Dementia Australia - Clinical Nurse Consultant

Dementia Australia is the national peak body and source of trusted information, education and services for the estimated half a million Australians living with dementia, and the almost 1.6 million people involved in their care. We advocate for positive change and support vital research.  We are here to support people impacted by dementia, and to enable them to live as well as possible. Our commitment to a shared set of values shapes our decisions, actions and behaviours towards achieving our core purpose and strategic priorities. 

• We connect by promoting a people centred way of working and respecting all
• We collaborate in a supportive manner with each other, other teams, clients and external parties
• We commit to our purpose and direction, accountable for our actions and support the innovations, reshaping the way we do things

Working across regional South Australia, the Clinical Nurse Consultant for the Nightingale Program (funded by Country SA PHN and The Rosemary Foundation for Memory Support), will work as a sole practitioner and be responsible for the provision of holistic nursing assessments, information, guidance, and support to enable people and their families to live well at advanced, palliative and end stage of dementia. This autonomous role will incorporate providing dementia and nursing specific education for professionals, raising awareness for the general public and capacity building with service providers.

You can find more information on the Nightingale Program at https://www.dementia.org.au/support/support-in-your-region/south-australia/nightingale-program

Reporting directly to the Team Leader, Client Services, you will also be responsible for:

• Ensuring triage of referrals and timely allocation of program resources for appropriate referrals.
• Undertaking a high standard holistic nursing assessment utilising standardised nursing assessment tools appropriate to the clinical presentation.
• Providing detailed nursing recommendations for care strategies following assessment, using a holistic, person centred and multidisciplinary team approach.
• Providing information including psycho-educational and psycho-social interventions and resources about complex health symptoms and psycho-social issues associated with dementia, advanced dementia and end of life to people diagnosed with dementia, their families and carers.

To be successful in this role you will have excellent communication and presentation skills, be a true team player, willing to undertake intrastate overnight travel and meet the key selection criteria outlined below.

Key Selection Criteria:

1. Registered Nurse with 5+ years postgraduate experience with current registration with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
2. Understanding of dementia and ability to provide comprehensive nursing assessment and consultation for people with dementia, their families and carers.
3. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of the clinical presentations and complex comorbidities of people with dementia in advanced  and end  stages of dementia.
4. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of nursing assessment and practices in the care of people with dementia.
5. Demonstrated ability to develop, plan, implement and evaluate care and support plans for people with dementia with complex care needs.
6. Knowledge of end of life issues for people with dementia, their families and carers.
7. Proven ability to liaise effectively and advocate with community, aged and disability services, medical, allied health and other health care professionals and services.
8. High level interpersonal and communication skills (written, verbal, presentation skills etc.).

Qualifications:

• Tertiary Education in Nursing
• Post graduate studies in Palliative Care and / or Dementia Care will be highly regarded.

In return, you will be offered a flexible and supportive work environment as well as a number of attractive staff benefits. You will be making a difference in the lives of people living with dementia, their families and friends.

You will be required to provide a cover letter outlining your response to the key selection criteria within the application process. You will also be requested to attach a copy of your resume. For specific role enquiries, please contact Nick Hoogland at Nick.Hoogland@dementia.org.au.

Please note, Applications that do not contain a covering letter that addresses each of the key selection criteria will not be considered.