Meenu Kanji

Job Title
Community Health Nurse (RPN)

Department/Location
Assertive Outreach Team

How long have you worked at VCH?
I’ve worked at VCH as a psychiatric nurse for almost a year and a half.

Tell us what you do at VCH in one or two sentences:
I work as an RPN with the Assertive Outreach Team, in partnership with the Vancouver Police Department. We serve clients who struggle with moderate to severe substance use and mental illness within the community who tend to be disconnected from any support services. Part of my job includes providing short term case management and engaging with clients while bridging them to longer term treatment teams, such as ACT or other Mental health teams. The main focus of my job is crisis prevention, and risk assessment and management.

What’s your favourite thing about your work?
I love the autonomy of my job, and the responsibility and accountability that comes with that. I also appreciate and enjoy the people I work with, and most of all, I am very grateful and feel privileged to have the opportunity to meet and help the clients we serve.

How does your work contribute to the VCH True North goals?
At the Assertive Outreach Team, I believe we meet the goals of people first and better health care for our communities, as we often care for clients who “fall through the cracks” or don’t “fit in” within the system. As a result, we ensure that all our clients recieve individualized and client-centered care.

One thing we might be surprised to learn about you:
I was born in Paris, France, then spent the next 6 months in Tanzania, Africa before coming to Canada.

Who is somebody that you consider a major role model in your life?
My sister, who is a free and caring spirit, is a very important role model in my life. Also, many of the staff I worked with in PAU helped shape my career path.

Who or what inspires you?
My partner of 10 years inspires me everyday to be a better person, to think outside the box, and step outside of my comfort zone.

Most healthy habit:
I work out with kettle bells 3x per week.

Favourite vacation spot:
It’s hard to pick one favorite spot. A have a few, which include Thailand, Bali, and Kuaui.