Director Med Surg

About the role

The Nursing Unit Director coordinates, plans, directs, implements and manages the administrative, financial and operational responsibilities for the unit. The incumbent provides transformational leadership that promotes patient centered clinical nursing practice and service excellence standards that are evidence based to achieve quality patient outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the creation of a compassionate and caring environment for patients, families and colleagues through displays of kindness and active listening (Patient Experience).
• Demonstrates excellence in daily work.
• Demonstrates effective teamwork by interacting in a positive manner with colleagues creating a collaborative work environment.
• Contributes to a safe environment for patients, families, visitors and colleagues by following established procedures and protocols.
• Demonstrates stewardship by thoughtful and responsible use of resources including maintaining a clean and hospital environment, starting work on time, and displaying cost consciousness.
• Quality of Care/Quality Improvement: Ensures that the department functions in accordance with all regulatory agency standards: NH State Board of Nursing, TJC, OSHA, ANA, AHA, ACC, Catholic Medical Center, and other appropriate standards of care.
• Maintains 24-hour accountability for unit management with assistance from Clinical Nurse Managers, Nurse Manager and/or charge nurses.
• Provides direction and patient care as needed in emergent/urgent situations.
• Cultivates an environment of respect and pride, while upholding organizational service, safety, and ethical standards, and ensuring confidentiality of employee, legal, client/patient, budget and all company matters.
• Maintains patient satisfaction/experience through rounding and service recovery.
• Monitors patient flow on their unit.
• Problem solves with their staff to insure their understanding of organizational priorities related to patient flow.
• Works collaboratively with other departments and nursing units to reduce barriers that impede the appropriate movement of patients.
• Accountable for the quality of patient care delivered on the unit to ensure competent clinical practice.
• Evaluates and participates in the annual review and revision of nursing and unit specific policies, procedures, and protocols, guidelines, standards of care and collaborative pathways.
• Develops and/or maintains all Performance Improvement and Risk Management activities including research techniques, data review, problem identification, implementation and evaluation of performance according to established standards.
• Monitors patient outcomes and facilitates process improvement strategies to ensure quality services.
• Utilizes evidenced based practice and research to support and advance nursing practice and promote quality patient outcomes.
• Uses research to revise policies and procedures in collaboration with unit and nursing leadership.
• Leads performance improvement teams for the department/unit and reports findings to the CNO.
• Collaborates with colleagues to disseminate successful performance improvement processes throughout the organization.
• Implements continuous performance improvement in patient care and provides leadership in practice and clinical decision-making through use of information systems and technology resources.
• Fosters the participation of staff in planning, implementing and evaluating clinical practice to provide safe, efficient and therapeutic patient care.
• Promotes the nursing philosophy of the Catholic Medical Center Nursing Organization.
• Promotes the philosophy of service excellence internally and externally.
• Facilitates the integration of research and theory into nursing practice, while assuring that professional nursing practice at Catholic Medical Center is congruent with the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics.
• Researches and proposes innovative processes and programs that promote a culture of inquiry and quality patient outcomes, i.e. TCAB, NICHE.
• Develops and maintains a working knowledge of public reporting initiatives and data; integrates this knowledge into all activities as appropriate with the goal of improving patient outcomes, (i.e. HCAHPS, Press Ganey, Value Based Purchasing, etc.) and shares information with staff.
• Participates and/or facilitates committees to design and implement change and performance improvement and promotes interdepartmental/intradepartmental communication.
• Addresses any quality/patient safety issues in the design of safe clinical systems, processes, policies and procedures and implements plan for improvement.
• Promotes a non-punitive reporting environment and a rewards system for reporting unsafe practices.
• Displays superior customer relations and proactively identifies and responds to patient and family needs.
• Promotes excellence in customer service.

Nursing Leadership/Transformational Leadership

• Interacts with staff, patients and members of the public with dignity and respect; behavior is courteous and professional, reflecting sensitivity to the hospital’s values and to Ethics and Compliance principles.
• Fiscal Accountability: Accountable for the unit operating budget and makes recommendations for changes in collaboration with the Chief Nurse Officer/ACNO.
• Ensures unit operates within budget.
• Plans for efficient utilization of supplies and equipment, makes adjustments as appropriate.
• Establishes efficient, cost effective processes for the department.
• Maintains positive working relationships with vendors.

Operational Management

• Develops annual educational, professional and unit strategic plan, nursing research objectives, goals and priorities.
• Strategizes and implements processes and program to achieve goals for the unit and nursing organization.
• Fosters staff and physician participation in the development and implementation of annual departmental goals and objectives which are consistent with Catholic Medical Center and the Nursing Strategic Plan.
• Ensures that appropriate levels and number of staff are available to meet the needs of the patient population.
• Develops master staffing plan in concert with standards of care for patient populations.
• Ensures that all instruments, equipment and specialty supplies are available and maintained.
• Maintains appropriate inventory of all supplies.
• Ensures compliance with the Safe Medical Device Act.

Human Resource Management

• Maintains responsibility for interviews and selection of candidates for employment; orientation, training; directs, schedules, and assigns work to subordinates; outlines scope of authority and job responsibilities of employees under their supervision.
• Initiates personnel actions including but not limited to assigning rewards, transferring, suspending, discharging, and disciplining assigned personnel.
• Works closely with educators, unit preceptors and mentors to develop and evaluate comprehensive individual orientation programs for new employees; collaborates to provide corrective educational programs.
• Oversees the completion of mandatory education and training, ensures staff competency and deadlines are met, takes disciplinary action when staff is non-compliant.
• Establishes and communicates performance, behavioral expectations, professional and personal goals of staff.