JOBS

The Nurse Practitioner provides leadership and coordination of the healthcare programs offered by ARCHES, including overdose prevention, recognition and response, wound care, foot care, STI test and treat, and women’s health. This full-time position (35 hours/week) requires a compassionate, non-judgmental professional who is able to think outside of the box and is willing to go the extra mile. This program includes a special focus on people with a history of drug use, service providers and people who care about people who use drugs. The Nurse Practitioner will assist substance users, partner agencies and the general public to improve their capacity to respond to and improve the health and wellness of substance users.

This is an exciting opportunity at ARCHES. The agency provides Harm Reduction programming to Southwestern Alberta as well as support services to people living with HIV/AIDS and/or HCV. This position will support the nursing clinic operations, Supervised Consumption Services, communicable/infectious disease supports, Take Home Naloxone program, and Housing First Clinical Team using a harm reduction framework.

The Nurse Practitioner is a Registered Nurse who holds a Master of Nursing or equivalent graduate degree with a focus on advanced clinical nursing practice. The NP provides expert clinical care in managing the health needs of individuals, families and communities and requires further knowledge and decision-making in assessment, diagnosis and clinical management.

Reporting to the Executive Director, this position functions as part of an interdisciplinary team, seeing clients from diverse populations. The NP utilizes the nursing process, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills to provide care to individuals, families, groups and communities.

The primary responsibility of the NP is to provide direct patient care as a central member of the team. The NP is authorized and competent to perform comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, intervention, management, referral, and evaluation of patient care across the continuum of health care services. The NP provides leadership and actively participates in program development and evaluation, research, and clinical teaching activities. The NP participates in interdisciplinary collaboration in the practice setting to determine, and regularly review, local guidelines for drug prescription, distribution, monitoring, and record keeping, while ensuring consistency with provincial prescribing and distributing guidelines.

Qualifications:

 Active registration and practice permit with the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA).
 Graduation from a recognized nursing education program.
 BCLS- HCP required.
 Successful completion of a recognized Nurse Practitioner program at a master’s level.
 Current registration with CARNA as a Nurse Practitioner – All Ages.
 Current ACLS certifications are required.
 Additional training in CTAS scoring, ECG, lab and other diagnostic results preferred.
 Computer literacy skills mandatory (i.e. EDIS, NetCare, etc).
 Recent experiences working in a community care setting.
 Must be able to support a flexible work schedule.
 Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to enable working directly with patients and their family members.
 Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team.
 Ability to function independently.
 Excellent at working in a dynamic fast paced environment.
 Work well under pressure and stressful situations.
 Application and knowledge of current research.
 Experience in a wide range of assessment, treatment and therapeutic interventions, health promotion, diagnostic procedures, and follow-up care in the community considered an asset
 Must understand and practice within full scope of their practice in an interdisciplinary team environment.
 An understanding of Harm Reduction Principles and experience working with individuals with addictions issues is an asset.

Individuals whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C are encouraged to apply. All applicants need a valid driver’s license and access to an insured vehicle.

Start date: Immediately

We offer competitive salaries and benefits

Resumes listing three professional references must be submitted via email to Jill Manning, Managing Director at [email protected]

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, however only those applicants chosen for interview will be contacted.

Closing Date: Until suitable applicant is found

ARCHES is now hiring casual Mobile Outreach Workers. This position would require the completion of at least one shift per month. Casual Mobile Outreach Workers will have the availability to pick up both day shifts (7am – 3:15pm) and evening shifts (2:45pm – 11:00pm), Monday through Sunday. Both day and evening shifts will receive two 30-minute unpaid breaks. This is a contract/term position ending March 31, 2019, with possible renewal at that time.

Mobile Outreach Worker

The Mobile Outreach program will utilize a harm reduction philosophy and non-judgmental approach to reduce the effects of addictions and homelessness in the area surrounding the Supervised Consumption Services (SCS) site. Mobile Outreach Workers will advocate on behalf of service users to ensure ready access to shelter, treatment, and housing supports, and will assist them in navigating referral pathways. Workers will also facilitate immediate access to health and addiction services through ARCHES. The program will emphasize that everyone is part of this community and is deserving of safety and support, including people experiencing homelessness, people who use drugs, sex workers, business and property owners, and business patrons.

The Mobile Outreach program will operate from the same location as Supervised Consumption Services (SCS), and staff will be active on the street from 7:00am to 11:00pm Monday to Sunday. Activities will include but are not limited to:
-Consistently patrolling and monitoring the area surrounding the SCS site;
-Engaging and building relationships with street involved individuals around the SCS site;
-Engaging and building relationships with business owners and staff around the SCS site;
-Providing an immediate response to identified neighborhood concerns, including: addressing problematic behaviours relating to homelessness and substance abuse, cleaning debris and encampments, and responding with life-saving interventions.
-Providing people who use drugs and/or people who are experiencing homelessness with referrals to community resources, such as housing supports, and facilitate immediate access to these services;
-Actively encouraging people who use drugs to do so at the SCS site;
-Providing people who use drugs and alcohol with education on safer use practices and encourage safer behaviours; and
-Completing documentation and data collection.

Daily activities will adapt to meet the immediate needs of the target population.

Qualifications:
-Diploma in social work, psychology, nursing, addictions counselling, justice studies, Native American studies, or a related human services discipline is preferred.
-A minimum of two years of related experience working with individuals with complex mental health and addictions issues is required.
-Knowledge of substance use, mental health, harm reduction, homelessness, and community resources is essential.
-Physically capabilities to allow participation in extensive walking, moderate physical labour, and the ability to lift up to 25lbs
-Strong communication, de-escalation, and comprehension skills;
-The ability to attend and complete mandatory training;

Start date: Immediately

We offer competitive salaries and benefits.

Cover letter and resume listing three professional references must be submitted via email to ARCHES’ Program Manager, Brittany Opel, at [email protected] before end of day on Monday, October 29TH. Applications received via facebook will not be considered.

ARCHES is an equal opportunity employer. We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those candidates considered for interview will be contacted.