About

Athena Clinical Wellness & Beauty is developing a nurse-led regional foot-health service across five Ontario clinic locations. Our care model brings together Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses and specially trained Clinical Foot-Care Assistants.

Clients are screened before receiving care. Nurses assess clients, establish nursing care plans, provide education and wound-related care, and determine whether services can be safely provided by a Clinical Foot-Care Assistant. Complex presentations are escalated to the Nurse Practitioner for advanced assessment, diagnosis, diagnostic testing and treatment.

We are seeking a Nurse Practitioner who wants to help build an accessible, evidence-informed foot-health service for seniors, people living with chronic conditions, unattached patients and other residents of Grey-Bruce and surrounding communities.

Position Summary The Nurse Practitioner will provide advanced assessment and treatment for patients presenting with complex foot, nail, skin and lower-limb concerns.

The NP will diagnose conditions within their legislated scope and individual competence, order and interpret appropriate diagnostic and laboratory tests, prescribe medications and other treatments, and establish follow-up plans.

The NP will also serve as the clinical lead for the NP service across the five-clinic network. This includes helping develop safe clinical pathways, consultation processes, testing and result-management systems, medication protocols, escalation criteria and quality-assurance procedures.

This is not a traditional comprehensive family-practice position. The service will initially focus on foot health and related episodic clinical concerns within the NP’s competence and the clinic’s approved service framework.

Principal Clinical ResponsibilitiesAdvanced assessment and diagnosis

- Conduct comprehensive and focused health histories and physical assessments for patients with complex foot and lower-limb concerns.
- Assess nail and skin disorders, suspected fungal infections, warts, ingrown or inflamed nails, swelling, pain, suspected bacterial infections and other clinically relevant presentations.
- Assess patients with diabetes, neuropathy, vascular concerns, impaired healing, medication risks and other factors that may affect foot care.
- Assess wounds and suspected ulcers and determine the appropriate treatment, monitoring, escalation or referral pathway.
- Form and communicate diagnoses within the NP’s legislated authority, education, experience and demonstrated competence.
- Identify findings requiring emergency assessment, specialist involvement, imaging or care outside the clinic’s available services.

Diagnostic and laboratory testing
- Determine when laboratory confirmation is clinically indicated before treatment.
- Order and interpret permitted laboratory and diagnostic tests.
- Establish appropriate pathways for fungal nail or skin testing when clinically indicated.
- Develop procedures for specimen identification, handling, transportation, result receipt and patient follow-up in cooperation with participating laboratories.
- Ensure abnormal, urgent and clinically significant results are reviewed, communicated and acted upon within defined timelines.




- Maintain the required Ontario billing or identification credentials for ordering publicly funded tests where applicable.

Specimen collection by another team member will occur only when permitted by law, supported by clinic policy, within that person’s competence and appropriately ordered, assigned or delegated.

Treatment and prescribing

- Develop individualized, evidence-informed treatment and follow-up plans.
- Prescribe and monitor medications within the NP’s legal authority and individual competence.
- Consider contraindications, interactions, baseline testing and required monitoring before prescribing systemic treatment.
- Provide appropriate treatment for confirmed or clinically diagnosed fungal, bacterial, inflammatory and other foot-related conditions.
- Treat or manage warts and other suitable lesions when the NP has the necessary education, competence, equipment and clinical support.
- Perform clinical procedures only where the NP is authorized and competent and the clinic has suitable policies, equipment, emergency procedures and infection-prevention controls.
- Discuss realistic treatment expectations, alternatives, risks, costs and the possibility of recurrence with patients.
- Arrange appropriate follow-up and reassessment of treatment effectiveness and adverse effects.

Complex case consultation
- Receive referrals or consultation requests from the clinic’s nurses for complex cases.
- Determine whether the patient requires an in-person NP appointment, nursing care, diagnostic testing, external consultation or emergency assessment.
- Provide timely support when a nurse or Clinical Foot-Care Assistant identifies a change in a patient’s condition.
- Establish clear red-flag and escalation criteria for wounds, infections, ischemia, acute swelling, uncontrolled pain and other urgent findings.
- Facilitate referrals or consultations with physicians, dermatology, chiropody, vascular services, diabetes services, wound programs, emergency departments and other providers when clinically necessary.
- Avoid unnecessary external referral when the condition can be safely and appropriately managed within the clinic.

Team and Clinical-Leadership Responsibilities
- Collaborate with RNs and RPNs while respecting each nurse’s independent professional accountability.
- Support nurses in developing assessment pathways, nursing care plans and escalation procedures.
- Define which patient-care activities may appropriately be assigned to Clinical Foot-Care Assistants.
- Determine whether a controlled act may be delegated only after all legal and professional requirements have been satisfied.
- Confirm that anyone receiving an assignment or delegation has the necessary knowledge, skill and judgment.
- Ensure delegation is patient-specific and does not become a blanket authorization for Clinical Foot-Care Assistants to diagnose, prescribe or independently perform controlled acts.
- Remain available through an established consultation and escalation system during designated clinical hours.




- Participate in case conferences and interdisciplinary care planning.
- Provide education concerning common foot-health conditions, medication risks, diagnostic testing and signs requiring escalation.
- Support respectful communication among reception, Clinical Foot-Care Assistants, nurses and external providers.

The NP will not be described as “supervising” every clinical action performed by other regulated nurses. RNs and RPNs remain accountable for their own nursing practice. Program Development and Quality Assurance The successful candidate will help establish and continuously improve:
- Patient intake and clinical-triage criteria.
- NP consultation and appointment pathways.
- Foot-health assessment and documentation templates.
- Diagnostic and laboratory testing arrangements.
- Specimen-collection and transportation procedures.
- Test-result tracking and recall systems.
- Prescribing and medication-monitoring procedures.
- Wound, infection and urgent-escalation pathways.
- Informed-consent and patient-education materials.
- Infection prevention and control procedures.
- Equipment cleaning, disinfection and sterilization processes.
- Emergency-response procedures.
- Incident reporting and clinical-risk review.
- Documentation and chart-audit programs.
- Patient follow-up and outcome-measurement systems.
- Appropriate use of standardized clinical photography, including consent, secure storage and privacy controls.

Privacy and Documentation Responsibilities
- Maintain complete, accurate and timely clinical records.
- Comply with Ontario privacy legislation, CNO standards and clinic policies.
- Access and share personal health information only as authorized and necessary for patient care.
- Obtain appropriate consent for clinical photography and explain how photographs will be used.
- Use only clinic-approved systems for virtual consultation, documentation, photographs and clinical communication.
- Help define how records and test results will be accessed across separately incorporated clinic locations.
- Promptly report privacy, documentation, medication and patient-safety incidents.

Patient Education and Prevention
- Educate patients about treatment choices, expected timelines, recurrence risks and preventive care.
- Explain that visible changes in serial photographs may help monitor progress but do not guarantee treatment success.
- Support diabetes-related foot-risk education and preventive screening.
- Provide guidance concerning footwear, hygiene, medication adherence and signs requiring urgent reassessment.
- Help patients understand the roles of the NP, nurse and Clinical Foot-Care Assistant.

Qualifications
- Current registration in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario in the Extended Class and entitlement to practise as a Nurse Practitioner.
- No registration terms, conditions or limitations that would prevent performance of the position.
- Demonstrated competence in advanced health assessment, diagnosis, therapeutic management and prescribing.
- Current professional liability protection appropriate for the position.
- Current CPR/BLS certification.
- Satisfactory vulnerable-sector screening.
- Ability to travel between designated clinic locations.
- Robust clinical

Pay: $55.00-$60.00 per hour

Work Location: In person

📌 Nurse Practitioner – Regional Foot Health Clinical Lead (Hanover)
🏢 ATHENA NAILS
📍 Hanover