Health Officer (Nurse) - Inventory

Important messages

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

This process is for casual employment only which is temporary employment of 90 working days or less, in a calendar year.

Health officers work on Canadian Coast Guard ships for periods ranging from 28 to 44 days between May and November. The ship’s boarding takes place at the ports indicated in the list of 4 cities (St-John’s, Dartmouth, Québec city, Victoria). However, if the ship is already in the Arctic at the beginning of your contract, the crew change will be from the CCG base to the ship, normally by bus, plane and helicopter and/or small boats. This type of crew change is organized by the Coast Guard, but the health officer must travel to the Coast Guard base indicated by the employer. Once on the ship, it is possible that it will sail all over the Canadian Arctic, depending on its function/mission.

SALARY:
Rates of pay will vary per Region. Please visit the following link:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/agreements-conventions/view-visualiser-eng.aspx?id=19#zone-nu-1

PLEASE NOTE: You will have the opportunity to identify which geographic locations you are interested in working from in the screening questions section of the application. Please be advised that you will be responsible for the cost of travel and arranging your travel to and from the work location(s) you have selected on your application.

When submitting an application to this selection process, you will be prompted to answer screening questions concerning the essential education, and the essential and asset experience qualifications. It is your responsibility to provide clear and concrete examples in your responses to each question, including when (from-to), where (occupational title, organization) and how you obtained your education and experience. It is recommended that you describe the experience examples in specific terms, providing sufficient details so that the Assessment Board can clearly understand. Describe the situation/task, the action you took, what you accomplished and/or what you learned. Content of your response must be supported by your CV/resume as your responses to these questions will be used as a primary source of information and your CV/resume will only be used to validate this information. Should you indicate in your response "please refer to CV/resume" your application will be rejected. Lack of examples and details will result in your application being rejected as the Assessment Board will have insufficient information to determine if the requirement is met.

Duties

Provides professional nursing expertise in compliance with professional standards and scope of practice.

Applies and uses nursing and critical thinking skills to select the best care options.

Applies and assesses the medical interventions necessary to meet crew members' and supernumerary personnel's needs on board while taking into consideration his or her experience and relevant legislation, regulations, and policies.

Collects, assesses, analyzes and applies information from various data sources for the purpose of making evidence-based decisions on nursing services.

Promotes and uses appropriate and relevant approaches to providing nursing services.

Bolster skills and improves performance and the work environment by sharing knowledge, know-how, and experience with colleagues and other members of the health care team.

Liaison responsibilities with CCG Commanding Officers, crew members, supernumeraries, and emergency medical support providers.

Work environment

Health officers work aboard Canadian Coast Guard vessels providing primary and emergency health care to 28-90 crew members while at sea. The work schedule at the clinic is of 8 hours per day, each day during the trip, with an additional 16 hours spent on call to assure a 24/7 availability for emergencies.

The clinics vary in size depending on the vessel. They are equipped with standard medical and surgical equipment and a wide range of pharmaceutical products. Most medical consultations are conducted in the clinic, however, you may be required to travel throughout the ship to respond to emergencies (example: in the cabin of a sick or injured crew member, the ship's decks, the bridge, the cafeteria or the engine room). So you need to be comfortable moving around and working in an uncommon context and environment.

Health Officers are provided with a private cabin and all meals while aboard.

Intent of the process

This process is for casual employment only which is temporary employment of 90 working days or less, in a calendar year.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Eligibility for registration as a registered nurse in a province or territory of Canada.

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in nursing, nursing service administration, nursing education or some other specialty relevant to the position.

* Recognized Post-Secondary Institution: A public or private educational institution that has been granted, by virtue of a public or private law of a provincial or territorial government, the power to issue diplomas and other certificates of professional studies.

Degree equivalency

Possession of a current and valid registration to practice nursing and be a member in good standing of a nursing professional order, in a Canadian province or territory.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation).

AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

Significant and recent[1] nursing experience in providing primary health care (assessment, treatment, referral and follow-up) to clients in remote[2] settings.

Experience in responding to health related emergencies without direct supervision: extended nursing role.

Experience in performing comprehensive physical examinations and minor surgery [3].

Experience in communicating findings and impressions to physicians over the telephone or via email.

Experience in preparing medical reports.

Experience in using a King Airway intubation device.

[1] Significant and recent is defined as having practiced at least 1000 hours over the past three years in an extended nursing role, without interruption for more than 12 months.

[2] Remote is defined as locations in which health care is not readily accessible because of distance, weather conditions, lack of telecommunications, availability of helicopter service, or limited access to a physician.

[3] Surgical procedure that can be performed in a brief period of time (usually <1 hour under local anaesthesia) and does not under normal circumstances constitute a major hazard to life or function of organs or body parts. Ex. Laceration repair with stitches

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English or French

Information on language requirements

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner (current and valid PHCNP registration and be a member in good standing in a Canadian province or territory)

STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Seafarers) - Small Vessel Safety. (MED A2)

Valid ACLS (advance cardiac life support)

TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course, from ENA Emergency Nursing Association)

Experience using MS Office software.

Experience providing nursing services in a seagoing environment.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Willingness to travel to and from remote locations by ship, small planes, and helicopters.

Willingness to work overtime and be on standby.

Willingness to go to sea for extended periods of time; sometimes in excess of forty-two (42) days.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

• Maintain valid registration to practice nursing in a province or territory of Canada
• Valid Health Canada Medical
• Valid Canadian Passport
• Maintain valid CPR
• Maintain valid AED

Other information

Please ensure that your information is updated and remains current in your PSRS Applicant Account.

PLEASE NOTE: For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with applicants by e-mail for screening/assessment purposes.

Applicants who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and make sure this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

Successful candidate(s) must meet and maintain the Conditions of Employment throughout their employment.

The client organization will accept applications on-line only.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

Achieving a representative workforce has been identified as an organizational need in the merit criteria, and may be applied in this appointment process. If this criterion is used, only those who have indicated that they are a member of the designated group specified in the merit criteria will be considered.

Depending on the requirements of the position(s) being staffed from this process, for current or future vacancies, any or all of the asset qualifications, operational requirements, and organizational needs may be applied at the time of staffing. Candidates may be contacted and assessed against these criteria at any time during this process. If you do not fully complete the screening questions as instructed, you may be screened out.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.