Clinical Nurse Specialist, Acute Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU)

Come work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Reporting operationally to the VA Director, Professional Practice, Nursing and with professional accountability to the VCH Vice President Professional Practice, the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Acute Mental Health and Substance Use, is responsible for providing leadership and direction in the delivery of nursing care and the formulation of organizational policies relevant to such care. The CNS works within the organization’s leadership framework to foster, facilitate and achieve the highest standards of service delivery and leads in the planning, development and implementation of clinical policies and programs designed for improving patient/client care. Provides expert advice and consultation in the areas of nursing, resource planning, program and health system improvement, research and professional development to support quality and utilization initiatives. Continuously evaluates practice and contributes to the ongoing organizational development of practice knowledge by evaluating research and developing frameworks and strategies to facilitate the implementation of best practices. Functions as clinical leader in MHSU and advances nursing practice in the area of this specialty through the use of advanced practice and evidence-based research. Works closely with Operations leaders and regional professional practice leads and acts as a liaison between various hospitals and/or community programs to facilitate integration of care across the continuum and reports on professional nursing practice matters. Provides leadership and expert consultation to team members and other health care staff, patients/clients and families. Works collaboratively with Program Managers, Medical Directors, Clinical Educators, Nurse Clinicians, staff nurses, and others members of the interdisciplinary team to pro-actively move nursing practice forward at the regional, provincial, and national levels.

As a Clinical Nurse Specialist with Vancouver Coastal Health you will:

• Exemplify excellence in nursing by providing advanced level nursing expertise and clinical support to a multi-disciplinary health care team.

• Develop and implement standards, clinical practice guidelines and other processes and evaluation to support evidence based paractice excellence in service delivery and are consistent with provincial and national guidelines

• Lead the design and implementation of integrated systems and processes to promote the development of competent staff, support professional and clinical practice, and enhance collaborative working relationships across the continuum of care.

• Lead the development of quality assurance programs within clinical area and collaborates with Operations and Practice Directors to report and recommend the implementation of research with impact to initiatives on nursing practice and job content, staff allocation, training and performance, and budgetary planning.

• Conduct research that is focused on identifying and/or incorporating best practices and evidence-based care to foster the development and implementation of strategies designed to optimize excellence in patient/client care and the health system.

• Develop, implement and evaluate clinical and educational programs relating to the delivery of patient care with the speciality area.

• Provide leadership and guidance to team members using effective coaching techniques, mentor staff, conduct performance evaluations, enable developmental opportunities, participate in recruitment activities and make final hiring decisions in collaboration with leadership team.

• Provide mentorship and supervision to assist graduate and undergraduate students develop a thorough understanding and skilled use of advanced nursing practices and related competencies.

• Collaborate in the development and promotion of clear guidelines, performance standards and effective processes to assess competencies of staff and students and facilitate continuing development of nursing and allied health professionals in compliance with professional standards as well as codes of ethics.

• Monitor and provide input into budget to ensure the budget enables attaining clinical practice requirements and meeting professional standards while remaining in the confines of environmental and resource constraints.

• Report regularly on status of activity and deliverables to the program Director. Work collaboratively and seek input from Patient Services Manager to help prioritize work to address the immediate, short-term, and long-term needs of the patients and healthcare professionals across Vancouver Acute.  

As per Ministry of Health policy, all health care workers working in publicly-funded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines, and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

Why Join Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH):

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and 'going first' when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• 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

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2024.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for this posting.


***Employees of VCH must apply online via the Internal Career Portal on CareerHub, you are currently viewing the External Career Portal. Refer to the https://my.vch.ca/working-here/job-postings site for instructions on how to view internal job postings and how to apply as an employee. Current VCH employees who apply to this posting using this external site will be considered as an external candidate. Seniority will not apply.***

Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.

Education & Experience

• Masters degree in Nursing; plus current practicing registration as a Registered Nurse with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
• A minimum of five (5) year’s recent related experience working in a health care setting with a focus in Mental Health and in a progressive leadership role.
• Canadian Nurses Association certification in Mental Health or membership in related provincial, national and/or international professional association(s) Mental Health preferred.

Knowledge & Abilities

• Effectively collaborates to build relationships that promote the achievement of cooperative goals and contribute to an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.
• Develops and maintains strong relationships with key internal and external partners to promote and enhance services provided with trauma informed, cuturally safe approach to equity, diversity and indigenous culturally safety.
• Professionally consults to enable the successful sharing of expertise with caregivers, patients/clients, families/significant others, other members of the public, and colleagues.
• Proficiently provides and vigilantly evaluates education/orientation on complex advanced practices and abilities to ensure skills levels are acquired or maintained by team members to meet overall practice and care standards.
• Utilizes expert acute clinical evaluation skills to assess needs of the patient/client and their families/significant others.
• Skillfully, and in consultation with academic institutions and professional bodies, identifies/develops discipline specific standards for teaching and education.
• Collaboratively leads in the identification, planning and implementation of ongoing activities to support research initiatives.
• Effectively leads and directs staff by providing a work environment that fosters motivation and respectful relationships, and enables decision-making.
• Exhibits advanced verbal, written, and technological communication and presentation skills when disseminating information/advice and/or promoting the use of research findings.
• Applies knowledge of a wide range of cross-cultural and diversity issues within a health care environment.