Director of Nursing

Job Summary

The Director of Nursing is accountable for the effective delivery of competent, compassionate, and efficient care for specific patient care unit(s) on a 24-hour basis. This includes oversight for clinical operations and human resources, financial, and quality management.

Qualifications

• Three - five years clinical experience which includes three years of progressive management experience (i.e., Charge Nurse, Nursing Supervisor, Nurse Administrator, or Assistant Nurse Manager) preferred.
• Current license or valid permit to practice professional nursing in Texas.

Equipment

• Standard patient care equipment, related supplies, and mechanical devices.
• Standard office equipment.

Working Environment/Location of Position

• Work environment is located in a comfortable indoor area.
• Conditions such as noise, odors, cramped workspace and/or fumes could sometimes cause discomfort.
• Moderate to extreme physical effort may be required such as walking, standing and lifting materials, equipment, objects and/or patients.
• Occasional lifting may be heavy and awkward, over 50 lbs.
• Vision, hearing, talking and sense of touch abilities must be adequate enough to enable one to perform tasks quickly and accurately such as: reading small print, reading from monitoring equipment, defining details, sending and receiving clear and accurate verbal communication.
• Frequent periods of concentrated or focused attention will be needed to interpret visual, auditory, and sensory inputs.
• Shift work may be required.
• Alertness and careful attention to detail will be required to avoid injury.
• May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, radiation, and disoriented or combative patients.
• May be required to be on standby and work extended shifts in situations deemed necessary by a designated Nursing Administration.
• Occupational Exposure Category I exposure to bloodborne pathogens, frequent exposure to chemical hazards and may encounter radiation hazards.

Responsibilities

• Develops work processes and systems to facilitate excellent patient care outcomes and patient, staff and physician satisfaction.
• Facilitates communication and ensures proper flow of information.
• Oversees patient flow in patient care and support areas.
• Ensures operational effectiveness, emphasizing cost containment without jeopardizing patient care priorities, improvement, innovation or quality of care.
• Investigates any patient care and/or administrative problems and keeps lines of communication open with directors, managers, and staff to ensure high employee morale and a professional, safe patient care environment.
• Promotes a work environment that demonstrates caring by accessibility of safe equipment and adequate supplies in an efficiently arranged physical setting.
• Provides support to staff during the development, implementation, and utilization of information systems that impact the delivery of patient care services within the hospital.
• Identifies appropriate internal controls for department; provides mechanisms to monitor and enforce compliance.
• Monitors and adjusts staffing patterns to improve unit productivity.
• Seeks direction from Chief Executive Officer to facilitate the development of plans to enhance revenue production while decreasing cost and inefficiencies.
• Maintains professional affiliations and enhances professional development to keep current in the latest healthcare trends and developments.
• Supports quality related programs at the unit level, including but not limited to patient satisfaction with nursing, nurse satisfaction, the nursing aspects of the National Patient Safety Goals, other regulatory requirements for nursing / nurses, and the nursing aspects for specialty quality standards (e.g., critical care, disease management, etc.).
• Demonstrates transparency with the clinical staff regarding clinical indicators.
• Assists with the development of strategic plans for patient care services as a whole and specifically, for assigned areas of responsibility.
• Assists in the evaluation and documentation of goal achievements, issues and recommendations.
• Function as the facility’s pharmacy support personnel.
• Work with the contracted pharmacist to ensure the appropriate ordering, formulary management, use of therapeutic drugs, and safeguarding of all medications used in the facility.
• Manages medication tracking and charting within the facility, in accordance with state law, and under the direction of the facility’s employed or contracted licensed pharmacist.

Human Resource Management

• Recruits and retains competent, compassionate staff while monitoring performance standards and promoting fair labor practices.
• Provides leadership and direction for the staff on the patient care unit(s) while supporting and actualizing the goals of the department, division, service, hospital, and university.
• Completes employee performance evaluations according to established timelines.
• Mentors staff and objectively evaluates and documents performance, taking corrective action as appropriate.
• Provides professional guidance to ensure the highest quality care is available to patients and appropriate standards of care that meet national, state, and local rules and regulations as well as voluntary accreditation standards of the CIHQ are maintained.
• Encourages and supports staff development.

Financial Management

• Makes adjustments to staffing patterns to improve unit productivity.
• Sets up plans to enhance revenue production while decreasing cost and inefficiencies.
• Maintains control over departmental supply use to effectively manage the cost of supplies used in the department and reduce costs when possible.

Quality Management

• Operationalizes and participates in continuous quality improvement and risk management programs at the unit(s) level in a collaborative manner with multi-disciplinary colleagues.
• Maintains monitoring of patient care operations, and related programs, initiating appropriate changes, where necessary.
• Responsible for nursing policy and practices, assuring their consistency with requirements specified by the Texas Nurse Practice Act and other legal and regulatory mandates.
• Supports quality related programs at the unit level, including but not limited to patient satisfaction with nursing, nurse satisfaction, the nursing aspects of the National Patient Safety Goals, other regulatory requirements for nursing / nurses, and the nursing aspects for specialty quality standards (e.g., critical care, disease management, etc.).

Planning and Evaluation

• Assists with the development of strategic plans for patient care services as a whole and specifically, for assigned areas of responsibility.
• Assists in the evaluation and documentation of goal achievements, issues and recommendations.

Pharmacy Support

• Function as the facility’s pharmacy support personnel.
• Work with the contracted pharmacist to ensure the appropriate ordering, formulary management, use of therapeutic drugs, and safeguarding of all medications used in the facility.
• Manage medication tracking and charting within the facility, in accordance with state law, and under the direction of the facility’s employed or contracted licensed pharmacist.