Requisition Details:

Employment Status: Temporary, Full-time (1.0 FTE)
Program Name: Hospice Services
Number of Hours Bi-Weekly: 75
Work Schedule: Days
Union/Bargaining Unit: ONA
On-Call: No
Location(s): Whitby
Join our Palliative Care Community Team

VON Durham Hospice Services optimizes supports and linkages in both health and social care for clients and their families with a life threatening illness. This wholistic team collaborates with primary and care providers, and community services implementing a shared-care model, through referral and assessment to palliative, psycho-social-spiritual care and grief and bereavement support services and supports.

The model promotes early engagement and connection, and builds on existing areas of caregiving expertise and supports providing a continuum of care from diagnosis, through active treatment, at end of life and through grief and bereavement.

We are currently accepting applications for a full-time position of Hospice Patient Navigator. The Hospice Navigator will play an integral role on our team.

Key Accountabilities:

• Provides client and family centered care that optimizes quality of life of clients with a life limiting illness and their families and friends
• Conducts assessments/reassessments
• Coordinates complex clinical care
• Develop, coordinate, and assist with the implementation of the care plan based on the client's goals
• Supports clients and families with Advanced Care Planning
• Active role in symptom management in conjunction with other members of the interdisciplinary team and the Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultant (PPSMC)
• Links clients with appropriate resources internally and externally
• Advocates for clients with respect to access to services and client driven care
• Enhances communication between client, family and the interdisciplinary members of the care team
• Helps clients interpret medical information and with system navigation
• Attends Community Rounds as directed
• Relationship building with interdisciplinary team and community agencies
• Advocate transforming the care and culture of life limiting illness through education, competency, advocacy, leadership and research
• Assists clients and families through the decision-making process associated with care options
• Relationship building with client, family, primary and community providers, interdisciplinary teams to facilitate transitions of care and service supports across multiple settings of care
• Be a part of the 24/7 on-call team coverage rotation when available
• Contributes to program development, implementation, and evaluation within the community and health care systems
• Assumes responsibility for ongoing personal and professional development

Tasks:

• Attends initial home visit assessments as assigned by the Team Lead, all service documentation, tracks and prioritizes care requests to ensure all clients/families receive timely response, including follow-up calls to clients/families to ensure care needs have been met
• Completes regular and timely documentation
• Manages client files, ensuring information is up-to-date at all times
• Attends Client Rounds
• Notifies team members and updates files when situations change
• Assists with the development and provision of community education and awareness programs
• Contributes to a culture of sharing, openness, education and mentoring to team members, volunteers and students
• Facilitates an environment and attitude where values and beliefs regarding shared care coordination are clearly articulated
• Works with partners in needs identification and delivery of palliative care education

Key Competencies Required for this Position

• Registered Nurse in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario
• Advance Care Planning certification an asset
• Comprehensive Advanced Palliative Care Education (CAPCE) or equivalency; LEAP an asset
• CNA Certification in Hospice Palliative Care Nursing/CHPCN(C); Oncology Nursing/CON(C) an asset
• RNAO Membership
• Current BCLS
• Minimum of five (5) years recent experience in hospice palliative care
• Minimum of five (5) years of community nursing experience
• Demonstrates respectful, courteous, caring attitude in all interactions
• Solid experience in care planning and communicating with multiple providers
• Proven history of working well within an interdisciplinary team
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Proven leadership abilities with effective verbal, non-verbal and oral communication skills
• Administrative skills with computer proficiency and accuracy for all documentation and record keeping, and attention to detail
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel throughout Durham Region for home visits and meetings
• Car required
• Flexible and supportive to clients and Team needs
• Adheres to all standards, practices, policies and procedures regarding privacy and confidentiality of information, and ethical practices as set forth by employer and regulating College
• Other skills include conflict management and problem solving skills where issues may be sensitive
• Must be able to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Working conditions and physical demands: This role requires a detail-oriented approach in a dynamic environment, with physical activity including lifting, carrying (using proper techniques), bending, reaching, kneeling, and other movements that emphasize good body mechanics. Individuals in the role are required to walk, sit, stand, and climb stairs throughout the day, with some tasks requiring fine hand movements.

Attention Current Employees (Internal Applicants): If you are applying to a unionized position and you are a member of its bargaining unit, please be aware that this posting may remain open beyond the deadline if there are not enough applicants to fill the position(s). If the posting remains open after the initial deadline, VON may close the posting at its' discretion or a rolling deadline equivalent to the posting period specified in your Collective Agreement will be deemed, and each successive period will be treated as a separate posting for purposes of comparing seniority between candidates.