm reduction supplies, and naloxone trainings and distribution.
• Collaborate with participants and SAFER team to develop and maintain individualized care plans, providing ongoing monitoring and support with participants in accordance with the care plan.
• Work with community partners to ensure seamless support of mutual participants.
• Provide screening and assessment and administer medications as ordered by program physicians and according to clinical protocols.
• 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 various services and community supports related to their care.
• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, educational forums, and engagement in community building and networking.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Pension: If you are already a member of the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), you can continue with them at AVI immediately. At this time, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account.
• Other Perks: This position gets paid an extra 13% in lieu of vacation and stat holidays. After 180 hours of work, you may be eligible for self-pay Blue Cross extended health benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree