Clinical Nurse Specialist – Mental Health, Full Time, Professional Practice

Talent Pool Builder; Kingston; On-site; CAD 109,000 - 129,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

HOOPP

On-site parking

Education & bursaries

Job summary

Providence Care Hospital in Kingston, Ontario is seeking a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - Mental Health to provide leadership in nursing practice across sites and community programs. The CNS coordinates psychiatry services, triage, and direct patient care, advocating for suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, and mental health literacy.

The role leads QI and research initiatives, educates staff, and contributes to guidelines and policies while supporting performance management and

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Nursing required; Doctorate preferred.
• Current unrestricted registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario.
• Five years of nursing experience.
• At least three years in advanced clinical mental health nursing.
• Experience leading quality improvement, practice change, or research initiatives.
• Experience supervising students and mentoring staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership, mentorship, coaching and performance support.
• Participate in recruitment, orientation and retention initiatives for specialized nursing.
• Oversee provincial initiatives for nursing and allied health recruitment and retention.
• Support interdisciplinary workflows within the electronic health record system (Lumeo).
• Guide staff development with orientation and learning plans; conduct learning conversations.
• Promote a healthy, inclusive work environment and culture of quality.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Mentorship

Education & training

Quality improvement

Research

Collaboration

Education

Master's in Nursing

Doctorate preferred

RN registration Ontario

5 years nursing experience

3 years advanced mental health nursing

CNA Certification within 12 months

Tools

Lumeo EHR

Job description

Job Code:27168

Status: Full-Time

Location: Providence Care Hospital

Union: Non-Union

Wage: $109,258.50 - $128,544.00 annually

Posting Period: September 26, 2026 - October 2, 2026

Position Summary:

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - Mental Health, provides leadership in advancing clinical and professional nursing practice across the Providence Care sites and community programs. Reporting to the Manager, Professional Practice, and working in consultation with Program Leadership, the CNS serves as an expert clinician, leader, and change agent. With a specialty focus in mental health, the CNS coordinates and delivers Consult-Liaison Psychiatry services, including triage, consult lists, and direct patient care independently or collaboratively with psychiatrists. This role promotes advocacy priorities such as suicide prevention, mental health, addictions and substance use awareness and education, restraint-minimization, trauma-informed care, psychologically safe environments, and mental health literacy and inclusion.

The CNS also provides education, leads quality improvement and research initiatives, and contributes expertise to practice guidelines, standards, policies, and systems-level initiatives. Accountable and reliable, the CNS supports incident evaluation, performance management, remediation, and collaborative support plan activities.

Education & Experience:

• Master's Degree in Nursing required, Doctorate preferred
• Current unrestricted registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario
• Five (5) years of Nursing experience
• A minimum of three (3) years of recent advanced clinical mental health nursing experience
• Experience leading quality improvement, practice change or research initiatives
• Previous experience in adult education, program development, and implementation of evidence-informed practice changes
• CNA Certification (such as Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing) within 12 months of starting in the position
• Experience in manuscript writing and publication, preferred
• Experience supervising students and mentoring staff, preferred

Position Responsibilities:

• Provides clinical leadership, mentorship, coaching and performance support related to professional nursing practice involving other relevant parties as appropriate (e.g., Human Resources, Directors, Professional Practice, Quality & Risk Management)
• Participates in recruitment, orientation and retention initiatives related to specialized nursing practice and workforce development
• Oversees the implementation and sustainability of the various provincially funded initiatives offered in Ontario for nursing and allied health recruitment and retention
• Supports interdisciplinary workflows and processes within the electronic health record system (Lumeo)
• Guides the professional development of staff including working with staff to develop and implement individualized orientation and learning plans and ensuring effective learning conversations with staff members
• Promotes a healthy work environment that fosters dialogue, continued learning, skill acquisition, curiosity, inclusion and diversity

Why Work at Providence Care Hospital:

• Specialized sub-acute Care in rehabilitation, mental health services, complex medical management and palliative care
• A hospital striving for excellence in care, education and research
• Committed to people centred approach to care delivery
• Competitive salaries with excellent full-time benefits
• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)
• State of the Art Building with on-site parking
• On-site café and cafeteria with a variety of food options
• Corporate and unit/service specific orientation for new hires
• Focus on Healthy Workplace& Culture of Quality
• Employee & Family Assistance Program
• Education, mentorship and bursary opportunities
• Fully affiliated with Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College and other academic institutions
• Located on the shores of Lake Ontario surrounded by park land and walking trails

Disclosure: We do not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or make selection decisions in our recruitment process.

Unless specifically stated, all job postings are for existing positions at Providence Care.