RBC Pathway to Peers Support Worker (two positions)

Job Description

In 2015, Bridgepoint Active Healthcare, Circle of Care, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and Mount Sinai Hospital, came together to form Sinai Health System – and leverage our collective expertise and create a system that better responds to the changing needs of our patients, families and clients. Sinai Health has a bold vision and strategy for the future: To create Canada’s leading health system pushing the boundaries to realize the best health and care for complex patients.

A key enabler of this vision is Sinai Health’s People Plan – which provides an explicit commitment to our people about our commitment to creating a workplace culture and environment that is safe, caring, equitable, compassionate and accountable in order to ultimately provide optimal care to patients and their family caregivers.

Mount Sinai Emergency Department is committed to providing patient centered emergency care to the community. The department receives approximately 65,000 visits annually. To support us on our journey, Sinai Health System is looking for a Youth Peer Support Workerto support our transitional aged youth patients within the Emergency Departmentat Mount Sinai Hospital Campus.

Peer support involves emotional and practical support between people who share a common experience, such as mental health or substance use issues. A peer supporter has lived through a similar experience and is trained to support others.

Mount Sinai Hospital’s Emergency Department is recruiting a part-time Peer Support Worker. In this role you will work as a member of an inter-professional team to facilitate and support clients aged 16-29 when presenting to the emergency department with mental health or substance use issues. This work will be done in a collaborative approach by engaging with patients and utilizing your lived experience with mental health and/or substance use issues to assist patients. Your collaborative work with clients will involve the role of supporter, assisting young adult patients to advocate for themselves and assist them in navigating community and healthcare systems. As Peer Support Worker, you will be a shared learner with patients, connecting on an individual basis, working within the scope of Peer Support Worker and not provide clinical or diagnostic assessments. You will rely on the clinical team to provide this and assist the team as needed. Your focus will primarily be on bridging people back into the community and helping them to link with community resources. You will operate from a trauma-informed, harm reduction approach practicing with a culturally sensitive manner using anti-racism and anti-oppressive principles. In addition to supporting young adult patients while in the Emergency Department, you will be expected to contribute to program development, research, and educational activities as well as build and maintain networks with community agencies as appropriate. You will report to the RBC Pathway to Peers Project Manager. You will provide services reflecting the diverse needs of the patients. You will support a workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork and complies with all applicable regulatory requirements.

Job Requirements

• Personal lived experience as a recipient of mental health and/or substance use services.
• Two years or more experience working/volunteering in the mental health/substance use system.
• Willingness to work rotating day, evenings, and weekend shifts with 28 hours per week.
• Strong understanding of the young adult psychiatric consumer/survivor community, including the Emergency Department.
• Ability to apply Recovery principles and empowerment-oriented philosophies and practices in work with young adults.
• Experience providing one to one support to young adults from varied populations experiencing distress and/or crisis.
• Understanding and alignment with peer support core values and principles.
• Ability to observe boundaries, engage in appropriate emotional regulation, maintain confidentiality, and engage in reasonable self-care strategies designed to reduce stress by balancing work/life responsibilities.
• Completion of recovery-oriented training such as WRAP or Pathway to Recovery considered an asset.
• Computer literacy and the willingness to learn new computer programs.
• Ability to work in a dynamic and fast paced multidisciplinary environment.
• Ability to document accurately to support team, possessing strong documentation skills.
• Training and supervision will be provided for this position including but not limited to: Stella’s Place Peer Support Worker, Inclusivity Training, ASIST, etc.
• Demonstrated satisfactory work performance and attendance history.

Please Note:

Applications must be accompanied by a cover letter responding to the following questions to be considered:

In accordance with Institute’s policy and legislated health and safety requirements, employment is conditional upon the verification of credentials, completion of a health review, and demonstrating proof of immunity and vaccination status of vaccine-preventable diseases. All employees and affiliates will follow safe work practices and comply with health and safety policies, procedures, and training. Successful candidates will be required to provide two (2) written reference letters from their former employer(s)/supervisor(s).

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our people and patients, Sinai Health has made it a priority to support everyone in getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Consistent with this, our Staff Immunization & Surveillance Policy was recently updated to include the requirement for full vaccination – currently defined as receiving two doses and serving a 14-day waiting period following the second dose – in order to be able to work at Sinai Health. To be compliant with our updated Policy, you must provide proof of dual COVID-19 vaccination, as indicated on the Prospective Immunization and Surveillance Policy Information Sheet, in order to be eligible for employment at Sinai Health. If you believe you are one of the very few people who may require an exemption from vaccination, supporting medical information must be submitted to our Occupational Health department, who will review and assess.

We are a fully committed to fairness and equity in employment and our recruitment and selection practices. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, members of racialized groups, women and any others who may contribute to the further diversification of our Sinai Health community. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under our Access for People with Disabilities policy. Applicants need to make their requirements known in advance.

The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute is a scent sensitive environment, and all members of the community are expected to refrain from wearing or using scented products while visiting or working at the Institute. We also support a barrier-free workplace supported by the Institute’s accessibility plan, accommodation and disability management policies and procedures. Should you require accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, including accessible job postings, please contact the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Human Resources Department.

Hours:7.5 to 22.5 hours per week

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