Job Description

The Nurse Practitioner (NP) – Geriatric Emergency Management (GEM) within this portfolio functions as a member of an interprofessional team and within a shared care clinician model in the provision of specialty care services for the older adult patient population using advanced nursing knowledge, skill, clinical reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking. The Nurse Practitioner works in the following domains within the portfolio: Clinical Practice, Consultation, Education, Research and Leadership/Administration. The NP is authorized to perform extended health services which include comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, intervention, referral, management, and evaluation of patient care. All duties and responsibilities of the Nurse Practitioners follow the guidelines developed by the Registered Nurses of Ontario, the College of Nurses of Ontario, and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.

Specifically, the NP – GEM will take on a leadership role in providing specialized frailty-focused healthcare services in the Emergency Department to older adults (aged 65+) presented to the Emergency Department, to support both admission avoidance and discharge planning for older adults to return to the community. Collaborations with various teams working within the Emergency Department and health professionals is paramount in this role.

QUALIFICATIONS
• Completion of NP-Adult OR NP-PHC program at the graduate level (Masters or Doctoral), from an approved academic facility
• Appointment or eligible for appointment with a School of Nursing in an academic institution
• Mandatory Liability Insurance that meets CNO requirements for NPs
• Proof of successful completion of controlled substances education required
• Current registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario in the RN (EC) class. The CNO Registration is in one or more of the following specialties: NP Primary Health Care (NP-PHC) or NP Adult
• BCLS Certification
• Canadian Nurses Association specialty certification in gerontology
• Member of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) and Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
• Member of the Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO)
• Member of a professional association affiliated with a clinical or population specialty
• 3 to 5 years of experience and expertise in the specified clinical area of hire and evidence of experience or ability to work in clinical settings across the continuum of care
• Experience working in an emergency setting, acute care setting, tertiary level and teaching organization is preferred
• Successful completion of a CNO-approved course to legally enable prescribing of controlled substances
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of Service, Responsible Stewardship, Community Responsiveness and Respect
• Knowledge of the CNO standards of practice and guidelines and commitment to maintaining reflective practice
• Demonstrated clinical excellence and expertise in the specified clinical service area of hire
• Experience of clinical competence in the management of care for older adults
• Demonstrated leadership, self-directed, decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Knowledge of legislative and ethical responsibilities relating to scope of practice and healthcare
• Excellence in interpersonal and customer service skills
• Effective conflict management / resolution skills
• Demonstrated collegial relationships and effective teamwork
• Demonstrated scholarly inquiry, knowledge translation and effective research skills
• Proficiency in computer skills (e.g., Dovetale/Epic, Clinical Connect, MS Office)
• Demonstrated data management for evaluation, interpretation and process change.
• Demonstrated good attendance

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Completes comprehensive and advanced health history and physical assessment
• Identifies and orders diagnostic tests and procedures within scope of practice
• Collects, interprets and analyzes data from multiple sources and uses this data to formulate medical diagnoses within the scope of practice
• Develops, implements and documents the medical plan of care for the patient
• Works collaboratively with patients, Emergency Department Physicians and other members of the interprofessional team to develop the plan of care, inclusive of transition plans to the next care environment
• Facilitates a shared care model which includes the applicable services for the assigned patient populations
• Prescribes pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies according to scope of practice
• Evaluates and revises plans of care based on patient responses
• Performs skills and invasive/non-invasive procedures as appropriate
• Initiates interventions for the purpose of stabilizing patients in urgent and emergent situations, and to address daily medical needs
• Provides counselling and education applying advanced knowledge and synthesis of therapeutic counselling modalities
• Consults with and/or refers patients to other healthcare providers at any point in the care continuum as applicable.
• Acts as a consultant to and/or refers and accepts referrals from health-care providers, community agencies and non-health-care professionals.
• Advocates for patients in relation to therapeutic intervention, healthcare access, the healthcare system and policy decisions that affect health and quality of life to improve patient care and manage complex and challenging situations.
• Collaborates with members of the healthcare team to promote and guide continuous quality improvement initiatives at the individual, program, organizational and systems levels.
• Promotes a positive learning environment for patients/ families, nurses, nursing students and other health care provider learners.
• Demonstrates leadership in the provision of educational programs for individuals and groups including patients/patients, families, colleagues, students and health care organizations.
• Demonstrates expertise in their clinical specialty and functions as a preceptor, mentor, tutor, patient educator, planner, and evaluator of educational programs.
• Qualifies, applies for and maintains a university faculty appointment.
• Identifies patient and family knowledge gaps and leads educational initiatives designed to address these gaps.
• Prepares and presents scholarly work in academic forums.
• Participates in research as applicable
• Contributes to health promotion and maintenance of the community population within a primary healthcare setting, responding to the changing health and sociopolitical environment.
• Utilizes ethical decision-making in practice, respecting professional, religious, cultural codes, values of those involved, bioethical principles, and ethical theories to improve patient care, and deals with complex and challenging situations.
• Demonstrates leadership at the program and corporate levels through participation, contribution and activity co-ordination as needed.
• Integrates the principles of resource allocation and cost-effectiveness, in accordance with federal and provincial legislation or regional and organizational policy.
• Provides leadership in and/or participates in relevant corporate and/or professional practice initiatives (e.g., frailty, falls, skin health)

St. Joseph’s Nursing Vision is to make a difference in the lives of those we care for, our organization, and the future of our community through achievement of excellence in nursing and commitment to a culture of nursing innovation, empowerment, leadership and accountability.