Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is part of the provincial implementation of minimum Nurse to Patient Ratios (mNPRs), which enhance nursing practice and strengthen the quality of care across the health system. The Community Adult Mental Health team at qathet General Hospital in Powell River, BC, seeks a Mental Health and Substance Use Triage Nurse (RN/RPN).

Position Overview

Mental Health and Substance Use Triage Nurse (RN/RPN) – Community Adult Mental Health team, qathet General Hospital, Powell River, BC.

Salary

CAD $41.42 per hour – CAD $55.91 per hour.

Responsibilities

- Provide initial client screening related to referral priority and appropriateness of referrals, urgency of needs, and confirmation of the appropriate required service.
- Act as a liaison with other internal and external teams to assess client care needs.
- Coordinate the site‑specific client allocations/assignments based on priority, ensuring workload is distributed evenly and client care needs are met.
- Follow established standardized client allocation/assignment processes and utilize established escalation procedures to ensure timely and appropriate client allocation/assignment so as to not delay care provision.
- Prioritize daily workload to accommodate urgent client needs and referrals.
- Provide holistic, evidence‑informed nursing care to clients with complex mental health and substance use needs through comprehensive assessment, risk identification and mitigation strategies, and team-oriented care planning.
- Coordinate and monitor treatment and response in partnership with clients, families, and community supports, offering psychoeducation, harm reduction, and medication management.




- Deliver a range of therapeutic interventions including crisis response, counselling, and motivational interviewing, while maintaining professional documentation and regulatory standards.
- Advocate for client rights, liaise with emergency and community agencies, and actively participate in case conferences to address emerging issues.
- Uphold professional standards through ongoing learning, mentorship, and engagement in quality improvement to enhance team capacity and client care.

Education & Experience

- Current practising registration as a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
- Two (2) years recent experience providing nursing care for individuals with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders, including recent experience in care and transition planning, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
- Valid BC Driver’s License required as local area travel may require the use of a vehicle or other accepted mode of transportation.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

- Demonstrated knowledge of mental health and substance use theory and practice, including therapeutic communication, crisis intervention and management, psychopharmacology and pharmacology, interdisciplinary care coordination and case management, individual and group counselling,



key VCH and non‑VCH community resources, and the nursing process.
- Demonstrated ability to triage multiple clients’ needs and prioritize urgent situations and elevate level of care as appropriate.
- Demonstrated knowledge of frameworks guiding nursing practice including client and family‑oriented care, healthy equity, and psychosocial rehabilitation.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Trauma and Violence Informed Practice, harm reduction approaches, recovery‑oriented and strengths‑based care.
- Demonstrated ability to promote Indigenous cultural safety.
- Demonstrated ability to provide competent and culturally safe care in a variety of settings including with diverse populations.
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulatory, policy and decision‑support tools and professional and practice standards contextualizing and enabling care in this setting (i.e. Mental Health Act, Adult Guardianship Act, BCCNM Standards).
- Demonstrated skill in clinical techniques such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy, or individual supportive counselling, group facilitation or psychoeducation.
- Demonstrated skill in the application of the nursing process including appropriate screening, assessment, risk identification, care planning, intervention(s), and evaluation.
- Demonstrated skill in the prudent selection and application of standards, assessments and measures defined by the organization for the service/practice setting.
- Demonstrated ability to identify and mitigate key risks (e.g. overdose risk/prevention, psychosis, suicide risk, medication side effects) through evidence‑informed nursing practice, int

📌 Mental Health and Substance Use Triage Nurse (Powell River)
🏢 Vancouver Coastal Health
📍 Powell River