Registered Nurse - Correctional - $2,135 per week

Specialty: Correctional | Discipline: RN | Location: County Jail / Correctional Healthcare Setting, Barhamsville, Virginia | Reports To: Director of Nursing (DON) | Classification: Full‑Time Leadership Position | Employment Type: Travel | Start Date: 10/05/2026 | Duration: 12 weeks | Hours: 40 per week | Shift: 8‑hour shift

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) supports the Director of Nursing in the leadership, coordination, and oversight of nursing and clinical operations within the County Jail. The ADON promotes safe, timely, and compliant healthcare delivery to the inmate population while ensuring nursing practices align with medical protocols, facility policies, contractual requirements, and correctional healthcare standards. Responsibilities include direct clinical and operational leadership, staffing and workflow management, documentation and compliance monitoring, employee training and performance management, and collaboration with medical providers, correctional leadership, and the interdisciplinary healthcare team. The ADON may assume the Director’s responsibilities during absences.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership & Oversight

• Assist the DON with daily oversight and coordination of nursing services.
• Provide clinical guidance and support to RNs, LPNs, and other healthcare staff.
• Promote adherence to nursing standards, medical protocols, policies, procedures, and provider orders.
• Serve as a clinical resource for care concerns, condition changes, documentation, medication administration, emergency response, and other matters.
• Identify, escalate, and resolve clinical concerns impacting patient safety, continuity of care, or contractual compliance.
• Collaborate with medical providers and interdisciplinary team members to facilitate timely healthcare services.
• Assist with booking/intake screenings, health appraisals, sick call, medication administration, chronic care, detox protocols, restrictive housing assessments, and other clinical services.
• Ensure nursing staff identify and escalate patients requiring emergency evaluation or higher level of care.
• Coordinate care for inmates needing outside medical services, hospitalization, specialty care, or follow‑up treatment.

Clinical Compliance & HealthSecure Monitoring

• Review HealthSecure reports and workflows daily to identify incomplete, overdue, or non‑compliant patient care activities.
• Monitor compliance areas including annual physicals, health appraisals, TB screening, inmate kitchen worker health screenings, medication delivery, detox assessments, medication renewals, restrictive housing compliance, pharmacy receipt reconciliation, and returned medication reconciliation.
• Work with nursing staff to correct deficiencies and ensure timely completion of documentation and patient care tasks.
• Conduct routine medical record reviews and audits for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and compliance.
• Assist the DON in developing corrective action, education, or process‑improvement plans based on identified trends.

Medication, Narcotic & Medical Equipment Oversight

• Assist with oversight of medication management processes, ensuring secure storage, administration, documentation, reconciliation, and compliance with policies.
• Oversee or verify daily and weekly counts of narcotics, controlled substances, sharps, and other accountable items.
• Investigate, escalate, and document discrepancies involving controlled items.
• Monitor pharmacy receipt and returned medication reconciliation.
• Ensure checks of medical refrigerators, oxygen tanks, emergency equipment, eye‑wash stations, radios, and other equipment are completed and documented.
• Maintain appropriate medication and supply inventory levels and identify potential shortages.

Staffing & Daily Operations

• Assist the DON in maintaining appropriate nursing coverage per staffing matrix and contractual requirements.
• Monitor daily staffing, identify coverage gaps, and support scheduling, call‑out coverage, shift adjustments, and overtime management.
• Provide leadership support to nursing staff during assigned shifts and resolve operational or clinical concerns.
• Participate in leadership coverage and on‑call responsibilities as assigned.
• Coordinate with facility leadership when staffing, security, or operational issues may impact healthcare delivery.
• Assume DON responsibilities when designated.

Quality Improvement & Regulatory Compliance

• Support compliance with ACA, VADOC, PREA, facility, contractual, and correctional healthcare requirements.
• Participate in the facility’s Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program.
• Assist with monthly clinical audits, medical record monitoring, data collection, and trend identification.
• Help develop and implement corrective action and performance‑improvement initiatives.
• Monitor progress after corrective actions to ensure sustained compliance.
• Prepare clinical information, audit findings, and documentation for leadership and quality‑improvement meetings.
• Participate in Medical Audit Committee (MAC), CQI, clinical leadership, and other meetings as requested.
• Assist with preparation for regulatory, contractual, accreditation, or client audits and site reviews.

Staff Training, Education & Competency

• Assist with orientation and training of newly hired nursing staff.
• Provide or coordinate training on facility workflows, HealthSecure, clinical protocols, documentation, medication administration, emergency procedures, and correctional healthcare practices.
• Serve as a preceptor or designate qualified preceptors for new clinical staff.
• Evaluate staff competency and identify areas needing additional training or remediation.
• Ensure nursing staff complete required annual education and competency requirements.
• Support compliance with continuing‑education documentation per ACA standards.
• Provide real‑time coaching when clinical or documentation deficiencies are identified.

Employee Performance & Accountability

• Monitor employee performance, professionalism, attendance, clinical practice, and compliance.
• Provide timely coaching and feedback for performance concerns.
• Document concerns and communicate significant or recurring issues to the DON.
• Assist the DON with counseling, corrective action, and disciplinary processes as appropriate.
• Participate in employee evaluations and competency assessments.
• Recognize positive performance and promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, professionalism, and patient safety.
• Maintain confidentiality and professionalism in employee‑relations matters.

Correctional Environment & Security

• Maintain awareness of safety and security requirements unique to a correctional healthcare setting.
• Comply with all County Jail security policies, procedures, and directives.
• Collaborate with correctional officers and facility leadership while preserving clinical independence and patient confidentiality.
• Ensure nursing staff follow security requirements when handling medications, sharps, equipment, keys, radios, and other controlled items.
• Immediately communicate safety, security, or patient‑care concerns through the appropriate chain of command.
• Maintain professional boundaries with inmates at all times.

Required Qualifications

• Current, unrestricted RN license in the state of practice.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Minimum three years of professional nursing experience.
• Previous charge nurse, nursing supervisor, clinical leadership, or nursing management experience preferred.
• Correctional healthcare, emergency department, behavioral health, acute care, or other high‑acuity nursing experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of nursing standards of practice, medication administration, clinical documentation, infection prevention, emergency response, and patient safety.
• Ability to supervise, coach, and provide clinical direction to nursing staff.
• Strong organizational, communication, critical‑thinking, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary and correctional environment.
• Proficiency in English (read, write, speak, comprehend).
• Ability to successfully complete facility security clearance, background screening, drug screening, TB screening, orientation, PREA training, and other onboarding requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN).
• Previous experience as Assistant Director of Nursing, Nurse Manager, Clinical Supervisor, or comparable leadership role.
• Experience working within a jail, prison, detention center, behavioral health facility, or other secure healthcare environment.
• Familiarity with correctional healthcare accreditation and regulatory standards (ACA, VADOC).
• Experience with electronic medical record systems and clinical auditing.
• Experience with Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) programs and performance‑improvement initiatives.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong clinical judgment and ability to make sound decisions in a fast‑paced environment.
• Effective leadership with the ability to hold staff accountable while fostering collaboration.
• Ability to identify clinical risks and intervene appropriately.
• Attention to detail for identifying documentation or compliance deficiencies.
• Capability to prioritize multiple clinical, staffing, and administrative responsibilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Professional communication with nursing staff, medical providers, correctional personnel, leadership, and stakeholders.
• Maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive clinical and personnel matters appropriately.
• Calm demeanor and leadership during emergencies, staffing challenges, and high‑pressure situations.

Working Conditions

Work is performed within a secure correctional facility environment, requiring adherence to security protocols, collaboration with correctional staff, and the ability to provide care while maintaining safety and professional boundaries.