Program Description:
The Child and Adolescent Centre is a regional provider of primary, secondary, and tertiary child mental health services in Southwestern Ontario through four programs: Inpatient, Outpatient, Eating Disorders, and Day Treatment.
The Child and Adolescent Centre offer assessment, stabilization and treatment. The inpatient service offers short-term stabilization admissions, inpatient assessments of urgent mental health problems presenting in crisis, and coordination with community resources for follow-up treatment planning for patients under the age of 16.
General Information:
Number of Beds:
- 11 inpatient beds including 4 dedicated to patients experiencing eating disorders.
Team Composition:
- Collaborative Practice Model: 2 Teams Composed of a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, dietitian. Nurse Practitioner/ Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical Educator collaborate with inpatient staff.
- Child & Youth counselors, Social Worker, Family Therapist, Teachers
- Average Length of Stay: 14 days
- Nurse to patient ratio: 1:5*
§ (*Child Youth Counselors also assist in providing care and milieu management).
- Primary Nursing delivery of care model
Hospital Site: Level 6: Victoria Hospital
Scheduling Information:
- Shift times: 0700-1900hrs;1900-0700hrs; occasional 8hr shifts
- Preset schedule. Casuals pre-booked and called in as needed to cover illness, increases in acuity.
Background Essentials:
- Special consideration given to students completing consolidation on the inpatient unit.
- 2 years acute care nursing experience or related experience is recommended but not required.
Professional Assets:
- Strong interpersonal skills based on knowledge of self/others, Emotional Intelligence
- Ability to work as part of a highly skilled and dedicated team
- An expressed interest in acquiring specialized knowledge in the area of child and adolescent mental health
Professional Development:
- In-services available on site. Multidisciplinary journal club meets monthly.
- Program is host to annual daylong conference. Staff involved in presentations at a national level.
- Research opportunities available.
- Professional development funds available through the Education Committee.
Student Consolidation:
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health inpatient unit offers an exciting opportunity to consolidate your skills in a positive learning environment.
Program Links:
- Inpatient unit receives regular subscriptions to a number of journals including
- Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing.
- RNAO
- CNA
