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Posted on April 7, 2024

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Dates:

From 2024-04-07

Job Description

Pathways to Housing Permanent | Part-Time (0.6FTE)

Do you have a passion for working with those who are going through significant substance use and/or mental health issues? Do you want to work with a multidisciplinary team that offers support services in evidence-based Assertive Community Treatment? If so, this position may be for you!

What We Do And Why We Do It

The Alex provides wrap-around health care, housing, social and wellness programs to Calgary’s most vulnerable citizens. Using a patient and client-centred, multi-disciplinary model of care, The Alex envisions a healthy and caring community where every person is valued and can thrive. Our core purpose is to improve quality of life through accessible and integrated health, housing, and social services.

With five decades of experience innovating and working in the community, The Alex has a reputation for tackling tough health and social issues by walking alongside people on their journey from crisis to wellness, and from challenge to change.

Health. Home. Humanity.

Pathways to Housing, Pathways Assertive Outreach, HomeBase, Prelude, and Abbeydale Place are Housing First Programs through The Alex that support formerly homeless program participants with significant physical, substance use and/or mental health issues. Participants are provided with subsidized housing and rapid access to a myriad of supports to encourage stability, recovery, and improved quality of life.

Pathways to Housing is an evidence-based Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program guided by Housing First and Harm Reduction principles. Pathways to Housing supports participants with a primary psychotic illness (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, and bipolar II disorder with psychotic features), a history of chronic homelessness, and capacity for independent living in scattered site housing. Our interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, mental health therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, recreation therapists, housing, and administrative staff collaborate to support program participants to achieve stable housing, pursue greater overall health and wellness, reintegrate into community, and to move towards recovery.

The Registered Nurse (RN) reports to the Clinical Team Lead and Nursing Lead and is a key member of the Pathways ACT Team. The RN is responsible for providing medical interventions to support program participants to achieve stability and wellness while reintegrating into the community. Some of the interventions provided by the RN include assessment, treatment, education, orientation, referral, urgent response, and triage for program participants. Furthermore, the RN contributes to a wide range of needs and is responsive to ACT Team duties.

What You Will Do

Program Philosophy

  • Offer culturally sensitive services where indicated
  • Uphold the principles of ACT Model, Harm Reduction, Housing First and Trauma Informed Care
  • Understand the Residential Tenancy Act, Mental Health Act and Community Treatment Orders
  • Understand and follow program policies and procedures

Administrative

  • Complete monthly evidence-based assessment tools with program participants and required data entry
  • Create, implement and update participant-centered service plan goals, safety planning, housing support plans
  • Complete required documentation with excellence, in accordance with agency policy and procedures, and respective of professional college requirements

Participant Care

  • Provide single-staff, assertive outreach services to individuals with significant mental health and addiction concerns (predominantly Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective and Bipolar Disorder)
  • Support program participants who experience acute, severe and persistent mental health and substance use disorders
  • Provision of nursing care (e.g., nursing assessments, management and administration of medication, adherence to Community Treatment Orders, etc.) in collaboration with the Housing First Medical Clinic

Team

  • Demonstrate exceptional written and oral communication skills, including active listening skills
  • Actively participate in daily team meeting and case planning meetings
  • Demonstrate initiative and an ability to work as an influential member of a team under minimal supervision, supporting colleagues as needed

What You Bring

Required:

  • A Bachelor’s degree in Nursing
  • Current active practice permit with the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA)
  • Minimum two years of experience as a Registered Nurse
  • Comfort meeting individually with participants in the community, in a broad variety of settings, with a safety-first mindset

Preferred

  • Specialized training (e.g., wound care, phlebotomy, administering depot injections, knowledge of addiction medicine, familiarity with Community Treatment Orders, etc.)
  • Experience working with vulnerable populations with significant mental health and substance use issues (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar, borderline personality disorder, substance use disorder, etc.)

Working Environment

0.6 FTE (3 days/week, 7.5hrs/day); possibility of participating in rotating 24/7 on-call support

Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm (with flexibility in crisis situations)

Predominately outreach; single staff visits in program participant homes

Continuous extended periods of sitting, standing, and walking (sometimes up or down stairwells)

Working Conditions

This position requires frontline staff, in some cases, to be exposed to emotionally disturbing events, such as medical distress, threatened/actual serious injury, violence, abuse, and death. There may also be exposure to situations where clients may be experiencing fear, terror, hopelessness, rage, self-harm and conflict.

Driving On Behalf Of The Alex

This position requires the use of a personal vehicle or driving an Alex vehicle for work-related purposes. Candidates must show proof of a class 5 driver's license, a personal vehicle, a clean 3-year drivers abstract, and $2 million liability insurance if transporting clients in a personal vehicle.

Benefits

Some of the great benefits The Alex has to offer include:

  • 3-weeks’ vacation
  • Sick/Wellness Days
  • Personal Days
  • Floating Holiday

How To Apply

If you are as passionate as we are about making a difference in people’s lives, please visit our career centre: Jobs at The Alex | The Alex.

This position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. We will make every effort to accommodate candidate’s schedules and needs in all parts of the hiring process.

Compensation Information

Compensation Information

Pay

Signing Bonus

Overhead Type

Relocation Bonus

Benefits

Rural / Variable Fee Premium