Clinical Nurse Specialist, Reproductive Mental Health
Company : IWK Health
Req ID: 195946
Department/Program: Reproductive Mental Health, Mental Health And Addictions
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 2 years x 1 position(s)
Start Date: February 2025
Union Status: NSNU Nursing, Nursing Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $47.4865 - $58.6442 /hour
Closing Date: January 27, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)
IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.
Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Manager, Reproductive Mental Health Service, Mental Health and Addictions Program. The Reproductive Mental Health Service (RMHS) provides specialty mental health care to adult pregnant and postpartum women. RMHS provides both inpatient and outpatient comprehensive assessment and treatment initiation to women on referral from community and hospital based health care providers; including obstetricians, gynecologists, family physicians, pediatricians, maternal and newborn nursing, public health nursing and others. Ongoing management and monitoring is provided to women primarily from the Central Zone though referrals are seen in consultation from throughout the province and region as requested. This multidisciplinary team includes Psychiatry, Social Work and a Clinical Nurse Specialist. This clinical position will have responsibility for assessment and follow-up treatment for adult women with mental health presentations and who require a level of system coordination as part of their care. This position will require strong knowledge and skill in adult interdisciplinary mental health practice and communication sophistication to represent the Service within the IWK Health Centre and the broader community of caregivers. The Clinical Nurse Specialist will also be involved in consultation with inpatient services at the IWK health Centre, with a focus on case consultation and supporting skills development for nurses within Women’s and Newborn Health care areas. The CNS role may include group based treatment for women who would benefit from this type of intervention. There will be a level of outreach to increase diversity and build partnerships with public health. The CNS will be responsible for all associated documentation around patient care and be involved in team educational activities, rounds presentations, and clinical teaching.
Hours of Work
Hours will be coordinated in conjunction with the needs of the team and scheduled between Monday and Friday (8:30 am to 4:30pm)
Your Qualifications
- Masters Degree in Nursing required.
- Currently licensed with, or eligibility for licensure with the Nova Scotia College of Nursing required.
- CNA certification in Mental Health required.
- Minimum three years nursing experience in mental health and addictions; 5 years preferred.
- Experience working in an adult mental health and addictions setting required.
- Current successful completion of a Heart and Stroke Foundation Basic Life Support (BLS) Program within the last 12 months required or successful completion of a BLS Renewal Challenge Certificate required.
- Demonstrated knowledge of MHA disorders and evidenced treatment modalities, required.
- Experience in assessment and treatment planning required.
- Experience in individual and group interventions required.
- Ability to match criteria for clinical treatment protocols to identified patient and family needs.
- Ability to assess risk of harm to self and others and triage appropriately.
- Knowledge of the Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA) model of service delivery, preferred.
- Knowledge of the mental health and addictions services offered within the IWK Health Centre, the community and the Provincial Health Authority to assist in the navigation of services to patients and families, preferred.
- Demonstrated excellent communication, organizational, problem solving and administrative skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work both as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and independently in a family-centred atmosphere.
- Competencies in other languages an asset.
Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.
Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.
This is a Nursing bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.
An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.
If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.
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