Primary Care Nurse

Position Summary
In accordance with Northern Health’s vision of an idealized system of services built on a foundation of Primary Care where people and their families receive primary care services in Primary Care Homes supported by interprofessional teams, the Primary Care Nurse (PCN) practices in accordance with the standards of professional practice and code of ethics as outlined by the BC College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP).

The Primary Care Nurse (PCN) functions as a member of the interprofessional team and applies best practices to provide competent, safe and ethical care for people and their families in settings such as physician practices, homes, schools and communities. The PCN provides care that includes clinical follow up according to the person’s primary Care Plan and the person’s personal goals of care to inform plans of care developed collaboratively with the Interprofessional Team. The Primary Care Nurse will provide direct clinical care and services to individuals, groups and communities.

Qualifications

  • Baccalaureate degree in nursing required from a recognized University plus post graduate courses and/or advanced skills training. Three years recent, related clinical nursing experience in primary care nursing and/or chronic disease management settings, including experience developing and providing formal education to patients, families, the general public, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
  • Current practicing registration with the BC College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP).
  • Current valid B.C. Driver’s License.

Skills and Abilities:

  • Assessment and Intervention - Demonstrated ability to complete initial and ongoing client assessments (clinical and diagnostic reasoning) and provide nursing care through appropriate/ prescribed technical, therapeutic, safety type interventions.
  • Communication-Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with the clients, families, the public, medical staff and the members of the interdisciplinary team using verbal, written and computer communication means.
  • Critical Thinking-Demonstrated ability to integrate and evaluate pertinent data (from multiple sources) to problem-solve effectively.
  • Person and Family Centered Practice - Ability to promote person-focused care that demonstrates care for and with people and their families/significant others within the context of their community, sensitive to diverse cultures and preferences, client advocacy and social justice concerns.
  • Teaching people and their families-Knowledge of adult learning principles & facilitation skills to effectively educate people and others about topics essential to health care and well-being. Also able to teach, mentor and support the learning of students and colleagues.
  • Management-Effectively manages time and resources to support service delivery. Implements activities such as team huddles and other activities to promote communication, cooperation and collaboration across disciplines to facilitate continuity of care.
  • Leadership-Promotes staff morale, cooperation, assertiveness and risk-taking, creative planning for change and innovations, implementation of NH policies or other protocols, and ongoing professional development of self.
  • Knowledge Integration-Using factual information, prior learning and basic principles and procedures to support decisions and actions with relevant research-based evidence. Integrates best practice from nursing and health-related disciplines and the humanities, arts and sciences disciplines into professional practice. Understands epidemiological principles, status indicators that measure the health of the northern population.
  • Population, Public Health and Harm Reduction Approach - develops a core set of population & public health attitudes and values Ability to operate related equipment including relevant computer applications.
  • Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.