Join Our Team as an Addiction Medicine Consult Social Worker at St. Paul’s Hospital

Are you an experienced Addiction Medicine Consult Social Worker ready to make a difference in the lives of individuals facing substance use challenges? St. Paul’s Hospital is seeking a skilled and compassionate professional to join our dynamic, interdisciplinary team.

As part of Providence Health Care, you’ll collaborate with passionate professionals committed to providing exceptional care and leading innovation in addiction medicine. If you're driven to support individuals with complex psychosocial needs and make a meaningful impact on patient care, we want to hear from you!

Why You’ll Love Working With Us:

• Champion Social Justice: Advocate for social equity and work to address systemic healthcare challenges affecting vulnerable populations.
• Innovate for Change: Contribute new ideas to our forward-thinking, diverse programs that improve care for our community.
• Collaborative Spirit: Work alongside a team that values your expertise, where every voice is heard, and collaboration is key to success.
• Endless Growth Opportunities: Engage in practice-based research, quality improvement initiatives, and ongoing professional development to enhance your career.
• Research Connections: Leverage our strong partnerships with UBC to expand your network and stay on the cutting edge of addiction medicine research.

Your Role:

As a key member of our interdisciplinary team, you’ll report to the Site Leader for Social Work and collaborate closely with the Professional Practice Leader and the Research, Education, and Practice Coordinator. You’ll play an integral role in achieving both program and patient goals while applying your expertise in addiction medicine.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide expert consultation and support for substance use care and treatment planning for patients in acute care.
• Contribute to education and protocol development to ensure the sustainability of the addiction care system.
• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders, including patients, families, academic institutions, government officials, and community partners.
• Offer consultation on complex care planning across diverse program areas, including Risk, Patient Care Quality, Ethics, and Access.
• Build and nurture strong relationships with community partners involved in the care of individuals with substance use challenges.
• Participate in cutting-edge research and stay current on emerging findings to improve patient care and outcomes.

Ready to be part of a team where compassion meets innovation?

Apply today and become a key player in transforming addiction medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital!

Education, Training, and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Social Work and post-graduate education in substance use treatment (e.g., Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Therapies, BC Center for Substance Use Social Work Fellowship).
• At least three (3) years of recent experience in healthcare, including working with individuals facing complex mental health, substance use, and physical health challenges.
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of social work theory and evidence-based approaches to practice.
• Demonstrated knowledge of substance use disorders, treatment options, and harm reduction approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct complex social and psychosocial assessments.
• Thorough knowledge of community resources and relevant legislation.
• Ability to develop strong working relationships.
• Ability to apply critical thinking to resolve problems.
• Ability to develop, review, evaluate, and write clinical protocols and guidelines.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor staff in a creative learning environment.
• Demonstrated ability to teach and facilitate learning.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct and facilitate formal and informal presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop learning resources.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and deal effectively with patients, families, and health care providers.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as a member of an inter-professional team.
• Knowledge of other health care disciplines and their role in healthcare.
• Demonstrated ability to deal with and/or guide others in conflict resolution issues.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize issues and workload.
• Ability to operate related equipment.

• Competitive Salary: $43.87 per hour to $54.79 per hour
• Inclusive Culture: We respect the diversity, dignity, and interdependence of all individuals. We value the cultural richness that our diverse workforce brings to the care of our equally diverse population of patients and residents.
• Comprehensive Health Benefits Package: Includes dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as a pension plan.
• State-of-the-art Facilities: The new St. Paul’s Hospital and health campus will offer the most innovative approach to integrated care in B.C. and Canada, designed to meet the future health needs of patients, families, and communities. From hospital care to primary and community health solutions, the new St. Paul’s Hospital will continue to lead in care, research, and teaching. The new hospital is expected to open in 2027.

Your Day to Day 

• Provides consultation services to other social work staff, disciplines, and community agencies regarding the care and management of patients with complex psychosocial needs and substance use risks.
• Offers consultation to social workers in accordance with established standards of practice and legislation, supporting risk identification, assessment, intervention, and documentation.
• Provides consultation, direction, and support to social workers addressing substance use concerns in patient care and discharge planning, contributing to the development of care plans.
• Builds relationships and strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure shared responsibility for the care and protection of patients who use substances.
• Advocates for patients at risk by arranging hospital and community meetings for support and treatment planning or in situations where there is a dispute over treatment goals.
• Contributes to orientation and training for other social work staff and healthcare members within Providence Health Care and partner agencies.
• Develops and facilitates education on care planning for people who use substances, collaborating with other social workers, nurses, patient care managers, physicians, and staff in ethics and risk management.
• Contributes to the development of policies, practice guidelines, and clinical support tools related to social work practice with people who use substances.
• Participates as a member of the inter-professional team, contributing to care plans and discharge planning for patients with complex medical needs and substance use concerns.
• Maintains knowledge of developments in Social Work for substance use care by reviewing literature, consulting with experts, and participating in professional development activities.
• Participates in continuous quality improvement projects, analyzing data, identifying trends, and recommending action plans to the Professional Practice Leader, Social Work.
• Contributes to clinical informatics work, assisting in the design and optimization of electronic health information systems, related standards, protocols, and education.
• Participates in research projects related to clinical social work practice and Substance Use care in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provides teaching and supervision to social work interns and fellows, offering guidance and opportunities for hands-on learning in clinical practice.
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Providence Health Care is one of the largest faith-based health care organizations in Canada. For the people at Providence, living our Mission, Vision and Values means providing British Columbians with compassionate, socially just, exceptional and innovative care every day.

From our humble roots 129 years ago, Providence has grown into globally renowned research, teaching, and care organization. As individuals within a mission-driven organization, we choose to be part of Providence Health Care because we value the organization’s long commitment to social justice and compassionate care, and its commitment to the process of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

We acknowledge that Providence Health Care and the new St. Paul’s Hospital site is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.