Nursing Lead

Department Overview

OHSU’s Improving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT) is an innovative hospital-based addiction care team that meets and engages patients during a reachable moment of hospitalization, initiates and coordinates addiction care, and supports linkages to community care for substance use disorders (SUD). IMPACT is a partnership with OHSU and community partners and includes an inpatient addiction medicine consult service at OHSU and rapid-access pathways to community addiction care after hospitalization.

Function/Duties of Position

Patient Populations:

Hospitalized patients with substance use and/or substance use disorder.

 

 

The IMPACT Nurse will provide patient-centered, patient-directed harm reduction education (e.g. counseling re safer injection, overdose prevention) and kits (e.g. alcohol wipes, clean syringes/pipes) and will serve as a SUD and harm reduction expert and specialty resource for hospital staff and nurses. The IMPACT RN will work in partnership with the consult team and nursing units to identify patients, offer support and provide targeted harm reduction strategies.  The IMPACT RN may see patients that the consult service does not see, both because of patient preferences (not all patients want to see IMPACT), service availability (e.g. weekends when IMPACT may be unavailable), and consult service capacity. The IMPACT nurse will also help navigate clinical dilemmas and conflicts that may arise between patients and staff, including instances of in-hospital substance use, questions about hospital policies, staff questions about how to approach and engage people who use drugs, and learning opportunities to better provide trauma-sensitive approaches to care. This position will be responsible for managing and coordinating harm reduction health initiatives at the institutional level in partnership with IMPACT leadership and will be responsible for harm reduction education efforts for nursing and hospital staff.

 

Department Key Responsibilities:

In the IMPACT team, the Clinical RN brings specialized expertise in substance use care, harm reduction, and staff education to support patients with substance use disorder and complex medical and social needs. Responsibilities unique to this setting include:

• Operationalizing harm reduction principles in clinical practice, using trauma-informed, patient-centered approaches.
• Providing targeted nursing education to staff, patients, and interdisciplinary teams on topics such as substance use disorders and harm reduction.
• Navigating high-stakes and sensitive conversations with clinical teams, drawing on an understanding of bedside nursing and SUD care to support safe and successful hospital stays.
• Integrating advanced training and experience in the care of patients with acute pain and/or substance use disorders to inform clinical decision-making and advocate for appropriate, evidence-based interventions.
• Leveraging harm reduction experience and/or understanding to inform program development, workflow design, and systems-level improvements that better serve high-risk, high-needs populations.
• Demonstrating a sustained commitment to education and mentorship, with a proven ability to support staff learning and confidence in caring for marginalized patient populations.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of one year adult inpatient nursing experience
• Demonstrated ability to effectively care for patients with substance use disorder and support nurses and other staff as part of an interdisciplinary Substance Use Disorder (SUD) team.
• Demonstrated training and applied experience in trauma-informed care, harm reduction practices and principles, and navigating high-stakes or crucial conversations in a professional setting.
• BSN Graduates: Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing from a program accredited by Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA) 30 days before start date.
• ADN Graduates: Associate Degree in Nursing from an accredited program 30 days before the start date.
• Associate degree Nurses required to enroll in BSN program within 3 years of hire and complete within 5 years of hire
• Current, unencumbered Oregon State Registered Nurse License
• BLS at time of hire and must be issued by the American Heart Association (AHA)
• BLS must not expire during orientation
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation

 

 

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Nursing professional certification: Certified