Emergency Department Mental Health Liaison Nurse (RN)

• Provide mental health and substance use care to patients within the designated Program(s).
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in providing comprehensive assessments, crisis interventions, stabilization, and care planning.
• Provide culturally safe, trauma informed, patient and family-centered care while screening, triaging, providing treatment, referring to case management if appropriate and/or teaching self-care management principles including harm reduction.
• Identify individuals within the designated patient population (i.e., depending upon program/department, adults, or youth/young adult) experiencing urgent and emergent mental health and substance use concerns.
• Work in partnership with clients, families, and relevant clinical care partners to ensure service provided is integrated across the continuum of care.
• Act as a resource for the interdisciplinary team by providing information based on nursing theory and practice related to patient’s care needs.
• Provide liaison support for patient care and patient flow between the relevant programs and services, such as the Emergency Department, Mental Health Inpatient Unit, first responders, community health care providers and community partners/agencies including school counselors.
• Provide direct care and emergency mobile crisis response as required; facilitate immediate hospitalization at appropriate facility; as applicable, provide crisis intervention, treatment planning, and referral coordination; initiate and participate in case conferences; prepare and maintain records; and provide consultative and direct services/care to patients, families, community health professionals/agencies, law enforcement, and/or schools, physicians and Emergency Room staff.
• Participate in team meetings, continuing education, conferences, and/or corporate initiatives and engages in on-going team planning, development, evaluation, and quality improvement activities.

• Current practicing registration as a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
• Three (3) years’ recent related experience providing treatment services to individuals within the designated client population with mental health and substance use presentations or an equivalent combination of training, education, and experience.
• Valid BC Driver’s License. Local area travel will require the use of a personal vehicle.

• Demonstrated ability to provide comprehensive head-to-toe nursing assessments and interventions related to common diagnosis and specific clinical situations relevant to the designated patient group (e.g., renal failure, wound care, diabetes, sepsis, intoxication, withdrawal).
• Knowledge of emergency mental health and crisis stabilization and ability to conduct comprehensive substance use clinical and risk assessments, formulate treatment and discharge plans and provide crisis intervention.
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Practice, Harm Reduction approaches, Strengths-based care, the principles of Recovery-oriented conceptual models of mental health care including person and family centered care, and psychosocial rehabilitation.
• Demonstrated ability to promote Indigenous Cultural Safety.
• Demonstrated ability to provide competent and culturally safety care in a variety of settings and with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated skill in the management of patients with altered immune response, acute/chronic pain management, anticoagulation therapy, patients with problematic substance use/withdrawal challenges.
• Knowledge of evidence-based best practices and issues to provide substance use and concurrent disorders treatment.
• Knowledge of DSM IV Diagnostic Classification System, mental status examination and case formulation.
• Knowledge of psychopharmacology (indications and side effects).
• Knowledge of legislation and government policies and procedures that relate to client care, including the BC Mental Health Act
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Demonstrated knowledge of impact of social, cultural, and family systems on health outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and implement care plans and anticipate and respond to potential complications and care issues relevant to the designated patient group.
• Demonstrated ability to participate in the development and delivery of educational programs and materials for patients and, with clients and their families based on education theories, principles, and best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to identify emotional, social, or environmental barriers and intervene to eliminate stigma.
• Ability to prioritize, take initiative, be flexible, work both independently and collaboratively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to manage conflict situations and aggressive, responsive, and suicidal behaviour(s) and use non-violent crisis intervention and behavioural management.
• Ability to operate related equipment including a computerized client care information system and word processing, spreadsheet, Internet, and e-mail software.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

• Comprehensive health benefits package, including MSP, extended health and dental and municipal pension plan
• Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers
• Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

Vancouver Coastal Health