Registered Nurse (RN/RPN) | Mental Health and Substance Use

Position Summary
Interior Health is seeking an experienced and dynamic Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) to join our Mental Health & Substance Use (MHSU) Emergency Room team at the Kelowna General Hospital in beautiful Kelowna, BC.

If you are a mental health nurse experienced in crisis intervention, bring your solid decision making skills and apply today to join the team at the Kelowna General Hospital!

Who We Are:

Interior Health (IH) is committed to achieving a culturally diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of the communities we serve, and where you are encouraged to bring your whole self to work. Well-being and work life balance is promoted within the IH team, and our commitment to environmental sustainability supports our primary goal of increasing the health and well-being of everybody in the Interior Health region from our employees to the population we serve.


About the Job:

The Registered Nurse/Registered Psychiatric Nurse:
• Functions as a member of the larger Hospitals & Communities Integrated Services (HCIS) or Tertiary Mental Health Services multi-disciplinary care team
• Ensures that persons with serious severe and persistent mental health problems, and/or problematic substance use and/or development disability issues who may or may not be in crisis have access to timely, responsive, evidence based treatment and clinical supports across the continuum of available services
• Provides assessment, treatment, case management, community support, and as required, urgent response to clients who may also have serious functional impairment in the domains of physical health and personal, family, financial, occupational, and social life
• Functions as a primary clinician utilizing a variety of specialized treatment modalities/therapies for individuals, groups of clients and/or their families
• Provides consultation or assessment service to the Emergency Department or the Acute/Inpatient Mental Health service at the request of the Emergency Room physician, the general practitioner or the Emergency triage nurse

This is a CASUAL OPPORTUNITY. Casual means hours are not guaranteed and may vary and shifts may be at short notice. Casual employees are eligible to apply for internal postings including permanent and temporary positions. There are many opportunities with Interior Health that begin with casual employment and lead to regular employment.

Days of work are rotating with shifts from 19:30 to 07:45, 07:30 to 19:45.

About this location/unit:

Interior Health has embarked on an expansion plan to meet increasing demands, expand health services, and enhance patient care in the Okanagan. Construction of the six-storey, Centennial Patient Care Tower was completed in May 2012. It includes an expanded emergency department and ambulatory care department, five new operating rooms, a rooftop helipad, an expanded adult inpatient psychiatric unit, and extra space for more patient beds in the future. Kelowna General Hospital is the site of the brand new clinical academic campus for the University of BC Medical School.

Our new ER department is quadruple the size of the previous department and features:
• Zone 1 (acute): 15 beds and 3 trauma rooms
• CDU (clinical decision unit) beside zone 1 and will have 8 beds for patients not admitted but needing more time in the department
• Zone 2 (Urgent care/Streaming) has a large waiting room where patients will be triaged and an additional 7 rooms to treat patients
• Zone 3 (Minor treatment) will be for suturing, casting, splinting, etc. and will be staffed by ER Physician and LPN/Ortho tech. 10 spaces to treat patients (space includes an ortho and gyne room)
• Heli-pad is manned by BC Ambulance Service
• Negative pressure rooms, no positive pressure
• 4 ambulance bays
• 3 seclusion rooms
• 3 bariatric rooms and 3 isolation rooms

Surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery, the thriving City of Kelowna is situated on the eastern shores of Lake Okanagan in the South Central Region of British Columbia. It is the largest city in the area and boasts all of the amenities of a major centre including fine dining, unique shops and a vibrant arts and culture scene. Wine tours, golfing, skiing, boating, swimming and camping are among the many recreational activities enjoyed by residents here.

Come live, work and play where others only vacation. Make a difference. Love your work. Apply Today!

Effective April 1, 2024, the hourly wage for this position will be $41.42 to $55.91

Qualfications
• Graduation from an approved school of nursing and two years’ recent related experience in a mental health and addictions environment; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience

• Current practicing registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM)