Associate Director, Nursing- Behavioral Health

About NYC Health + Hospitals

Harlem Hospital Center has been a bedrock of the Harlem community since 1887. The hospital provides a wide range of medical, surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic and family support services to the residents of Central Harlem, West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. Harlem is the largest hospital in the area, capable of treating the most seriously ill. Harlem provides over 90 specialized ambulatory care services, dentistry and oral surgery, behavioral health services, and community substance abuse treatment.

Work Shifts

7:00 A.M – 3:30 P.M 8:00 A.M – 4:00 P.M

Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides supervisory/administrative coverage of the department of nursing, other patient care areas and the hospital in general during evening and night shifts.
• Knowledge of hospital wide administrative as well as nursing policies and procedures.
• Provision of managerial and clinical links between the nurse manager and department direction in their absence.
• Afford knowledge of the patient flow/throughput process as they assist physicians and staff in assigning admission and internal /external transfers.
• Assumes administrative responsibilities and clinical oversight for Patient Care Services under the supervision of the Director of Nursing or Chief Nurse Officer.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Covers all patient care and operational activities in respective departments.
• Adheres to dress code in accordance with hospital expectations.
• Completes all annual education requirements.
• Maintains patient confidentiality at all times.
• Reports to work on time and as scheduled.
• Wears hospital ID while on duty.
• Maintains regulatory requirements, including all state, federal and local regulations.
• Represents the organization in a positive and professional manner at all times.
• Complies with all organizational policies and standards regarding ethical business practices.
• Promotes and communicates the mission, vision, values, ethics and goals of the organization.
• Participates in performance improvement and continuous quality improvement activities.
• Attends regular staff meetings and in-services.
• Promotes a positive and pleasant attitude conducive to the workplace, which promotes customer service, enhances, and furthers the hospital’s Mission, Vision and Values.
• Patient Care Management/Unit Operations
• Responds to concerns or inquiries from patients and family members either by telephone or face to face.
• Uses discretion when honoring special requests from patients and families.
• Collaborates with other members of the leadership team in planning and developing programs to improve patient care and employee performance.
• Maintains employee performance relative to patient care and nursing practice, e.g. compliance to policy/procedures relative to patient care assignments and the related documentation, narcotic count, code cart assessment, medication administration and documentation, etc.
• Supports, guides and provides feedback to staff.
• Communicates identified staff needs for continuing education to the Education Director.
• Acts as a change agent with all nursing personnel.
• Ensures a safe work environment for patient care.
• Prepares and implements all short and long-term departmental goals.
• Maintains contemporary nursing knowledge with education.
• Promotes and assures established safety and infection control procedures and intervenes in the event of unsafe situations.
• Complies with, supports the code of conduct, and seeks guidance when in doubt.
• Aids physicians and staff in admission criteria for assigning admission status to patients (observation/admission).
• Makes frequent, purposeful rounds to assess the status of departments.
• Assesses the acuity of care across the units and adjusts staffing as needed.
• Evaluates staffing plan and ensures that staffing is adequate to meet patient care needs.
• Collaborates with peers and Nurse Managers in developing strategies to improve the patient experience.
• Maintains open lines of communication, strategizes resolutions to problems, reviews/analyzes quality improvement data and monitors the effectiveness of any action plans, assess/review the master staffing plan periodically for modification, review customer service/patient satisfaction patterns.
• Develops and implements a staffing plan for shift based on patient acuity, patient census and available staff.
• Serves as a resource to staff for solving clinical problems.
• Assists staff to utilize staffing resources to meet patient care requirements and other professional responsibilities.
• Provides for immediate follow-up, documentation and communication of incidents to appropriate manager and director.
• Responds to all medical emergencies (Rapid Responses, Cardiac Arrests, MTP, etc.) to provide leadership support and oversight.
• Acts as a resource in identifying and/or solving administrative/operational problems.
• Anticipates actual/potential problems that may occur on their shift and set shift priorities accordingly.
• Works collaboratively with hospital staff to solve problems in a fair, consistent manner.
• Contacts for escalation representatives of departments not presently in the hospital for assistance with problem solving.
• Monitors compliance with regulatory, hospital and departmental policies as assigned.
• Documents compliance failures and notifies the appropriate department leader.

Minimum Qualifications

• Licensed and currently registered to practice as a Professional Nurse in New York State, plus (2) or (3) below.
• A Masters Degree in Nursing Administration, Education or an equivalent field and a minimum of six years of satisfactory nursing experience, of which four years shall have been in a supervisory, teaching or administrative capacity; or,
• A Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing and seven years of satisfactory nursing experience, five years of which shall have been in a supervisory or teaching capacity; or,
• A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience. However, all candidates must be licensed and currently registered to practice as a Professional Nurse in New York State.

Department Preferences

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification or must be obtained within thirty (30) days of hire
• Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification or must be obtained within six (6) months of hire

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Benefits for employees hired to work 20+ hrs. per week
• Retirement Savings and Pension Plans
• Paid Holidays and Vacation in accordance with employees' Collectively bargained contracts
• Loan Forgiveness Programs for eligible employees
• College tuition discounts and professional development opportunities
• College Savings Program
• Union Benefits for eligible titles
• Multiple employee discounts programs
• Commuter Benefits Programs