The Addiction Nursing Fellowship program strives for excellence in clinical training, scholarship, research, and advocacy. The program includes specialty training in inpatient and outpatient addiction management, as well as related concurrent disorders training. The program prepares Nursing Fellows to work clinically in the field of addiction and take leadership roles in academic and/or research settings.

OVERVIEW & ELIGIBILITY    FELLOWSHIP CORE ROTATIONS    APPLY    CURRENT & PAST FELLOWS

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP    SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

OVERVIEW & ELIGIBILITY

New nursing trainees are accepted into the program each year from a range of clinical and academic backgrounds. The program runs from July 1 to June 30 (one year). There may be some flexibility with the start date and duration, particularly for applicants who have secured their own funding.

Fellowship Overview

  • Fellows are accepted with a focus on clinical practice, nursing research, and/or leadership.
  • The program encourages learning experiences in a variety of settings, including residential recovery, withdrawal management, inpatient, chronic pain, research, and other placements.
  • The program also encourages didactic learning experiences through a two-week academic block, journal clubs, research and presentation skills development, clinical and research skills workshops, and lectures with interdisciplinary trainees (e.g., medicine, social work, and nursing practitioner).
  • There is flexibility in rotations based on experience and individual learning objectives.
  • Each Fellow’s rotations are tailored to learning objectives that are set with the Program Director.
  • A description of some of the training rotations can be found below.

Eligibility
The BCCSU Addiction Nursing Fellowship accepts applications from registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses who are licensed to practice in BC through the College of Registered Nurses of BC. Nurse practitioners can apply for the Addiction Nurse Practitioner Fellowship. Applicants who are currently in Master’s or Doctoral programs and/or bring their own funding will be prioritized.

FELLOWSHIP CORE ROTATIONS

The St. Paul’s Hospital Addiction Medicine Consultation Service
The Addiction Medicine Consultation Team (AMCT) at St. Paul’s Hospital provides interdisciplinary inpatient addiction consultations to the entire hospital, including all medical and surgical wards and the emergency department. Consultations involve addiction treatment coordination for medical comorbidities and opioid agonist therapy initiation, continuation, and monitoring. Inpatient withdrawal management, motivational interviewing, follow-up treatment recommendations, and coordination are also conducted by the AMCT.
Inpatient and Outpatient Chemical Dependency at Vancouver Detox
Vancouver Detox provides an excellent clinical learning environment for medical withdrawal management and related care. Fellows will provide full assessments and management in this 25-bed inpatient medically supervised withdrawal management unit, and will be exposed to the full spectrum of inpatient medical withdrawal management patient care. A Daytox program for outpatient medical withdrawal management and early treatment, located in the same facility, is also part of this rotation.
Outpatient Chemical Dependency at Three Bridges Community Health Centre
Fellows will be involved with initial assessment and ongoing treatment of primary care outpatients with substance use disorders. A range of treatments are provided at Three Bridges, including opioid agonist maintenance treatment with methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®), group and one-on-one counselling (e.g., matrix model, Seeking Safety), and outpatient withdrawal management. This is an excellent interdisciplinary learning environment; Three Bridges is highly experienced with hosting trainees and exposing them to a wide range of activities.
Women’s Recovery at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre
Home base for this rotation is the Heartwood Centre for Women, a tertiary, provincial 28-bed residential addiction treatment facility for cisgender and transgender women. Fellows will be involved with the full spectrum of treatment, from withdrawal management to group therapy. There will also be some exposure to Fir Square Combined Care Unit, an inpatient stabilization and withdrawal management unit at BC Women’s Hospital for care for women using substances and infants exposed to these substances.
Pain Management at OrionHealth
The Pain Management Program at OrionHealth (Vancouver Pain Clinic) is an intensive outpatient program. Fellows will be responsible for observing and learning about medical assessments—including taking histories and physical examinations using screening instruments —to support an interdisciplinary care team in diagnosis and treatment planning for patients with chronic pain disorders, many of whom also have concurrent substance use disorders. Fellows will learn about opioid rotation, conversion to long-acting opioids, and opioid withdrawal management, and will also become very familiar with the use of antidepressants, anticonvulsants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and other medication therapies.
The Psychiatric Assessment and Stabilization Unit / Consultation Liaison Service at St. Paul’s Hospital
The Psychiatric Assessment and Stabilization Unit (PASU) / Consultation Liaison Service (CLS) is an acute assessment and stabilization unit that deals primarily with concurrently disordered (e.g., addicted and mentally ill) patients requiring psychiatric admission. Nurses will support the interdisciplinary team for consultations which involve full bio-psycho-social assessments, including full history and exam; addiction treatment coordination for medical and psychiatric comorbidities; and opioid agonist therapy initiation, continuation, and monitoring. Inpatient withdrawal and withdrawal management, motivational interviewing, follow-up treatment recommendations, and coordination are also part of the care provided.
St Paul’s Hospital’s Inner City Youth Mental Health Program
St. Paul’s Hospital’s Inner City Youth Mental Health Program hosts this rotation, which combines outpatient assessments, long-term residential care management, and in-hospital care for youth between the ages of 16 and 25.
Longitudinal Outpatient Continuity of Care Experience
Each Fellow will spend time in a community setting at a consistent site over the Fellowship in order to become familiar with a patient population living with substance use disorders and/or process addictions.

APPLY

Application Timeline for the 2020-2021 Addiction Nursing Fellowship:

  • August 26, 2019: Application process opens
  • November 1, 2019: Application deadline
  • November 18, 2019 to January 10, 2020: Interview period
  • January 20, 2020: Acceptance notification
  • January 31, 2020: Deadline for acceptance
  • July 2, 2020: Fellowship begins

Please note: While the Fellowship is envisioned to be begin July 2, there may be some flexibility with the start date, particularly for applicants who bring their own funding.


Application Details
Interested candidates must submit an electronic copy of the following documentation:

  1. Three (3) letters - two letters of reference and one letter of support (pdf preferred):
    • One letter of reference should speak to the applicant’s clinical expertise and experience;
    • One letter of reference should speak to the applicant’s character, leadership, advocacy, etc.
    • One letter of support should be from the applicant’s manager or supervisor and outline employer/organizational support for the applicant to complete the fellowship program
  2. A 700-word letter of intent, in letter format (pdf preferred) describing:
    • The applicant’s background and preparation for the Fellowship to date
    • The applicant’s learning objectives and any specific areas of clinical interest or research interest
    • Why the applicant is interested in a career in the field of addictions, and
    • How the applicant envisions their fellowship experience will support their future impacts within the system of addictions treatment and care.
      • In addition, please comment on any institutional support available, preference for 6-month full-time or 12-month part-time format, or if flexible.
  3. A curriculum vitae


Please send an electronic copy of all application materials to the Fellowship Program Assistant, Adrina Halket: adrina.halket@bccsu.ubc.ca



Interviews
Interviews may be conducted with top candidates from each discipline shortly after the application deadline. Interviews may be in person, on the phone, or via Skype.

General Inquiries
For further information about this fellowship program, please email Liz Yue, Addiction Fellowships Coordinator, at elizabeth.yue@bccsu.ubc.ca. For managers and supervisors, please feel free to reach out with questions pertaining to program funding and institutional support.

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

Cheyenne Johnson, MPH, RN, CCRP, Director, BCCSU Clinical Activities and Development; Director, BCCSU Addiction Nursing Fellowship

Samantha Robinson, MPH, RN, Associate Director, BCCSU Addiction Nursing Fellowship

CURRENT & PAST FELLOWS

View a list of current Addiction Nursing Fellows here.

Past Addiction Nursing Fellows are below.


2013-14

  • MONICA GREGORY

2014-15

  • CHEYENNE JOHNSON

2015-16

  • ELYSE VANI
  • PAULINE VOON

2016-17

  • EMMA GARROD
  • MEGHAN THUMATH
  • MOHAMED IBRAHIM

2017-18

  • NICOLE COWAN
  • COLIN McWILLIAMS
  • KENDRAH ROSE

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

providence-healthcare-logoSt. Paul’s Hospital at Providence Health Care is an acute care, academic, and research hospital located in downtown Vancouver. With over 500 acute care beds in use and home to many world-leading medical and surgical programs, the hospital serves both the local community and patients from across BC. Its downtown location brings many of Vancouver’s tourists and visitors to its doors. St. Paul’s also has a longstanding history of providing care to disadvantaged populations. For more information about St. Paul’s Hospital, please click here.


unc-division-aidsFrom its inception in 2007, the Division of AIDS at the University of British Columbia has worked collaboratively with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (est. 1992) and the AIDS Research Program at St. Paul’s Hospital / UBC (est. 1988). Our divisional members are involved in various areas of research in the area of HIV treatment and prevention. The Division places considerable emphasis on treating and preventing HIV infection among intravenous drug users. For more information about the UBC Division of AIDS, please click here.


logo-webThe BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) is a provincially networked resource with a mandate to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction. The BCCSU focuses on three strategic areas: research and evaluation, education and training, and clinical care guidance. With the support of the province of British Columbia, the BCCSU hosts the largest interdisciplinary addiction medicine training program in North America, building capacity in the healthcare system in BC to improve access to evidence-based care. Although physically located in Vancouver, the BCCSU is a provincially networked resource for researchers, educators, and care providers, as well as people who use substances, family advocates, support groups, and the recovery community. It is hosted at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and Providence Health Care. For more information about the BCCSU, please click here.


ubc-logo-fullThe University of British Columbia (UBC), established in 1908, is one of Canada’s leading research universities, consistently ranked among the top 40 in the world. The university attracts 54,000 students from across Canada and 140 countries around the world to two major campuses. For more information about UBC, please click here.


spf-logoSt. Paul’s Foundation raises funds to support compassionate world-class care, research, and teaching at St. Paul’s Hospital. The BCCSU Addiction Medicine Fellowship is a partnership between St. Paul’s Foundation, St. Paul’s Hospital, the BC Centre on Substance Use, and the UBC Division of AIDS. The program was launched with a $3 million landmark donation to St. Paul’s Foundation, gifted by Goldcorp, Inc. The Foundation continues to secure additional funding to support the program. For more information, or to donate, please click here.


vch-logoVancouver Coastal Health is a regional health authority providing direct and contracted health services including primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care; home and community care; mental health services; population and preventive health; and addictions services in part of Greater Vancouver and the Coast Garibaldi area. For more information, please click here.

Copyright © 2016, British Columbia Centre on Substance Use

400-1045 Howe St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9

E: inquiries@bccsu.ubc.ca | T: (778) 945-7616 | F: (604) 428-5183

Online Addiction Medicine Diploma: bccsu_education@bccsu.ubc.ca.