Reporting to the Site Leader for Social Work at St. Paul’s Hospital, and working under the overall direction of the Professional Practice Leader with guidance from the Research, Education and Practice Coordinator, the Addiction Medicine Consult Social Worker:

• provides expert consultation and advanced social work practice to patients who use substances and present with complex psychosocial needs
• develops, implements, and evaluates protocols, education, and orientation related to substance use care and treatment planning
• collaborates with interdisciplinary teams, leadership, patients, families, government, academic, and community partners to enhance care coordination and outcomes
• offers consultation and mentorship to clinicians across program areas on complex care planning, including risk, quality, ethics, access, and flow
• participates in research, applies emerging evidence to practice, and contributes to policy and program development for social work in substance use care

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited university.
• Post-graduate continuing education training in working with people who use substances (e.g., Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Therapies, or completion of BC Centre for Substance Use Social Work Fellowship).
• Three (3) years of recent related experience working within the health care system, including recent social work experience with people who have complex mental health, substance use, and physical health challenges, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• 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 health care.
• 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.

• A competitive salary: The salary range for this position is $43.88/Hr. - $54.82/Hr. per hour, depending on experience.
• Growth opportunities: We welcome individuals at all stages of their career, offering opportunities for professional development and growth.
• State-of-the-art facilities: The new St. Paul’s Hospital and health campus will be the most innovative approach to the delivery of integrated care in B.C. and Canada, designed to appropriately address the future health needs of patients, families, and our communities. From hospital care to primary and community health solutions, the new St. Paul’s Hospital and health campus will continue to lead innovations in care, research, and teaching. The new St. Paul’s Hospital is expected to open in 2027.
• Inclusive culture: We respect the diversity, dignity and interdependence of all persons. We value the cultural richness that our diverse workforce brings to the care of our equally diverse population of patients and residents.

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 risks associated with substance use. Provides consultation to social workers in accordance with established standards of practice and legislation by methods such as identifying patient risk, supporting assessment, intervention, and documentation.
• Provides consultation, direction, and support to social workers in cases where addressing Substance Use concerns is essential to the provision of care and discharge planning. Contributes to the development of the care plan.
• Builds relationships and strategic partners with internal and external partners to ensure shared responsibility in the care and protection of patients who use substances. Advocates for patients who might be at risk by arranging hospital and community meetings for support and safety treatment planning or in situations where there is a dispute in treatment goals.
• Contributes to orientation and training in their specialty area for other social work staff and health care members within Providence Health Care and other health care facilities and agencies.
• Develops and facilitates education related to care planning for people who use substances to clinical staff and learners across disciplines in collaboration with other social workers, nurses, patient care managers, physicians, staff in ethics and risk management (i.e., Presentations at Grand Rounds or to new employees/learners, facilitation of case reviews).
• 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 in consultation with unit social worker by methods such as interviewing the patient and/or family, assessing and assisting in developing care plans on admission to assist in developing and coordinating discharge plan for patients who use substances and have complex medical needs.
• Maintains broad knowledge of developments related to Social Work with people who use substances by methods such as reviewing literature, consulting with internal and community experts within the field, evaluating clinical practice and participating in professional development activities in order to improve care through new practice models.
• Participates in continuous quality improvement projects, collates data, analyzes trends, and recommends an action plan to the Professional Practice Leader, Social Work.
• Participate in clinical informatics work including the design and optimization of electronic health information systems and related standards, protocols, procedures, and education.
• Looks for opportunities to participates in research projects related to clinical social work practice related to Substance Use care in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provides teaching and supervision to social work interns and fellows by methods such as providing guidance and the opportunity to observe and take an active role in the treatment of social work patients/residents, as well as the facilitating seminars about clinical practice.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Who We Are:

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.