Position Overview
The Department of Clinical Neurosciences in the Cumming School of Medicine invites applications for Research Associate (Spiritual Health Practitioner). This Fixed Term Part-time position is for approximately 12 months (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.
Reporting to the Principal Investigator.
Following established procedures, the Spiritual Health Practitioner will be part of the project implementation. In addition, the Research Associate (Spiritual Health Practitioner) will be involved in the evaluations of participants (including patients with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders in advanced stages and their care partners) and in telephone interviews.
The project related to this position aims to create the Calgary Movement disorders Palliative Care program to guarantee access to this type of care to all Albertans and to expand the understanding of PC interventions in people with parkinsonism by a rigorous monitoring and evaluation process and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Training will be provided in the field of neurodegenerative disorders and other aspects of the job.
Position Description
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
- The team will be completed by a neurologist, a palliative care nurse, a psychologist, and a social worker. The role will work collaboratively with the team to determine intervention plans
- Provides direct and indirect patient care including spiritual needs assessment, intervention, education, advocacy, resource finding, and consultation throughout the patient care process as required
- Supports patients in working through changes in their health and functional status, for example, their loss of independence, grief, meaning, forgiveness, trust, and other significant components of human existence and experience
- Acts as an advocate to support staff understanding of the spiritual and cultural needs of patients/family members
- Refers, as needed, to religious community visitors with patient/family consent, and responds to referrals from religious community visitors
- Provides grief support for patients and families
- Contributes to collaborative interprofessional practice, including participation in patient care conferences and contributing to the development of the plan of care as appropriate
- Participates in Advanced Caring Planning/Goals of Care Designation
- Supports patient/family in ethical decision making (e.g. end-of-life)
- Supports team with information to support ethical decision making, and provides ethic consults dependent upon appropriate training
- Ensures appropriate resources are available to assist staff in meeting patient/family spiritual health needs
Qualifications / Requirements:
- Post-secondary education/degree in theology, seminary or related field required
- 3-5 years of related counselling/ministry experience
- Excellent time management, accuracy and attention to detail
- Experience with working with the public is a strong asset
- Knowledge of health and scientific terminology is a strong asset
- Health services research experience is a strong asset
- Ability to work as a member of a team, staff, and research team members
- Strong communication skills
- Approachable. Able to motivate/enable others
- Fluency in English required
Application Deadline: July 13, 2022
We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
Additional Information
This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase II.
To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Cumming School of Medicine.
The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
About the University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.
As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.