Job Description:
The Simcoe Muskoka Regional Eating Disorder Program supports both paediatric and transitional age youth up to the age of 25. The team consists of a Paediatric Nurse Practitioners, Registered Dietitians, and Therapists all of whom specialize in Eating Disorders. The eating disorder nurse practitioner (NP) will support ongoing health care monitoring and accessing the services of the outpatient Eating Disorders program.
Given the potential health risks associated with eating disorders and the need for patients to be medically stable to access outpatient treatment, physiological monitoring is an essential component of this role. This will ensure that patients and their families access the appropriate level of care in a timely fashion. The NP will contribute to comprehensive intake assessments in collaboration with the interprofessional team to further ensure correct level of service access.
The NP will collaborate with primary care providers in the community to ensure ongoing continuity of care while patients are awaiting admission to and following discharge from the outpatient eating disorder program. The NP will refer patients to inpatient treatment in response to physiological de-stabilization. The NP will support the navigation of patients and their families across the care continuum and levels of service as needed.
The NP will participate in all aspects of the care provided within the outpatient eating disorder clinic, where possible and as appropriate within the NP scope of practice. This may include the following: group co-facilitation, meal support, psychoeducation, supportive individual and family counselling, program planning, clinical research and program planning.
This NP role will have a regional focus providing primary care within hospital setting within the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) including Royal Victoria Regional Health Center, Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital and the South Georgian Bay Community Health Centre in Wasaga Beach with the goal of increasing access to specialized eating disorder care. Regular travel within the LHIN will be a requirement, and as such, the NP will require a valid driver’s license and their own vehicle.
Education:
- Registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario as a Registered Nurse, Extended Class
- Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Certification (all ages) required
- Master’s Degree in Nursing or recognized equivalent
- Current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support required
Experience:
- Demonstrated expertise as an NP in a hospital inpatient or outpatient program an asset
- Minimum two (2) years’ experience as an Advanced Practice Nurse in child and adolescent and adult mental health with demonstrated specialized knowledge of eating disorders an asset
- Minimum of two (2) years’ experience as a Registered Nurse in child and adolescent and adult mental health, and/or emergency nursing preferred
- Demonstrated commitment to family-centred care when appropriate
- Relevant knowledge of local hospital and community resources
Competencies:
- Strong working knowledge of Windows, Work, Power Point
- Demonstrated aptitude working with computer-based programs for the purposes of documentation and keeping workload statistics
- Compliance with confidentiality requirements
- Knowledge of applicable legislative, RVH and/or departmental policies
- Patient centered service orientation with sensitivity to and appreciation for diversity
- Demonstrate expertise as a Nurse Practitioner
- Knowledge and proficiency in current evidence-based methods and practices with an emphasis on health promotion and risk reduction
- Current member of RNAO and/or NPAO with membership in clinical specialty organization (i.e. MHIG) preferred
- Demonstrated knowledge of CNO Standards of Practice for Nurse Practitioners
- Demonstrated ability and commitment to work in a collaborative practice model with interprofessional teams
- Excellent communication and interprofessional skills and the ability to work independently and in collaboration with an interprofessional care team
- Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and prioritize workload
- Experience in program development, quality improvement initiatives and program evaluation
- Understanding of therapy modalities including family therapy, CBT, DBT
- Demonstrated knowledge of clinical pharmacology and clinical guidelines as they pertain to mental health and eating disorders
- Effective organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.
- Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills required.
- Ability to work effectively independently and under stressful conditions
- Uses advanced knowledge base and clinical competence to assess, plan and facilitate care for patients and their families/supports in collaboration with the interprofessional team
- Assesses patients and families via comprehensive history and interview, advanced physical examination, identifying mental health and nutritional status, and interpretation of diagnostic testing to determine the need for medical, nursing or allied health care collaboration
- Uses diagnostic reasoning and decision-making to formulate sound differential diagnostic hypotheses, order and interpret tests to arrive at correct medical diagnoses that are within the NP scope of practice and consistent with practice guidelines and communicate those diagnoses to patients and their families.
- Communicates significant clinical findings and their impacts on the patient plan of care to the interprofessional team.
- Initiates, orders, tailors, evaluates and discontinues treatment as appropriate within the NP scope of practice and in keeping with established practice guidelines
- Consults with the patient and their family/supports and the interprofessional team to formulate, initiate, coordinate and evaluate comprehensive and collaborative plans of care ensuring appropriate resource and service allocation to meet patient and family needs
- Provides education to patients and their families/supports about eating disorders, health promotion, disease and sequelae prevention and the impacts of eating disorders on individuals and their family/support systems.
- Writes/dictates consult and progress notes, along with admission notes and discharge summaries when appropriate.
- Evaluates patient care outcomes to ensure highest possible quality of care