Registered Nurse Mental Health Urgent Care

Registered Nurse Mental Health Urgent Care (Job ID: 9746)

Unity Health Toronto, comprised of Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph's Health Centre and St. Michael's Hospital, works to advance the health of everyone in our urban communities and beyond. Our health network serves patients, residents and clients across the full spectrum of care, spanning primary care, secondary community care, tertiary and quaternary care services to post-acute through rehabilitation, palliative care and long-term care, while investing in world-class research and education. Join our team in our mission to continue to put patients and families at the centre of everything we do, in the role of Registered Nurse Mental Health Urgent Care.

Ambulatory Mental Health Program at St. Michael's Hospital - Unity Health Toronto offers comprehensive mental health and addictions services in an outpatient setting through various programs ie. Urgent Care Program, Mental Health Assessment Clinic, etc. Services include psychiatric assessment and follow up, as well as medication management; time limited system navigation and brief structured individual and group psychotherapy.

The RN works within a changing environment and in inter-professional teams to advocate for and promote wellness while ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and ethical nursing care. The RN shares his/her knowledge and expertise with others and contributes to the advancement of nursing practice excellence. The RN continually enhances his/her practice and competencies through ongoing learning, education, experience and reflective practice.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The primary role of the RN is to provide holistic, evidence-based, culturally appropriate, patient-centred quality care in accordance with the College of Nurses of Ontario standards and SMH¿s mission, vision, values and policies. The RN optimizes the patients' experience and care outcomes by:

• Being accountable for one's decisions and professional practice;
• Establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patient;
• Collaborating with other members of the patients' care team; and,
• Coordinating and communicating patient care activities.

The RN has 4 key areas of responsibility:

Patient Care in Ambulatory Mental Health:

• Acquires information to assess patient care and learning needs
• Develops a plan of care and integrates nursing activities with other inter-professional activities
• Engages in critical inquiry and reflection to select evidence-based interventions
• Organizes nursing care and assigns or changes nursing care activities where appropriate
• Evaluates the effectiveness of the plan of care and adjusts the plan as needed
• Anticipates, recognizes and addresses rapidly changing situations
• Provides health education to patients and their families using effective teaching strategies
• Documents observations, assessments and care provision
• Contributes to discharge and transition planning
• Refers patient to other agencies or services as needed

Patient Care in Urgent Care Program:

• Screens all referrals to the program; is the first point of contact for all clients. Performs telephone and face to face assessments to determine the urgency for care and to identify which type of urgent care services are required to meet client needs
• Implements crisis intervention strategies to prevent onset, escalation or prolongation of a crisis Provides health teaching on client relapse prevention and crisis management techniques
• Administers medication as required. Provides medication support which may include monitoring their effectiveness, assessing client compliance with treatment and providing practical assistance managing medications. Provides health teaching about medications and their side effects
• Links client to hospital and/or community services and resources as required
• Provides problem-orientated support around psychological and social issues using an individual and group approach.
• Assists client with short term goal-setting
• Reviews all referrals and client records; establishes clinical priorities and distributes the workload; schedules client's first appointment with Urgent Care Program service provider
• Attends weekly team meetings to discuss referrals to the program; strategizes regarding clinical issues; engages in team consultations to develop assessment, treatment, risk management and transition plans
• Liaises with other hospital and community services (e.g. Mental Health Emergency Service Area, Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, community case managers, GP etc.) regarding referrals and follow up
• Collects client satisfaction and outcome data using clinical tools and standardized research instruments

Collaboration & Coordination:

• Serves as the primary resource for organizing and coordinating patient care activities
• Establishes and maintains respectful, collaborative, therapeutic and inter-professional relationships
• Coordinates and communicates patient care activities for a safe and seamless transition and appropriate transfer of accountability
• Participates in hospital committees and other groups

Leadership:

• Aligns behavior with SMH¿s vision, mission and values and Code of Conduct
• Supports the advancement of professional practice
• Utilizes effective judgment in assigning patient care activities
• Engages in self-reflection, performance review and ongoing learning
• Participates in mentoring, teaching and /or coaching students, co-workers and other regulated and unregulated health professionals
• Embraces change that leads to improved nursing practice and better patient outcomes
• Advocates for a safe and healthy work environment

Research:

• Participates in or supports research projects
• Supports and participates in evidence based practice implementation and quality improvement initiatives

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have Current General Class (Practicing) Registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario
• BLS Certification
• Crisis Prevention Intervention Certification (CPI) or willing to take within 6 months
• CNA Certification in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing preferred
• Bachelors degree in Nursing is preferred
• Minimum five (5) years recent related experience providing treatment services to individuals with mental illness, preferably in an emergency ambulatory care setting
• Demonstrated ability to work with marginalized individuals with acute and chronic mental health and addiction issues and/or medical co-morbidities
• Demonstrated excellent skills in mental status and risk assessments, crisis intervention, treatment and transitional care of mental health clients
• Demonstrated extensive knowledge of mental illness and addictions treatment
• Demonstrated excellent knowledge of community mental health services, resources, and referral procedures
• Demonstrated ability to conduct individual psychotherapeutic interventions required.
• The ability to conduct group psychotherapeutic interventions an asset
• Demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of the Mental Health Act of Ontario
• Demonstrated initiative and flexibility
• Demonstrated ability to establish workload priorities and to adjust schedule to deal with unexpected situations
• Demonstrated excellent clinical judgment, creative problem solving and decision making skills
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a member of an inter-disciplinary team
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with other departments within the hospital and externally with community partners and agencies
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills
• Demonstrated interest and commitment to scholarly activities
• Evidence of excellent attendance record
• Ability to work collaboratively with other professions / disciplines in a team environment
• Excellent communication skills
• Proven planning, time management, organization and coordination skills

Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.

#LI-MR1