Public Health Nurse

JOB SUMMARY:

Working from a traditional, holistic, and wellness-based philosophy, the Public Health Nurse promotes and protects the health and well-being of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation community, meeting their individual and collective needs by creatively incorporating culturally safe health practices and initiatives, whilst fostering a sense of place and belonging. Such holistic care is depicted by the Indigenous Medicine Wheel – a wellness model which supports all aspects of the client’s and community’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health in a balanced way.

By joining our interdisciplinary Health & Wellness team, you will come to enjoy not only fulfilling working relations with fellow colleagues, but also a meaningful connection with the people we serve, and from whom we continue to have much to learn.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Nursing Care, Health Teaching, and Empowerment:

  • Engage with community members in a manner which fosters culturally safe, respectful care and honours the Nation’s traditional practices, incorporating these cultural elements into care planning & health teaching, as appropriate and whenever possible
  • Using population health knowledge and a sound understanding of the social determinants of health, provide community programming to support a continuum of public health services, including health promotion, disease prevention, screening, and early intervention
  • Provide holistic nursing assessments, care planning & interventions to ensure timely and appropriate public health care delivery individually and across the community
  • Educate and raise awareness in a culturally safe, sensitive, and meaningful way to support the consideration of population health measures such as immunization, healthy lifestyle choices & nutrition, injury prevention, and harm reduction
  • Perform community needs assessment & support relevant programming to support prenatal, pregnancy, post-natal, and newborn care
  • Support individuals, families, and the community with the burden of chronic disease by way of brief action planning, group facilitation, and public health programming

 

Community Engagement & Program Development:

  • Establish and maintain strong, collaborative relationships based on mutual trust and respect, with individuals, families, team members, and community partners
  • Engaging with the community as partners in care, collaboratively identify health inadequacies and disparities, to support shared planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health programming
  • Administer a comprehensive communicable disease control (CDC) program, including but not limited to influenza; COVID-19; HIV; Hepatitis A, B & C; sexually transmitted diseases (STIs); and tuberculosis (TB), whilst fostering community awareness & health protection initiatives
  • Enable close surveillance and monitoring of population health measures to help mitigate population and environmental health risks and ensure emergency preparedness
  • Advocate, with community members as partners in care, for the immediate, short-term, and long-term needs of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, with careful consideration of the social determinants of health

 

Documentation, Mandatory Reporting & Confidentiality:

  • Maintain accurate and detailed documentation and databases to support timely and comprehensive reporting and to inform targeted program planning and community development initiatives
  • Ensure timely and accurate client care documentation & protection of client confidentiality as per BCCNM standards of practice and agency policy
  • Maintain program data bases to enable monthly, quarterly and annual reporting
  • Complete mandatory program and communicable disease reporting in a timely fashion
  • Collaborate with team members, as well as both internal and external stakeholders to support program evaluation and future planning, based on quantitative & qualitative data analysis

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing Degree
  • Current practicing registration as a Registered Nurse with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM)
  • Current BC Immunization Competency Program certificate
  • Minimum of 3 to 5 years of recent experience in public health
  • Comprehensive working knowledge of population health nursing theory, practices and procedures, including communicable disease control
  • BLS certification
  • BC Immunization Competency Program certificate
  • Valid BC Driver’s license and access to a personal operating vehicle for business related purposes
  • Must successfully pass a Criminal Records Check
  • Must comply with TWN’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

  • People person with demonstrated skill in effective oral and written communication, interpersonal relations and conflict resolution.
  • Work independently and in collaboration with others
  • Flexible, ambitious and enjoy working in a dynamic environment
  • Able to multi-task and adapt to changing needs and priorities
  • Be efficient in organization and time management
  • Strong ethic of client service, and eager to learn about the culture and traditions of diverse Indigenous Nations
  • Be able to recognize the inherent value of family kinship and community integrity while continuing to meet the health and safety needs of each individual and the community as a whole.

 

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Physical Demands

  • Intermittent physical activity including walking, standing, sitting, lifting and supporting clients.
  • May be exposed to occupational hazards such as infectious waste, diseases and chemicals and may be susceptible to back injuries and muscle strains from lifting/moving clients.
  • Manual dexterity required to use desktop computer and peripherals.

Mental Focus

  • Public health nurses advise clients over the telephone and may travel to see clients in their homes. 
  • May deal with individuals who can, from time to time, be demanding and challenging. Must be able to remain patient and calm, and may have to engage in conflict resolution.

Environmental Conditions

  • Consists of three main components of office, community member homes and/or community buildings and in the car. The noise level in all areas is generally quiet, but at times noise could escalate. 
  • Must be able to work relatively independently and deal with issues of personal safety because this position is outside the controlled environment of a hospital.