Health Coach, Primary Care Network-Burnaby

Do you take responsibility for your own performance and seek to model integrity, resilience and confidence? Are you passionate about building an engaging environment that supports and challenges others to achieve their goals? If you’ve answered yes, then we want you to keep reading.

We currently have a Relief Full Time opportunity for a Health Coach to join our Primary Health Clinic located in Burnaby, B.C. In this role, you will support clients identified to be at risk for developing chronic disease, or in the early stages of chronic disease, by making realistic and maintainable lifestyle behavioural modifications.

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Joining our team offers you opportunities to work in a rapidly growing organization with health professionals who are excellent in their respective fields, career growth and advancement, a competitive compensation package (including four weeks of vacation to start, comprehensive health benefits, and pension plan), and the rewarding opportunity to make a difference every single day in health care.

In accordance with the Mission, Vision and Values of Fraser Health and the Primary Care Network, the Health Coach (HC) supports clients identified to be at risk for developing chronic disease, or in the early stages of chronic disease, by making realistic and maintainable lifestyle behavioural modifications. The HC provides individual small-change lifestyle coaching and collaborates with the Primary Care Network interdisciplinary team, other Primary Care Network clinical programs and primary care providers to individualize change plans for the client. The HC researches, advises and connects clients with programs and/or health education resources available in the community and facilitates the development, evaluation and enhancement of health education programs and services within the Primary Care Network. Practices cultural sensitivity and humility, and establishes a dignifying and purposeful relationship with the client, contacting and getting to know the client as a unique individual. Receives work direction from staff registered psychologist(s).

1. Receives referrals from primary care providers who have assessed and identified patients at risk for developing chronic diseases and/or in early stages of a chronic disease; liaises with Primary Care Network interdisciplinary team regarding referrals to determine specific behaviour problems such as those related to physical activity, nutrition, sleep, depressive and/or distressed symptoms; arranges client visits via a face-to-face and/or virtual health visit structure.
2. Supports clients through the creation and implementation of personalized plans by utilizing approaches such as a stepped care approach focusing on improvements in lifestyle management behaviours and the setting of SMALL (specific, measurable, action-oriented, linked-to-your-life and long-term) goals.
3. Provides health education to the client/family/caregiver to increase their knowledge of the client’s health status; promotes/enhances the client’s health status by teaching procedures appropriate for their care needs; liaises and collaborates with internal and external providers including community resources to support the development, evaluation and enhancement of current health education programs - focusing on primary prevention and chronic disease management strategies - for clients within the Primary Care Network utilizing traditional and progressive training practices; develops informational materials and participates in staff education programs, as required.
4. Provides lifestyle coaching to clients based on the Small Changes health behaviour change model by utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to address specific behavioural problems including, but not limited to, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, depressive and/or distressed symptom; arranges and facilitates group lifestyle coaching of individuals with similar barriers as required and appropriate; collaborates with and receives support and mentorship regarding coaching techniques from the registered Psychologist.
5. Collaborates with other primary care clinicians such as Social Workers, Physiotherapists, Dietitians, and Aboriginal Liaisons to develop and/or provide services such as specific wellness interventions, nutritional monitoring and goal setting, social support and system navigation, including connecting clients with resources specific for Indigenous Populations.
6. Participates in activities such as program planning, development, evaluation, team-based training, and quality improvement to facilitate team goal setting.
7. Prepares and maintains written and computerized records and completes other program documentation including writing progress notes, completing incident reports and ensuring referral forms are completed and sent to appropriate referral programs.
8. Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Education, Training & Experience

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health or other relevant health related discipline. One (1) year of recent, related experience in providing lifestyle coaching in community and primary care environments, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated skills in lifestyle assessment and in developing, implementing and evaluating lifestyle management programs.
• Ability to provide to provide individual small-lifestyle change coaching.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to work in community and primary care environments.
• Ability to develop, implement and evaluate health educational programs.
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse population including working knowledge of First Nations, Metis and Inuit health, culture and traditions.
• Knowledge of community resources and programs including ability to integrate the needs of the clients with existing resources.
• Knowledge of primary prevention and chronic disease management strategies.
• Ability to model, instruct and teach life skills.
• Ability to observe and recognize changes in clients.
• Ability to work independently and in a team-based environment.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationship with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to assist clients to access online tools, resources and platforms.
• Ability to operate related equipment including applicable software applications.
• Physical ability perform the duties of the position.

Fraser Health is the heart of health care for over two million people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region.

People - those we care for and those who care for them - are at the heart of everything we do. Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 48,000+ staff, medical staff and volunteers.

We are committed to planetary health and value diversity in the work force. We strive to maintain an environment of respect, caring and trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable and culturally safe manner.

Together, we are the heart of health care.

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