Assistant Head Nurse
Your Opportunity:
This is an excellent opportunity for a nursing leadership role that combines clinical oversight, staff support, care coordination and quality improvement for children with life-limiting or life-threatening illness and their families. You will provide palliative care through a specialized team in hospital, clinic or the family's home. The Assistant Head Nurse (AHN) provides clinical leadership and operational support to the pediatric palliative care team, promoting safe, compassionate, evidence-informed and family-centered care. Working collaboratively with the Unit Manager, physicians, registered nurses, allied health professionals, patients and families, the AHN supports the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care for children with complex, life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. The AHN helps ensure that the child's comfort, dignity, quality of life, family priorities and goals of care remain central throughout the illness trajectory, including end-of-life care and bereavement support. Your role will include overseeing the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of individualized nursing care. you will support nurses in managing complex pediatric symptoms, including pain, breathlessness, nausea, agitation and other sources of distress. Your role includes providing clinical guidance for children with complex medical needs and changing conditions. The AHN promotes evidence-informed practice, patient safety and timely escalation of clinical concerns and supports compassionate end-of-life care that respects the child’s dignity and the family's goals and preferences. You will support and promote family and child centered care. You will facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and care coordination/communication.
Description:
As an Assistant Head Nurse, you will be responsible for staff assignments, patient flow, and acting as a role model, clinical resource, and advocate for nursing staff. In addition to providing frontline nursing care, as required, you will take a leadership role in the promotion of quality patient care and the implementation of operational priorities. Your in-depth knowledge and skills, advanced judgment, and clinical experience will assist in providing solutions for complex health care issues at all levels with patients, interprofessional teams, administrators, and policy makers. You will play a key role in providing safe, quality patient and family centered care while reflecting the shared vision and values.
- Classification: Assistant Head Nurse (2022.75)
- Union: United Nurses of Alberta
- Unit and Program: ASSIST - pediatric palliative care Stollery
- Primary Location: Stollery Children's Hospital
- Location Details: As Per Location
- Multi-Site: At or Out of (UNA only)
- FTE: 0.80
- Posting End Date: 29-OCT-2026
- Employee Class: Regular Part Time
- Date Available: 09-NOV-2026
- Hours per Shift: 7.75
- Length of Shift in weeks: 2
- Shifts per cycle: 8
- Shift Pattern: Days
- Days Off: As Per Rotation
- Minimum Salary: $46.05
- Maximum Salary: $63.02
- Vehicle Requirement: Driver's License, Vehicle Required
Completion of an accredited nursing education program. Active or eligibility for registration and a practice permit with, the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA). Current Basic Cardiac Life Support - Health Care Provider (BCLS-HCP).
Additional Required Qualifications:Indigenous awareness and sensitivity training. Minimum of 3 years recent pediatric experience in a quaternary facility. Recent charge nurse, leadership, educator or equivalent experience. Strong communication, organization, clinical judgment and conflict resolution skills. Experience with complex care, oncology, NICU or PICU/PCICU or pediatric palliative homecare experience.
Preferred Qualifications:Second language. Previous committee work, project leadership or formal leadership role. Quality improvement initiatives. proven ability to lead teams through change. Ability to work in dynamic clinical areas. proven clinical decision making skills with the ability to effectively prioritize competing demands and support operational flow.
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.
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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 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.
