Access Navigator, Central Referral

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 224166
Department/Program: Central Referral, Mental Health And Addictions
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
Start Date: August 2026
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $36.5798 - $48.53 /hour
Closing Date: August 05, 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager, the Access Navigator is a member of the inter-professional health care team and is responsible for providing information, assessment and support to patients and families at entry and transfer points in the Mental Health and Addiction Services. The Access Navigator empathically and effectively collects clinical information from clients, families and collateral sources, applies this information to a decision-making model and offers appropriate next-step follow-up appointments or provides alternatives to families seeking services. The Access Navigator directs referrals to the most appropriate care pathways based on a clinical algorithm designed by the care team.

The Access Navigator has knowledge of available resources within IWK Health and the community to address Mental Health and Addiction issues and facilitates referrals for families. The Access Navigator exhibits a commitment to the highest standard of professional integrity, by interacting with colleagues, patients, families, students, and partners in a respectful and collaborative manner in keeping with principles of client-centred and family-centred care, IWK Health standards, and their own Standards of Professional Practice as applicable.

Hours of Work

7.5-hour shifts (between 08:00 and 21:00); Monday to Friday.

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor of Social Work required.
• Registration with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) required.
• Minimum of two (2) years related clinical experience, required.
• Three (3) to five (5) years experience in intake and/or client navigation, preferred.
• Experience in Mental Health and Addictions treatment settings, preferred.
• Current successful completion of a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Basic Life Support (BLS) program within the last 12 months required or successful completion of a BLS Renewal Challenge Certificate required.
• Non Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) certification required.
• Knowledge of IWK and community resources and skills in navigating systems.
• Ability to effectively and efficiently conduct telephone facilitated intake for the purpose of booking appointments, providing information and support to patients and families.
• Ability to match criteria for clinical streams to identified patient and family needs.
• Ability to assess risk of harm to self and others and triage appropriately.
• Knowledge of the Choice and Partnership Approach model of service delivery, preferred.
• Knowledge of a harm reduction approach to care.
• Ability to use databases to collect patient information and to retrieve reports related to patient demographics and wait times.
• Able to work in a collaborative and consultative manner as part of an interprofessional team.
• Ability to accurately enter data into patient information systems required.
• Demonstrated clinical competence and experience with the described patient population.
• Competency in other languages an asset.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Healthcare bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.