Req ID: 208423 Department/Program: Provincial Clinical Intensive Services, Provincial Preschool Autism Services
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $55.3203 - $75.0328 /hour (Salary under review)
Closing Date: Open until filled
Successful candidates may be eligible for a signing bonus incentive of up to $7,000 with a recommended return of service period of two (2) years.
Relocation assistance of up to $5,000 may be included for those that qualify. In turn, a Return of Service will be required.
IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.
Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.
Provincial Preschool Autism Services
The Provincial Preschool Autism Service (PPAS) is a partnership between IWK Health (IWK), Nova Scotia Health (NSH), Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) and Autism Nova Scotia (Autism NS). PPAS is a needs-based model responsive to the individual needs of children and their families. Providing person and family-centred services to preschoolers across Nova Scotia who are suspected of or have a diagnosis of autism. The new and enhanced services will include a greater number and range of interventions and supports available for children and families. Examples include: autism clinical intake and care coordination, family and health professional education, diagnostic assessments, QuickStart NS parent coaching toddler program, an intensive service for children with the greatest social communication and behaviour needs, autism interventions, and transition to school. The intent is to create an efficient, sustainable, and integrated continuum of health services for preschool age children with autism where services and supports are matched to the needs of children and their families.
Intensive Service
The Intensive Service is a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioural intervention (NDBI) designed to help children develop important skills in their everyday environments. The focus is on skills including social communication, play and peer relationships, social skills, behaviour and participation in daily routines, and self-care skills. It focuses on family-led goals and uses natural learning opportunities to build skills through child-led play, routines and social interactions and is a graduated service delivery model with the delivery of up to 15 hours per week for the first 6 months. The intervention approach utilizes principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis and current understanding of child development.
Key interventions provided through the intensive services includes:
- Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) – teaching through natural interactions, using a child’s interests to encourage learning.
- Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) – provides strategies to help reduce behaviours of concern, teach the child ways to manage their emotions and participate in daily routines.
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) – learning to use low-tech or high-tech (e.g., using pictures such as with the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or Speech Generating Devices (SGD) to communicate.
The team through motivational communication supports each family to determine unique priorities, and tailors coaching and strategies to meet co-created goals for the child. Parent and caregiver involvement is key to ensure that priority areas of their child’s development and learning are addressed, and that they are provided with coaching in relevant strategies so that the child’s skills are generalized across environments and routines. This further supports parents/caregivers in understanding what types and how to determine strategies that work best with their child.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the assigned PPAS manager, the Clinical Leader is a provincial role responsible for providing clinical leadership, supervision, and support to the PPAS staff in the assigned Intensive Service stream according to the provincial standards for the service. Along with providing clinical leadership, the incumbent will provide direct clinical care to clients within the service stream, and their families to maintain clinical practice and knowledge. In collaboration with PPAS co-leadership and the Autism Advanced Practice Leader (AAPL), the Clinical Leader role provides leadership for the Intensive Service clinical framework, staff education / training, coaching and professional development for clinicians and is dedicated to advancing evidence-based practice and knowledge translation within the intensive service stream. The Clinical Leader works closely with Autism Educators and Provincial Trainers to identify and meet the learning needs of both newly hired clinicians and PPAS clinicians where practice may be changing due to new operational requirements or implementation of new or changing evidence-based practices. This includes partnerships, where appropriate, to ensure standards/competencies for all intensive service providers.
The Clinical Leader is part of a team of clinical leaders and will work in collaboration with PPAS Leadership, IWK PPAS Clinical Intake, other clinical leaders of PPAS service streams, and with system partners (i.e., Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia) to achieve a provincial systems approach for timely and equitable access to the intensive service stream.
The Clinical Leader position ensures the quality of service within the assigned stream meets service standards at a provincial level and coordinates with the AAPL and clinical leaders (i.e., Autism Interprofessional Interventions, Clinical Intake and Care Coordination) to ensure an integrated service delivery model and coordination of care for families.
Hours of Work
- Monday to Friday (8:30 am to 4:30 pm); 75 hours bi-weekly
- Capacity to work flexible hours, allowing for extra travel time and overnight stays
- Capacity to work flexible hours to accommodate service needs (evenings, weekends)
Your Qualifications
- Ph.D. or PsyD in a Canadian Psychological Association/American Psychological Association Accredited Clinical Psychology program required; clinical doctoral degrees from other countries are acceptable as long as the applicant completed similar academic training and comparable clinical training, including the equivalent of a full-year psychology residency.
- Completion of a full-year, full-time Canadian Psychological Association/American Psychological Association internship/residency required (or an equivalent).
- Registered, or eligible for registration, with the appropriate professional body in Nova Scotia required.
- Minimum 5 years clinical experience working in the field of preschool autism.
- Minimum 2 years leadership/clinical supervision experience.
- Demonstrates the LEADS competency of Leads Self.
- Demonstrates the LEADS competencies of Engages Others, Achieves Results, Develops Coalitions, and Systems Transformation within the autism intensive service stream and the children and families it serves.
- Expert knowledge to critically analyse a continuum of evidence-based, evidence-informed, and/or emerging evidence and promising practices across the assigned service stream.
- Demonstrated ability to initiate and integrate practice change / new practices within the autism intensive service stream and supports change through coaching/mentoring.
- Demonstrated understanding of quality improvement methodologies to support efficient and effective practice.
- Experience in initiating, leading and managing complex organizational change at a provincial level.
- Demonstrated experience with quality improvement activities and methodologies across systems.
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills as reflected by active listening, interest-based negotiation, conflict resolution skills and strong presentation and public speaking skills.
- Accountability for clinical practices and processes of the team; actively involved in competency development planning and performance development planning.
- Demonstrated knowledge of collaborative interprofessional competencies and the principles of practice development.
- Knowledge of relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks applicable to the practice of health professions in the preschool autism service.
- Demonstrated knowledge of cultural competence, equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation to support working with all families, learners, staff, and partners.
Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.
Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.
This is a Healthcare bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.
An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.
If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.