Transition to Community Palliative Care

Location: Melbourne | Western Metropolitan

Job type: Part time

Organisation: Mercy Health

**Salary**: Salary not specified

Occupation: Nursing

Reference: 21021

**TRANSITION TO PALLIATIVE CARE**
- Newly established program for your professional development
- Supportive work environment with dedicated Nurse Educator
- Delivering in-home care; servicing our growing community

Mercy Palliative Care is a 24 hour community-based palliative care service providing in home care to patients of all ages with life limiting illnesses. Our services covers the North and West Metropolitan region of Melbourne which incorporates seven municipalities including: Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Melton, Moonee Valley, Hobson Bay and Wyndham.

Our multi-disciplinary team including Doctors, Nurses and Allied Health is committed to providing holistic care to patients and their family ensuring they experience the best quality of life while addressing their physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. Our aim is to deliver quality patient care with focus on symptom management while providing support to patient and their families to relieve the psychological, financial and emotional burden during the palliative phase.

We are seeking a compassionate and highly motivated Registered Nurse who is looking to expand their knowledge of palliative care in the community. In this newly established program you will participate in a purpose designed program while being supported by a dedicated Nurse Educator to achieve the clinical goals and objectives. This position is a 6 month limited tenure permanent part-time position (0.8EFT) with the opportunity for ongoing employment at the completion of the program.

This structured program commencing in February offers educational opportunities in the form of a comprehensive orientation, in-service education, paid professional development days, face-to-face workshops, reflective practice and online learning.

You will be required to:

- Demonstrate care and compassion to people living with a terminal condition and dying as well as supporting carers
- Be respectful and inclusive of the patient’s values, beliefs and cultural diversity.
- Provide patient-centred and holistic care including assessment and ongoing review of patient’s needs with focus on anticipating future needs
- Demonstrate strong clinical decision making skills
- Plan and coordinate referrals to appropriate services relating to end of life care
- Engage with key stakeholders both internally and externally adhering to policy and procedures related to the care of patients
- Work within the multidisciplinary team and autonomously (with remote support available)
- Work a rotating roster across a 7 day period - AM / PM / Night Duty
- Required to complete on site training program.
- Pathway to Post graduate palliative care programs
- Located at Sunshine office with PM/ Night duty and weekend shifts on road starting from Werribee office.

**ABOUT YOU**:

- Registered with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) with no restrictions
- Driver’s License with no restrictions
- High level of interpersonal skills with the ability to establish therapeutic relationships
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal

**ABOUT US**:
Mercy Palliative Care is a community palliative care service operating in the Western region of Melbourne and provides a holistic multidisciplinary approach to palliative care. We provide psychological and spiritual support, caring for people of all ages with life-limiting illnesses in their homes as well as complex symptom management. We currently care for over 500 patients across the region in their own homes.

Mercy Health is a Catholic organisation grounded in a 2,000-year tradition of caring for others. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Health is made up of more than 9,500 people who provide acute and subacute hospital care, aged care, mental health programs, maternity and specialist women's health services, early parenting services, home care services and health worker training and development.

Mercy Health is proud to be recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the WGEA.

**WHAT WE OFFER**:
Mercy Health recognises that people are searching for meaning in their work life and finding a workplace that connects with their values is a key motivation when choosing an employer. As a not-for-profit healthcare provider, Mercy Health has a strong mission and clear values that guide us in everything we do. We pride ourselves on:

- caring for our people and those important to them with generous employee assistance available for employees and their families
- protecting children and vulnerable people in all our services, by listening to them and having zero tolerance of any form of abuse and neglect
- taking a stand against climate change, which is one of the biggest threats to the health of the world and all humanity, and committing to action that will help make