Director Of Nursing

About the Role

The Director of Nursing (DON) is a registered nurse responsible for overseeing and supervising the care of all residents, while also providing direct resident/patient care. This role involves overall management of the nursing department, ensuring resident safety, and maintaining compliance with regulations.

Responsibilities

• Overall management of the nursing department and staffing levels.
• Develop and implement nursing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance.
• Ensure resident safety and respectful treatment of all residents.
• Develop and conduct in-services for clinical staff.
• Recruit, hire, and train nursing staff.
• Coordinate pharmacy services and destruction of expired/discontinued medication.
• Act as a liaison between the facility, physicians, and family members.
• Assist with litigation, including being a witness at trials.
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure excellent resident care.
• Manage department budgeting and reporting.
• Stay updated on regulation changes and disseminate information appropriately.
• Participate in QA, Utilization Review, and Patient Care conferences.
• Assist with state surveys and required follow-up activities.
• Coordinate MDS and care planning.
• Conduct employee appraisals, resolve problems, and handle disciplinary actions/terminations.
• Maintain employee and resident/patient confidentiality.
• Provide direct/hands-on resident/patient care as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The DON supervises and manages the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) and the entire nursing staff, either directly or indirectly.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an Accredited School of Nursing, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) preferred.
• Active and good standing with the State Board of Nursing, maintaining all required continuing education/licensing requirements.
• Minimum of 7 years of nurse management experience preferred.

Skills

• Strong language skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations.
• Effective writing skills for reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Mathematical skills: ability to apply fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Strong reasoning ability to solve practical problems and interpret instructions in various forms.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite products and Point Click Care (PCC).

Physical Demands

• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds.
• Prolonged use of a desktop or laptop computer.
• Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, read, and hear.
• Frequent use of office equipment: copier/scanner/fax, telephone, calculator.
• Travel by auto or airline may be required.

Work Environment

The work environment is typically low to moderate noise level. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.