Role and Facility Information

In accordance with the standards of practice and the established vision and values of Vancouver Coastal Health, the psychiatrist who accepts this position will evaluate, diagnose and provide state-of-the-art, specialized urgent & emergent psychiatry consultation for patients of ages 17 and up suffering from a spectrum psychiatric disorders. The primary clinical responsibility will be providing psychiatric support to the Mental Health Emergency Service (Car 87/88). In addition, the psychiatrist will work within the Access & Assessment Centre providing urgent/emergent consultation and as needed support to the Adult Short-Term Assessment & Treatment program (ASTAT). A significant focus for this position will be on the enhancement of Quality & Safety, education, and research initiatives for these respective programs.

The psychiatrist will work in collaboration with other physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, allied health professionals, peer-support workers, patients and their families to create the best possible environment for mental health service delivery, as well as for the health care providers who work within these teams. The psychiatrist will serve as a resource in dealing with mental health and addiction issues and symptom management with a strong knowledge base in psychopharmacology, including Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT), and psychotherapy. Further, the psychiatrist will also be involved in innovative treatment interventions and will participate in the training and education of medical students, residents and other health professionals. Active participation in academic activities and clinical care is expected. All physicians working in Vancouver Acute are required to participate in on-call.

The psychiatrist/ideal candidate must ground their practice in equity-oriented care/should have a good understanding of equity-oriented care, cultural safety, trauma-informed practice, and harm reduction practice in action.

Service Description:

The Mental Health Emergency Service (MHES or “Car 87/Car 88”) provides intervention to individuals in the city of Vancouver for mental health crisis or emergency situations. Car 87/88 provides immediate referrals to community based and/or emergency mental health services as deemed necessary. The program is a partnership between the Vancouver Police Department and the VCH Access and Assessment Centre's Crisis Response Team. Car 87/88 teams a Vancouver Police constable with a registered nurse or a registered psychiatric nurse to provide on-site assessments and intervention for people living with mental illness. The nurse and the police officer work as a team in assessing, managing, and deciding about the most appropriate action, which may include referrals for community-based mental health follow-up or emergency intervention. Utilizing the least intrusive resolution response for each situation, the program objective is to reduce the need for patrol response and reduce unnecessary admissions to hospitals, while connecting individuals in crisis to appropriate mental health services through community referrals. The psychiatrist will work with the Mental Health & Emergency Service (Car 87/88) providing patient focused care for individuals experiencing mental health crises and their families.

The Access and Assessment Centre (AAC) provides an accessible, integrated, interdisciplinary, and coordinated continuum of care as a single point of service access for adults in Vancouver. The health care providers who work here conduct comprehensive assessments utilizing non-urgent, urgent, and emergency interventions to provide services and foster stability in the community for clients. The psychiatrists working within the AAC have diverse backgrounds with interests including that of medical education, addictions, forensics, and psychoanalysis.

The Adult Short term Assessment and Treatment is a part of MHSU Outpatient Services and provides timely MH services to support people to remain in community and prevent admission for psychiatric care. The team provides short-term clinical support while working collaboratively with the most responsible care provider.

Clinical services to the MHES program will be first priority; however, urgent/emergent assessments in the AAC and as needed support for the ASTAT will also be an expectation. Excellence in clinical care will be offered based on the best available evidence with treatment tailored to each person’s individual needs.

Qualifications:

• A Medical Degree and eligibility for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
• Specialist qualifications in Psychiatry from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Candidates must meet the credentialing requirements of Vancouver Coastal Health
• Eligibility for a clinical faculty appointment with the UBC Faculty of Medicine
• Additionally, the candidate should have:
o A demonstrated ability working as a member of an interdisciplinary mental health team
o A commitment to participate in new methods in health improvement and care delivery
o Experience working with concurrent disorders and the general psychiatric disorders population
o Experience with academic psychiatry and a demonstrated commitment to education
o Completed the provincially mandated Mental Health Act module.
o Experience/training with CERNER & FESR
o Demonstrated understanding of Trauma-Informed Practice, Cultural Safety, Gender Affirming Care, and Equity Oriented Care in action/practice and completion of appropriate education:
 Safe Care
 San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program
 Intro to Gender Diversity
 Trauma- and Violence- Informed Care (TVIC) Foundations
 Equipping for Equity
o DBT experience and training is an asset
o Greater than 10 years clinical experience
o Emergency psychiatry experience
o Outpatient experience
o ACT/AOT experience
o Demonstrated ability/understanding of implementing harm reduction practice in action
o OAT trained and has an active Methadone licence
o Excellent knowledge of community resources

Compensation:

The psychiatrist will provide 5 half days of work and be compensated via a Service Contract.

Reporting Relationship:

The psychiatrist will report to the Head and Medical Director, Department of Psychiatry, Vancouver Acute through the Medical Manager of the Access & Assessment Centre.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to our goals of creating a great place to work and delivering exceptional care. We acknowledge and accommodate unique differences and ensure special measures are in place so that all prospective and current employees are given an opportunity to succeed.

We are committed to building a representative workforce and encourage applications reflecting diversity of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization or ancestry, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

To formally apply for the , please create a Health Match BC profile at https://www.healthmatchbc.org/Register.aspx and your account will then be assigned to one of the Health Match BC recruitment consultants. Please ensure that you upload your current CV and compose a message to indicate which position you are applying for and provide any supplemental documentation (ie,. Cover letter and references) for them to include in your formal application/referral.

You will not be able to directly apply without the assistance of their team.

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Terms

Benefits and Incentives

Vacation Leave

To be determined

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