Crossroads Clinic Peer Navigator

Women’s College Hospital; Toronto; On-site; CAD 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking institution dedicated to revolutionizing healthcare for women and newcomers. As a peer navigator, you will play a critical role in supporting patients, helping them access health and social resources, and empowering them to take charge of their well-being. This position offers a unique opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of compassion and support. The hospital is committed to equity and excellence, making it an ideal place for those passionate about making a difference in the community. If you are motivated to help others and thrive in a dynamic environment, this role is for you.

Benefits

Competitive Benefits

Defined Benefit Pension Plan (HOOPP)

Supportive Environment

Qualifications

• Two years of experience in settlement services or community work.
• Ability to navigate health and social service systems.

Responsibilities

• Support patients in accessing health and social resources.
• Assist with forms and applications for services.
• Co-facilitate educational sessions on health topics.

Skills

Fluency in English

Fluency in Tigrinya

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Problem-solving Skills

Time Management

Active Listening

Education

Community College Diploma

Undergraduate Degree in a related field

Tools

MS Office

Digital Communication Platforms

Job description

Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Job Description

Women's College Hospital (WCH) is an academic, ambulatory care hospital in Ontario with a focus on health for women, health equity and health system solutions. If you're ready to be part of a team that is revolutionizing the future of healthcare, then you will want to join an institution where the possibilities for innovation, new discovery and system thinking are limitless. Women's College Hospital is committed to equity, quality and patient safety as key professional values and essential components of daily practice.

Healthcare Revolutionized 2030 is our roadmap to the future. Our strategy is built on the pledge that the founders of our hospital made 140 years ago and reaffirms our commitment to providing equitable, accessible, best-in-class healthcare for everyone – meeting people where they are on their healthcare journey and partnering with them to reach their goals of living their healthiest lives possible. The stage has been set for Women’s to accelerate our priorities and capture the momentum to catapult our system forward to revolutionize healthcare for everyone.

Applicants must reside and be legally eligible to work in Ontario.

Type: Temporary Full Time
Replacement

Crossroads Clinic is a primary care clinic at Women’s College Hospital that provides comprehensive primary care to newly arrived refugees for their first two years in Toronto. The multidisciplinary team consists of family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered practical nurses, a social worker, and clerical staff.

Many refugee newcomers face challenges in navigating complex health and social service systems, given language barriers, lack of familiarity with the Canadian context, variable literacy and digital literacy skills, and obstacles related to immigration status. Many refugee newcomers benefit from additional navigational support in connecting to needed services, delivered in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner, which can contribute to improved access to care, improved access to material resources, enhanced sense of self-efficacy, and improved well-being.

Role:
The peer navigator will support Crossroads Clinic patients in connecting to appropriate health, social, and community resources to enhance their overall health and well-being. Through an empowerment-oriented approach, the peer navigator will also enhance the capacity of patients to more independently navigate needed resources, contributing to their sense of self-efficacy and autonomy. The peer navigator will work within a multidisciplinary primary care team and will also collaborate with a variety of partner organizations.

Summary of Duties, but not limited to:

• Support patients in connecting with appropriate community and social resources in collaboration with social worker and interdisciplinary team (e.g. finding appropriate resources, calling or helping patients call external organizations, direct or indirect navigational support, following up on referrals made by other members of the care team, etc.)
• Support patients in attending health care and social service appointments (including phone call reminders, explaining public transportation routes, direct accompaniment, etc.)
• Assist patients in completing forms/applications related to social and health services in collaboration with social worker and interdisciplinary team (may include online, digital, and paper forms)
• Advocate with and on behalf of patients to other service providers
• Support patients in accessing health care services through virtual technologies (e.g. educate patients on digital tools, help patients troubleshoot technological issues)
• Support and provide orientation to navigating the Canadian health care system, social services systems through both individual and group interventions in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team
• Co-facilitate group educational sessions on a variety of health and social topics, with support from clinic team members and external collaborators
• Support clients in identifying individual priorities/goals while working collaboratively with interdisciplinary team
• Communicate patient concerns to relevant clinic team members and build awareness among clinic staff of patient needs and perspectives
• Enhance the capacity of patients to more independently access needed resources
• Provide emotional support and build rapport through active listening
• Engage in trauma-informed approaches to peer support and navigation
• Document patient encounters clearly and professionally as a tool for team-based care coordination
• Work collaboratively with team members and external partners
• Co-develop a repository of appropriate community resources responsive to patient needs in partnership with the interdisciplinary team
• Attend internal and external stakeholder meetings as necessary
• Adhere to privacy and confidentiality guidelines in all interactions
  
  As a role model and champion, you will work to identify and integrate safe, best practices into daily activities to foster the delivery of safe and exemplary care.
  
  The responsibilities described above are representative and are not to be construed as all-inclusive.

Qualifications

• Community college Diploma, preferably with educational background in social/community services; An undergraduate Degree in a related field is an asset
• Two (2) years of prior work or volunteer experience in settlement services, social services, community work
• Lived experience in the refugee resettlement process in Canada is preferred
• Fluency in English and Tigrinya. Proficiency in Amharic or other languages is an asset
• Functional in MS Office, word processing, and other digital communication platforms
• Connection with or awareness of relevant resources for refugees and newcomers
• Familiarity with social, community, and health services in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• Demonstrated understanding of social determinants of health
• Ability to collaboratively identify and assess health priorities of goals of newcomers
• Sincere motivation to help other newcomers and sense of compassion for others
• Excellent communication and active listening skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build and maintain trust
• Ability to work effectively independently and in a team
• Non-judgmental attitude and communication style
• Strong problem-solving skills and conflict-management skills
• Demonstrated commitment to working from an anti-racism and anti-oppressive approach
• Previous experience in group facilitation an asset
• Adaptive and flexible approach to work, willing and able to change to respond to evolving program and participant needs
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Demonstrated record of good performance and acceptable attendance will be considered as part of the selection criteria
• Professional behaviour and communication that meets the standards of the professional regulatory college or association, as applicable, and the standards of Women’s College Hospital
• This position plays a critical role in acting as an advocate for safety and will demonstrate principles, practices and processes that will optimize a safe environment for all

Why Choose Us?

• Be part of a dedicated team committed to excellence.
• Shape the future of healthcare in a supportive environment.
• Enjoy competitive benefits and an excellent defined benefit pension plan (HOOPP).

Women's College Hospital is a fully affiliated teaching hospital of the University of Toronto and is committed to fairness and equity in employment and our recruitment and selection practices. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, members of racialized groups, women and any others who may contribute to the further diversification of our Hospital community. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under our Access for People with Disabilities policy. Applicants need to make their requirements known in advance.

Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada