Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - Adolescents & Young Adult Oncology (AYA)

Union: Non-Union
Number of Vacancies: 1
Site: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Department: Nursing Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) Oncology
Reports to: Director of Professional Practice
Work Model: On-site
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (may include some evenings and weekends)
Shifts: Weekdays with Evenings and Weekends as required
Status: Temporary Full Time (1 year Maternity Leave)
Closing Date: September 1 2025

Position Summary
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer aged 15 to 39 are a constituency of patients facing disparities of care affecting their quality of life and treatment outcomes. The AYA patients who develop cancer have unique psychosocial and medical needs and concerns during their illness trajectory. The AYA program operates in parallel and complimentary to established disease site treatment pathways at Princess Margaret. 

The AYA Program at PM is one of a kind in Canada. There are approximately 1400 adults under the age of 39 years diagnosed with cancer each year at PM. The AYA Program serves this population as well as patients referred from other cancer programs with the aim of supporting young people through all stages of their disease trajectoryfrom diagnosis to survivorship and/or palliation.

The AYA CNS is a health care professional who will be able to work independently and offer developmentally appropriate tailored assessments to the AYA population. This individual should be skilled at supportive counselling with knowledge of coping with cancer body image sexual health social isolation navigating the cancer system and fertility preservation. Depending on the assessed patients needs the AYA CNS will facilitate referrals to supports within and external to PM. This will require the successful candidate to develop a broad and deep understanding of all of the hospital and community based resources that are appropriate for the AYA population.

The AYA CNS holds a leadership position within the AYA program and plays a pivotal role in the patients care trajectory connecting them with other members of the team and ensuring that their needs are met throughout their cancer experience. Therefore the AYA CNS needs to have a good understanding of cancers that affect young people and corresponding treatments (chemotherapy radiation bone marrow transplant and surgery). The successful candidate will be working as part of a multi-disciplinary supportive care team with highly specialized skills in patient navigation education and counselling.

Aside from clinical responsibilities the AYA clinical nurse specialist will lead the development of patient engagement activities quality improvement initiatives maintain and support the monthly patient meet-up groups and other program activities. The AYA clinical nurse specialist will also participate in staff and patient education related to AYA care.

Duties

Clinical Care:

• Facilitate patient programming on evenings and weekends as required
• Uses advanced clinical judgment and nursing knowledge to provide specialized consultative clinical care specific to the needs of AYA with cancer
• Has a strong understanding of fertility and sexual health side effects from treatment and provides counselling to patients on these issues in a timely manner
• Has a strong understanding of AYA supportive care services and resources (i.e. fertility sexual health peer support nutrition exercise body image school/work)
• Maintains and evaluates established clinical care pathways with relevant services (i.e. reproductive endocrinology urology gynecology psychosocial oncology) for timely interventions

Program Development:

• Will build evaluate and expand patient-related resources including focus groups and education materials
• Will lead nursing patient and allied health education related to AYA care
• Will lead and participate in quality improvement/research projects with AYA team
• Will participate in planning and implementation of patient events and programming with AYA team

Qualifications :

• Current certificate of registration from the College of Nurses of Ontario
• Completion of a graduate degree program in nursing or a recognized equivalent
• Current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support
• Certification in Oncology Nursing preferred
• Membership in relevant professional organizations preferred (e.g. RNAO CANO)
• Advanced nursing practice expertise preferred
• Experience in oncofertility preferred
• Experience with the adolescents and young adults preferred
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Effective counselling and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organization and time management skills
• Excellent decision making problem recognition and problem solving skills
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Program planning skills
• Ability to work in a self-directed manner independently and under stressful conditions
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple demands
• Ability to utilize information technology

Additional Information :

Why join UHN

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world UHN offers a wide range of benefits programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor allowing you to find value where it matters most to you now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel restaurants parking phone plans auto insurance discounts on-site gyms etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHNs attendance management program to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates.  Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading inaccurate or incorrect UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Contract