Job Description

The Forensic Psychiatry Program work towards restoring and maintaining the mental health and well-being of mentally disordered adult offenders while managing risk as mandated by the Criminal Code of Canada and ordered by the Ontario Review Board. This multi-disciplinary team includes nursing and allied health professionals working together to provide a wide range of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services. In this capacity the Forensic Psychiatry Program provides: clinical, risk and medico-legal assessments, inpatient and outpatient treatments and community reintegration services/support.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is a nurse registered in the general class with the College of Nurses of Ontario who has graduate preparation in nursing and established expertise within a clinical specialty. The CNS is committed to client and family-centred care which enhances patient and clinical outcomes, and functions as an integral and collaborative member of the inter-professional team in the provision of specialty care services by using advanced nursing knowledge, both theoretical and practical, as well as evidence to inform clinical reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking.

The CNS will practice in accordance with the Standards of Practice and Guidelines of the College of Nurses of Ontario and organizational policies and expectations, and his/her practice will be informed by current literature, best practices, and standards relevant to the clinical specialty area of practice.

The CNS role encompasses the five domains of advanced practice nursing: clinical practice, education, consultation, leadership, and research. These domains will be applied to the role in to varying degrees based on the needs of the Forensic Psychiatry Program.

Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in Nursing or related Health Science Program required
• Current College of Nurses of Ontario registration as a Registered Nurse with no restrictions on registration or professional practice hearings pending
• Current CPR certificate; Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS); Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Certification with the Canadian Nurses Association preferred
• Appointment or eligible for a clinical faculty appointment with an academic institution preferred
• Member of the professional association affiliated with the designated specialty preferred
• Minimum 3 years experience in mental health related field, preference to candidates with experience working within a hospital, criminal justice or a correctional setting; or demonstrated knowledge and experience in the forensic system, Criminal Code of Canada
• Experience as a CNS preferred
• Knowledge of the Criminal Code of Canada
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with mental health client populations within correctional and inpatient forensic context
• Demonstrated commitment to the organization’s values of Service, Responsible Stewardship, Community Responsiveness and Respect
• Demonstrated knowledge of the CNO Standards of Practice and Guidelines and commitment to maintaining reflective practice
• Demonstrated clinical competence and in-depth clinical expertise in forensic mental health context
• Demonstrated knowledge of legal and ethical responsibilities relating to healthcare
• Demonstrated commitment to patient and family-centred care
• Demonstrated knowledge, sensitivity and expertise in the care of seniors and their families
• Gentle Persuasive Approach training is preferred
• Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal and customer service skills
• Demonstrated effective conflict management/ resolution skills
• Demonstrated collegial relationships and effective teamwork
• Demonstrated scholarly inquiry, knowledge translation and effective research skills
• Demonstrated proficiency in computer skills e.g., HBO/Star, Portal, Clinical Connect, MS Office, Patient Link etc.)
• Demonstrated self-directed, decision making and problem solving skills
• Demonstrated data management for evaluation, interpretation and process change
• Demonstrated good attendance
  

Responsibilities:

• Provides expert client care based on in-depth knowledge of nursing and other relevant sciences. The CNS seeks solutions for complex health care issues at all levels with clients, allied health disciplines, administrators and policy makers.
• The CNS is clinically competent to provide core activities such as prevention, complex assessment, problem identification, treatment, planning, and implementation of interventions and evaluation of outcomes within the Forensic Psychiatry Program
• Provides client-centred, goal-directed consultative care to complex forensic inpatients and outpatients and their families and/or support persons, e.g., pain and symptom management, physical functioning, psychosocial/spiritual functioning/support, discharge planning and patient/family education using expert nursing knowledge and other relevant sciences
• Performs comprehensive or symptom-directed assessments and synthesizes data from multiple sources. Engages with clients (and families/support persons) to collect, synthesize and interpret the presence of existing and potential health problems, with a major focus on related lifestyle, psychological, spiritual, sociocultural, economic and environmental risk factors which may influence health status
• Provides direct patient/client care when specialized skill is required
• Demonstrates leadership in the provision of educational programs for individuals and groups including clients, families, colleagues, students, and health care organizations
• Confers with and refers to members of the allied health care team and acts as a contact/liaison with external agencies and community partners to enhance the individual patient/family experience as well as overall client centred care
• Effectively communicates assessment findings, plan of care and interventions
• Provides clinical leadership by acting as a resource, change agent, facilitator, coordinator, role model and advocate
• The CNS strengthens the link between research and clinical practice by facilitating the team’s understanding and application of research
• Identifies areas of improvement to promote ongoing quality improvement. Plans, implements, evaluates and reports on outcomes
• All other duties as assigned