Join Our Teams!
No One Walks Alone On Their Path To Recovery
Recruiting nurses for substance use and mental health care
Making a Difference
Providence Health Care is home to British Columbia's largest clinical substance use health teams – a globally recognized force in care, training, and research. We proudly stand as provincial and national leaders, contributing significantly to the evolution of substance use care and advocating for stigma-free access to evidence-based care across Canada. Join our nursing teams and be part of our trailblazing work.
Competitive
Benefits
Breaking Boundaries for Better Care
We're no strangers to challenging the status quo. From spearheading life-saving research to advocating for patients in the Supreme Court, the ongoing work of our Substance Use Program is a testament to our commitment to partnership, equity, empathy, cultural safety, and the firm belief that no one should walk alone on their path to recovery. By joining Providence Health Care’s nursing teams, you become a part of a legacy of innovation, working towards a healthier, brighter future for all.
Charting The Path Forward: The Road To Recovery Initiative
Announced in 2023, the Road to Recovery Initiative represents Providence Health Care’s ambitious step forward to improve timely and appropriate access to substance use care through innovative approaches and partnership. Nurses are an essential part of the care teams in Road to Recovery. Be a part of this new work in charting a new path in recovery focused care.
The Road To Recovery Initiative
“The Road to Recovery will close gaps that currently stand between people in crisis and the care they deserve,” says Fiona Dalton, President and CEO, Providence Health Care. “It is crucial for the one in six people at St. Paul’s Hospital who experience substance use disorder.”
One of the key factors driving substance use-related harm in BC is the lack of a seamless system of care to support people with addiction. Gaps failing to connect prevention, treatment, and recovery mean that people are unable to access the support they need, when and where they need them. Road to Recovery (R2R) is an innovative approach to substance use, providing the full continuum of services for patients and families that aims to fill these gaps.
This model of care will cut significant time off waitlists and support patients to move seamlessly through a full spectrum of treatment services, from the Rapid Access Addiction Clinic through withdrawal management, in-patient recovery-focused beds, transitional housing, outpatient treatment, and more—all in one location.
Road to Recovery will be developed in phases and include new acute stabilization beds, withdrawal management beds, and short-term stay beds. The initiative will eventually house 95 beds, the first of which, focused on stabilization, will open in fall of 2023 at St. Paul’s Hospital. It will then be transitioned to the state-of-the-art new St. Paul’s Hospital when it opens in 2027.
Growing Excellence in Substance Use Care
We’re proud to nurture the next generation of nursing professionals, while supporting learning and leadership opportunities for nurses at all stages of their career paths. We offer the opportunity to work in interdisciplinary teams with colleagues who have years of experience and dedication in the field of substance use care.
Supporting Our
Teams' Wellness
We recognize the emotional, physical, and mental demands that come with our line of work. In support of our teams, our Employee Assistance Program and various wellness initiatives provide access to counselling, stress management resources, and self-care tools. We value work-life balance and offer flexible work schedules to ensure all our team members can manage their professional and personal lives effectively.
Breaking Barriers, Embracing Equity
At the heart of our work is a profound commitment to diversity and inclusion. We support a diversity of perspectives and strive to create an environment where everyone – regardless of their background, race, or identity – feels valued, heard and empowered to contribute. As we acknowledge and address systemic biases, we are committed to upholding equity in the services we provide and within our teams.
Make A Difference In Your Community With PHC
We’re Hiring:
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
Registered Nurses (RNs)
Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs)
Meet Our Team
The launch of Road to Recovery can't come soon enough! Patients and their families have been very clear about what they need: timely access to high quality, evidence-based care that upholds their dignity and treats them with respect. We need to demonstrate that we are listening to these experts, evaluate our progress and inform others across the province to ensure that someday every British Columbian will have access to the care they need on their Road to Recovery.
Time and time again through my clinical work, I have seen the extreme effort that patients and families invest in trying to navigate the services to help manage substance use in our region. With dedicated efforts to practice from a trauma-informed, culturally safe and stigma-free perspective, we are ensuring that our patients and their families will not have to struggle on this journey alone and will feel our true commitment to helping them improve their health, social and economic outcomes. No one should have to do this alone and we will demonstrate that it is possible for our health care system to be better.
Hope. I am most proud that Providence hasn't lost sight of who we are, who we are trying to serve and that even in an extremely challenging time, there is still hope that we can do better. Providence has demonstrated that it is willing to support a truly massive shift in clinical service for patients with substance use and for those of us on the front line. I am feeling hopeful for the first time since the public health emergency was announced in 2016. The success of this project, and the robust evaluation that is tied to it, have the potential to change the landscape of addiction treatment across our country and further afield. I truly believe, someday we will look back on this time, feel proud of what we have done at PHC, and wonder why it took so long to get there.
Dr. Andrea Ryan
The Road to Recovery programs plays a crucial role in reducing substance-related harm, preventing overdose deaths, and addressing the root causes of addiction. By addressing substance use comprehensively, we not only help individuals but also alleviate the broader societal costs and benefit the support systems and families that have been impacted.
What makes me most proud of being part of Providence Health Care is that we actively advocate for a high standard of care, and do so by creating a comprehensive model of service delivery in our institutions. When changes are needed or gaps in care are identified, we have the support to evolve and grow. It's fulfilling to be part of an organization dedicated to shaping a more inclusive and efficient healthcare system that benefits everyone.
Sukhpreet Klaire
Road to Recovery is an incredible opportunity for Providence and their partners to redesign services that will allow people seeking help for substance use to access care in the moment they need it. Our aim is to provide seamless transitions towards recovery, and services have been built to address the continuum of care including robust outpatient, inpatient and community based options.
Providence Health Care has always shown a deep commitment to social justice, and this program has been built because of a need to enhance care pathways for people seeking substance use care. Stigma and misconceptions about addiction medicine have meant that people seeking care often experience barriers and fractured care. The Road to Recovery will provide person-centered care where teams will work collaboratively with patients to identify goals and work towards them at each stage of the recovery journey.
My career at PHC began in 2003, when I was hired as a nurse on the HIV Unit. The history that PHC has in provision of care to underserved populations speaks to our commitment to making high quality health care a right for all people. I witness empathy, caring and advocacy on a daily basis, and working for PHC has always felt like an invitation to do better for those who need it most.
Julie Lajeunesse
I have stayed in the field… because of my passion for social justice. Throughout this time, due to the ongoing toxic drug crisis, things have gotten much worse for people who use substances.
Anton Oosthuizen
It’s exciting, challenging work and feels deeply meaningful. I love working with our clients and patients, getting to know people and building relationships. The patients I get to work with are the most creative, resilient and strong people I have ever met in my life.
Naomi Watt
Patients accessing the clinic can also pick up harm-reduction supplies, and they can get their drugs tested for fentanyl or benzodiazepines. OPS nurses also provide education around safe IV line use and we offer take-home naloxone training and kits for patients and staff. With this stigmatized population, it’s important to build good connections and strong rapport with patients in order to deliver proper care.
Loraine Belleza
Working with Providence Health Care has been an incredible journey of learning, support and career development. I have stayed because I truly believe in the Mission, Vision and Values and see them enacted by our staff every day. We have an incredible opportunity with Road to Recovery to transform care and treatment for people who use substances. Providence Health Care has often led the way in caring for people who face challenges in accessing care, and now we have this chance which has never been more important given the ongoing toxic drug crisis.