Job Description

Your Opportunity:

Being the first and only Indigenous pediatric healthcare program in North America, the Awasisak Indigenous Health Program strives to meet the unique and complex needs of our patients and families. The Indigenous Cultural Advisor position was created to address these needs through provision of education, guidance, cultural supports, and facilitation of traditional healing practices to the patients, families, and staff of the Stollery Children's Hospital. Working with all parties, the Advisor will be instrumental in ensuring we are providing respectful, appropriate, and culturally sensitive care to our patients and families. This includes creating and holding safe space for the use of traditional healing practices within the western health care system. In doing so you will be instrumental in building trust, understanding, and the awareness necessary to help to reduce stigmatisms face by our Indigenous populations. This will have a direct impact on both conscious and unconscious bias for all parties. The Cultural Advisor will be responsible for ensuring we are all working, in a good way, towards providing the best possible care to the Awasisak and Children's Stollery Hospital patients.

Description:

The Cultural Advisor reports to Awasisak Team Lead in the development, delivery, and evaluation of activities identified as priorities of the Awasisak Indigenous Health Department. In Indigenous ways of knowing the incumbent is seen as equivalent to a degree or Master's level of education. Your teachings and traditionally earned knowledge will provide spiritual, mental, and emotional guidance for Stollery pediatric patients and families. Additionally, you will deliver the necessary education and/or training to staff to ensure we are all working towards creating culturally safe spaces and providing the appropriate level care to our diverse patients. As the Awasisak Cultural Advisor you will be asked to provide traditional healing practices on a regular and patient-requested basis. Your role will also include ensuring the Awasisak staff are fully confident in their ability to provide the appropriate level of care when it comes to cultural supports. The Team Lead will look after any protocol that may be required. The Cultural Advisor position is seen as a role model, coach, mentor, guide, and relationship builder between patients, families, communities, and the health care workforce. This position may provide a wide range of cultural support to all program areas within the Stollery Children's Hospital. To assist in fulfilling AHS vision: Healthy Albertans, Healthy Communities, Together, the Indigenous Cultural Advisor will provide support, guidance, advice, and encouragement to all Stollery staff, volunteers, children, youth, their families, and communities. This vital work is carried out through direct provision of spiritual, mental, and emotional guidance and support. This is a vital role within the Awasisak program, one that will represent the Stollery Children's Hospital in a positive, respectful, and culturally sensitive manner.

• Classification: Advisor
• Union: Exempt
• Unit and Program: Awasisak Indigenous Health Program, Children's Stollery Hospital
• Primary Location: Stollery Children's Hospital
• Location Details: As Per Location
• Negotiable Location: Within Edmonton Zone
• Employee Class: Regular Full Time
• FTE: 1.00
• Posting End Date: 13-OCT-2022
• Date Available: 23-OCT-2022
• Hours per Shift: 7.75
• Length of Shift in weeks: 2
• Shifts per cycle: 10
• Shift Pattern: Days
• Days Off: Saturday/Sunday
• Minimum Salary: $28.20
• Maximum Salary: $48.45
• Vehicle Requirement: Driver's License, Vehicle Required

Required Qualifications:

As a bona fide occupational requirement, and under Section 11 of the Alberta Human Rights Act, only Indigenous applicants will be considered. Traditionally earned teachings around ceremonies, protocols, and Indigenous history of healing practices. Develop and maintain a resource list of cultural supports and Elders/Knowledge Keepers for the Awasisak and Stollery as a whole. Ability to provide prayer, facilitate traditional healing practices and/or other ceremonies that have been passed on to you and earned in a good way. Broad knowledge of Indigenous history and cultures within (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Saskatchewan) Demonstrated competence in team building, interpersonal effectiveness, and conflict resolution skills. Knowledge of and comfort with technological applications (Exchange, MS Word, Pathways, Excel, Telehealth etc). Experience working with Indigenous children, youth and their families. Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external partners in a respectful and collaborative manner.
Additional Required Qualifications:

Traditionally earned understanding about Indigenous cultural beliefs, values, customs, practices, healing ways, ceremonies, traditional medicines and protocols. Guided ongoing development with Traditional Elders over the course of many years. Learning about Indigenous cultural identity that is recognized by other Indigenous people and is respectful in a health care environment. Knowledge of how to respond to various cultural needs of a wide diversity of Indigenous populations. Knowledge about the effects of colonization and residential schools, including intergenerational trauma. A solid understanding of and sensitivity to the experiences of First Nations, Metis, Non-Status and Inuit peoples in Canada, and the impact of the legacy of Residential Schools, Day Program and the "Sixties Scoop" is essential. Experience working with Indigenous people, organizations, and communities.
Preferred Qualifications:

Ability to speak an Indigenous fluent language is an asset. Ability to pick traditional medicines for the program. Indigenous programming or health care certificates. Courses in understanding and treatment of generational trauma.

Please note:

All postings close at 23:59 MT of the posting end date indicated.

Security Screening:

A satisfactory criminal record check and/or Vulnerable Sector Search is required prior to your first day of work. Additionally, all employees have an ongoing duty to disclose any charges or convictions that may occur during their employment with AHS.

Healthy Albertans. Healthy
Communities. Together.

We're passionate about what we do. Our team of skilled and dedicated health care professionals, support staff, and physicians promote wellness and provide health care every day, all across Alberta.

Everything we do at AHS reflects a patient and family centred approach; it's about putting patients' and families' experiences, priorities and trust first.

We are an equal opportunity employer. AHS values the diversity of the people and communities we serve and is committed to attracting, engaging and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce.