Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Services (RACS) is a vibrant and diverse Division within Canberra Health Services providing multidisciplinary rehab, aged and community-based care across a range of settings. This includes Canberra Hospital, Community Health Centres, Village Creek Centre in Kambah.

Wards 11A and 11B at the Canberra Hospital, specialise in Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE). Acute geriatric nursing requires a deep understanding of the unique physiological, psychological, and social needs of older adults. Nurses in this field are skilled in managing complex medical conditions, coordinating multidisciplinary care, and providing compassionate support to both patients and their families. The goal is to stabilise acute conditions, promote recovery, assist with discharge planning and enhance the quality of life for elderly patients during hospital stays.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Provide advanced nursing care consistently and competently to patients of varying complexity, including acting as a role model, a core clinical resource person, and a source of expert nursing knowledge, incorporating a risk assessment approach within the Acute and Sub-Acute Aged Care speciality based on comprehensive, contemporary specialised nursing knowledge and expertise and skills in the area of Gerontology.
• Provide leadership within the multidisciplinary team to facilitate optimum health outcomes through leadership within the ward environment and ward management, co-ordinating clinical care, being autonomous in professional decision making, within scope of practice, when required, initiating clinical care activities and accepting accountability for clinical decisions and actions.
• Support education within the specialty. While facilitating competency-based nursing practice as per National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse and other specialty-specific competency to practice guidelines, through provision of support to less experienced staff, preceptorship of new staff, participation in area-specific activities such as in-service education support and promotion of reflective practice and maintenance of essential training.
• Communicate effectively and appropriately (orally, non-verbally and in writing) in a diverse range of situations, using consistent and transparent processes including the ability to communicate effectively with clients who have a cognitive impairment.
• Remain current in specialised knowledge, expertise and skills through continuing professional development and ongoing education.
• Support safe and evidence-based practice within the specialty of gerontology through: Promotion of evidence-based practice collaboration with peers supporting policy change and new clinical initiatives in order to foster a dynamic workplace. Quality improvement initiatives within the specialty.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Specific competencies include but are not limited to the following.

1. Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
2. Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet clients’ needs
3. High level leadership skills
4. High level communication skills and a strong self-directed learning ethic.

Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Tertiary Qualification or related qualification in nursing
• Registered or eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Desirable

• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Specific experience includes but is not limited to the following.

Essential

• Minimum 4 years full time equivalent post graduate experience

Desirable

• Prior experience in gerontology is highly desirable
• Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances.

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.

All employees are required to:

• adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct
• act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.

Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work. CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Proven clinical competence, specialised knowledge and experience in gerontology nursing in the acute and sub-acute hospital setting.
2. Demonstrated high level leadership skills with the ability to delegate, develop and provide direction to staff within a changing and innovative organisation.
3. Demonstrated ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team and communicate effectively to foster a culture of open communication and feedback within a dynamic environment.
4. Demonstrated ability to identify, develop, implement and review policies and processes related to aged care services and strategies used to implement change. Demonstrated commitment to professional development, and participation in quality improvement activities, education activities, and resource management.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.

Administrative	Frequency
Telephone use	Frequently
General computer use	Frequently
Extensive keying/data entry	Frequently
Graphical/analytical based	Occasionally
Sitting at a desk	Occasionally
Standing for long periods	Frequently

Psychosocial demands	Frequency
Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations	Frequently
Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness	Occasionally
Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries	Occasionally
Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers	Occasionally
Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide	Occasionally

Physical demands	Frequency
Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit)	Occasionally
Working outdoors	Never

Manual handling	Frequency
Lifting 0 – 9kg	Frequently
Lifting 10 – 15kg	Occasionally
Lifting 16kg+	Never
Climbing	Never
Running	Occasionally
Reaching	Occasionally
Kneeling	Occasionally
Foot and leg movement	Frequently
Hand, arm and grasping movements	Frequently
Bending/squatting	Occasionally
Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting	Occasionally
Push/pull	Occasionally
Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time	Occasionally

Travel	Frequency
Frequent travel – multiple work sites	Never
Frequent travel – driving	Never

Specific hazards	Frequency
Working at heights	Never
Exposure to extreme temperatures	Never
Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift	Never
Confined spaces	Never
Excessive noise	Occasionally
Low lighting	Never
Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological.	Occasionally
Slippery or uneven surfaces	Never