Clinician, Hospice Palliative Care - Abbotsford

Fraser Health is responsible for the delivery of hospital and community-based health services to over 1.9 million people in 20 diverse communities from Burnaby to Fraser Canyon on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations.

Our team of nearly 45,000 staff, medical staff and volunteers is dedicated to serving our patients, families and communities to deliver on our vision: Better health, best in health care.

Fraser Health values diversity in the work force and strives to maintain an environment of Respect, Caring and Trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable, and culturally safe manner.

Effective October 26, 2021, all new hires to Fraser Health will need to have full COVID 19 vaccination (have received a full series of a World Health Organization “WHO” approved vaccine against infection by SARS-COV-2, or a combination of approved WHO vaccines). Please note this applies to all postings, and individual medical exemptions must be approved by the Provincial Health Officer.   

Coordinates, screens and prioritizes hospice palliative client activities by assessing clients, consulting with the interdisciplinary team and coordinating client care across the continuum of care; acts as a clinical resource to other nurses and team members by providing clinical guidance and/or nursing consultation based on specialized theory, knowledge, education and practice in the designated clinical area; intervenes in client care provided by other nurses and/or healthcare providers, as required to ensure that client outcomes are consistent with client care plans and the delivery of quality client care; implements, evaluates and recommends clinical education plans for nurses and other staff in the designated clinical area to ensure staff are up to date on current evidence-based practice, client care issues and research; provides nursing and clinical education/training through individual and/or group assessment of clinical skills, including the training of nursing staff to provide educational sessions; reviews and evaluates care plans developed for clients and takes corrective action.

1. Supports the interdisciplinary team by monitoring the standards of care provided to clients and acts as a clinical nurse resource to staff; assesses, demonstrates and directs the provision of care provided to the client by screening, assessing and prioritizing hospice palliative clients referrals to meet the client's needs; role models, coaches and/or mentors the interdisciplinary team members in the use of therapeutic communication skills and interaction with the client, client's family members and/or caregiver.
2. Coordinates and prioritizes client care activities by providing formal clinical consultations to nurses, interdisciplinary team members and students in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care provided to clients and their families across the continuum of care; reviews client needs and/or progress, troubleshoots and provides clinical guidance in the care management of the client by evaluating and modifying the client's care plan to better meet with expected clinical outcomes; consults with staff regarding referral options to other healthcare professionals to better meet the clinical needs of the client/client's family.
3. Consults with the interdisciplinary team and other healthcare providers in the resolution of client care issues; provides feedback and assists nursing staff and interdisciplinary team members with critical thinking skills to better respond to client variances from established clinical guidelines/pathways; works with the nursing staff, client, client's family and caregiver to better understand, respond and minimize variances.
4. Coordinates the development and implementation of clinical education, training and/or orientation in the designated clinical area for each member of the interdisciplinary team to identify and determine learning requirements for each team member; reviews, measures and updates learning plan with staff against learning outcomes and implements applicable teaching/learning strategies consistent with the learning outcomes/objectives.
5. Assesses individual and interdisciplinary team clinical skills by reviewing clinical competencies, practice changes and quality improvement indicators; designs, develops, implements and evaluates clinical education programs utilizing specialized theory and knowledge specific to hospice palliative care for individual and interdisciplinary team members including training sessions for new team members, educational support programs for hospice palliative care and continuing education sessions.
6. Acts as a preceptor, clinical resource and mentor to nursing and other interdisciplinary staff by providing evidence-based teaching based on specialized knowledge and evidence-based practice in the designated clinical area; works with the Manager to identify and determine skill deficiencies; provides clinical instruction/training to nursing staff who will provide training to the interdisciplinary team; role model client care skills and best client practices; observes staff, provides feedback and implements corrective action to ensure that skills are competently demonstrated, meet learning outcomes and consistent with quality client care.
7. Coordinates and participates in quality improvement and risk management activities for the designated clinical area by evaluating changes to client care practice, completing client incident reports, conducting client safety audits, taking corrective action and generating recommendations/changes to the Manager regarding existing policies, procedures and/or protocols.
8. Participates in interdisciplinary rounds and care conferences with the client and/or family and assists nursing staff in adapting care plans to meet identified client issues; acts as a advocate for the client to protect and promote the client's right to dignity, autonomy, respect, privacy and access to information.
9. Participates in the selection of new staff and the performance evaluation of designated staff within the designated clinical area by attending panel interviews, assessing clinical skills and providing hiring recommendations based on a clinical evaluation of the applicant; discusses and clarifies performance expectations with staff and determines appropriate orientation/training needs; assists with conducting performance evaluations, documents and identifies staff performance issues and provide feedback to the Manager for follow up action.
10. Promotes the use of research in nursing by participating in related research studies/activities; searches for information from a variety of sources, plans and implements applications of current research findings in accordance with established guidelines; promotes the use of research to support clinical practice in the designated clinical area and to keep the program content current and relevant.
11. Sets measureable goals and objectives by maintaining clinical competence by updating knowledge through professional development/education activities and developing an action plan in collaboration with the Manager; reviews plan progress to ensure that goals are realistic and achieved within established timelines.
12. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Current practicing registration as a Registered Nurse and/or Registered Psychiatric Nurse with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM). Three (3) years' recent related clinical nursing experience in the designated clinical area, including one (1) year experience in a supervisory/leadership role, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. Completion of applicable Canadian Nursing Association (CNA) certificate in the designated clinical area.

Valid BC Driver's License and access to a personal vehicle for business-related purposes.

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of nursing theory and evidence-based hospice palliative best practices.
• Demonstrated knowledge of principles of adult learning and critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, implement and revise education/training and orientation programs.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership using modeling, coaching and mentoring roles.
• Demonstrated ability to instruct others and facilitate learning of staff and/or clients/families.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with clients, co-workers, families and other service providers.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to develop and maintain rapport with staff, clients and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve problems and effectively manage conflict situations.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and prioritize work within a continuously changing environment.
• Ability to operate related equipment including applicable software applications.
• Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position.