POSITION SUMMARY

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a 13-bed state-of-the-art critical care unit designed to meet the needs of our patients and caregivers. Our department provides comprehensive services for a wide variety of critically ill medical and surgical patients with acute, life-threatening disease and injury.

The PICU provides intensive care for a wide range of complex, rapidly changing medical, surgical, and mental health disorders occurring in pediatric patients aged 18 and under.

Areas of subspecialty care includes congenital heart disease, cardiovascular surgery, respiratory failure, neurosurgery, trauma, immunodeficiencies, hematologic and oncologic emergencies, sepsis, and multi-organ system dysfunction. Available advanced treatment modalities include cardiovascular surgery (neonatal, pediatric, and cardiac ECMO), Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT), high frequency ventilation, nitric oxide therapy, non-invasive ventilation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Nurse Practitioner to join our healthcare team. The PICU Nurse Practitioner will be integrated with the attending physicians to provide comprehensive patient care, including actively participating in decision-making and rounds, and providing advanced nursing care to critically ill infants, children, and adolescents. This role involves comprehensive patient assessments, development and implementation of treatment plans, performing procedures and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to ensure the highest quality of care. Our goal is to establish a team of PICU NPs who collaborate closely with one another and with the multidisciplinary team.

The successful candidate will follow a structured and thorough 12–18-month development path, during which they will actively work and develop their skills to become a proficient and fully integrated member of the CHEO PICU Team. This structured path includes multiple tiers, beginning with onboarding and progressing through to transition to practice. Upon successfully completing each tier, the candidate will assume roles and work responsibilities aligned with their acquired experience and skills. The approach will balance didactic learning, practical experience and self-directed study, which will be supported by robust mentorship and feedback mechanisms.

Work hours: Shift work – 7.5hour to 12hour - including nights, weekends, holidays.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Direct Clinical Practice

• Authorizes, facilitates, and coordinates admission, transfers, leaves of absence, and discharge of patients admitted to hospital.
• Performs and documents comprehensive patient assessments based on thorough history taking from the patient and/or caregiver and physical examination.
• Documents all essential elements of patient work-up and care in the EMR during or following each patient encounter.
• Orders and prioritizes diagnostic tests and initiates procedures as needed; interprets test results in relation to patient assessment and differential diagnoses.
• Performs and assists in critical care skills and procedures, such as intubation, central line insertion, and chest tube placement, as per competency within clinical specialty.
• Oversees advanced life-support equipment, including ventilators and cardiac monitors.
• Prescribes and administers pharmacological treatments and other therapeutic interventions, including controlled substances, and complex medication regimes.
• Participates in Emergency Response (ED, inpatient units, Rapid Response team (SPOT) extramural consults).
• Develops a holistic plan of care in collaboration with the patient, family, caregivers and interdisciplinary team (e.g. intensivists, nursing, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals) as appropriate.
• Monitors and modifies treatment plans accordingly while evaluating outcomes.
• Consults and refers to specialist providers or allied health providers as needed for care delivery.
• Communicates diagnoses, treatment plans, and disease specific education to patients and caregivers.
• Initiates transfer of care through physician consultation for patients who require alternative care that is beyond the knowledge and clinical skill of the NP.
• Participates in care coordination through clinical case management via direct patient communication (telephone calls, virtual visits), patient conferences/multi-disciplinary meetings, rounds, clinic visits.
• Participates in health promotion and disease prevention through verbal and written communication mechanisms (pamphlet development, program development, educational lectures) related to specialty.

Non-Clinical Domains of NP Practice in Ontario

Leadership

• Identifies, leads and implements specialty specific program initiatives and improvements for care delivery
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team
• Acts as a change agent to seek continuous improvement of care delivery within specialty and beyond
• Participates in organizational committees as a key stakeholder who understands service delivery and is a clinical expert
• Fulfills the advanced nursing practice scope by demonstrating strong clinical and academic leadership
• Seeks opportunities for leadership both within clinical specialty and academically through internal and external organization affiliation

Education

• Provides formal and informal teaching/education opportunities to clinical staff and learners
• Mentors NP students from various programs and academic institutions
• Seeks joint appointment to encourage ongoing educational opportunities with Universities and Colleges
• Encourages and provides opportunities for education in the clinical setting (outpatient and inpatient) with various health care providers
• Participates in self-directed professional development to maintain competency in the clinical specialty (mentorship, formal education, consultation with health care colleagues)
• Disseminates education to health care community partners and professionals as needed

Research

• Identifies and incorporates evidence into practice-based decision making and patient care
• Leads and participates in specialty specific research
• Promotes quality improvement initiatives through best practices and evidence informed change
• Seeks appointment with the Research Institute as a Clinical Investigator through leadership of research questions and study development

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in nursing or relevant alternative (essential)
• Nurse Practitioner certification from a recognized Canadian program (essential)
• Current registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario in the Extended Class (RN (EC) (essential)
• Current Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (essential)
• Minimum 3-5 years RN Experience in a pediatric specialty (essential)
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant NP Experience in pediatric intensive care setting (preferred)
• Current membership of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Ontario (NPAO or Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) (preferred)
• Current Professional Liability Protection (PLP) (Preferred)
• Ability to work within an interdisciplinary health care environment (essential)
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and superior interprofessional relationship skills (essential)
• Demonstrates excellence in clinical leadership and clinical practice (essential)
• Demonstrates experience with education and teaching in an academic affiliated hospital (essential)
• Experience with program development, implementation and evaluation (essential)
• Self-directed professional who can function independently (essential)
• Prioritizes the principles of patient and family centered care for care assessment and delivery (essential)
• Ability to adapt to fast paced environments and multitask in a flexible manner to meet the demands of the clinical setting and workload (essential)
• Electronic technology proficiency including but not limited to; MS office, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Virtual Platforms (Zoom, Teams, OTN) (essential)
• Police Record Check/Vulnerable Sector Check (essential)