Director of Nursing (DON)

DEPARTMENT: Nursing

SUPERVISOR: Administrator

Position summary

The Director of Nursing manages the Nursing Department with high professional and personal standards. He /she plans, organizes, coordinates, and assigns all the nursing tasks for professional and nonprofessional nursing personnel to ensure the highest quality of care is provided with cost efficiency in mind.

The Director of Nursing exercises administrative authority, responsibility and accountability for nursing service objectives, policies and procedures, nursing tasks, nursing care, and nursing staff training.

The Director of Nursing is responsible to the Administrator of the facility and works in conjunction corporate nursing staff.

Duties and responsibilities

The following represents the essential functions of the Director of Nursing's role. This list is intended to be a general description of duties and responsibilities; however, it is subject to change according to the needs of the facility determined by the Administrator and/or corporate designee.

• The DON is responsible for the overall operation of the nursing department and direction of the workforce.

• Plan, organize, and evaluate nursing care according to established policies.

• The DON participates and orchestrates Daily QA (morning) Meetings, Weekly High-Risk Meetings, Monthly/ Quarterly QA, Safety Committee Meetings, Resident Council Meetings when requested, Care Plan Meetings, in-service trainings, continuing education programs, and all other meetings called by Legacy or licensing entities.

• The DON will contribute to the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT Team).

• Assists in pre-screening, room assignment and discharge planning of residents.

• Ensures that residents receive treatment per physician's orders and has triple check system in place to verify physician's orders.

• Supervise all nursing activities and promotes improvement in nursing care.

• Makes rounds on residents daily.

• Coordinates nursing services with other departments.

• Maintains accurate reporting and recording to policies and procedure, evaluates and makes recommendations for improvements for the welfare of the resident.

• Maintains comfortable and pleasant working environment.

• Promotes work safety for residents and staff and assists in elimination of hazards.

• See that supplies are available in proper quantities and that equipment is available in good condition. Inform personnel using such supplies and equipment on location and proper use.

• Receives thorough report from nurses on all shifts and investigates and/or addresses concerns.

• Gives daily report on conditions in nursing services to the Administrator.

• Responsible for assuring accurate recording and proper storage of medications and narcotics in accordance with policies and procedures.

• Participates in nursing care as needed and is responsible for the direct handling of emergencies.

• Is responsible for the overall Assessment and Interdisciplinary Care Planning process.

• See that all personnel on the shift are oriented to the duties assigned to them.

• Assigns personnel according to various skills in relation to resident needs.

• Stimulates interest and attitudes in personnel to develop understanding of health and restorative nursing practices.

• Gives guidance to personnel as needed, evaluates performance, discusses progress, and needs of improvement, and prepares evaluation of performance as directed.

• Prepares and posts time schedules at least 2 weeks in advance of days being scheduled.

• Sees that personnel are familiar with emergency plans.

• Assists with interviewing, evaluating, and selecting new personnel.

• Verifies time worked on personnel timecards, as necessary.

• Conducts orientation and educational programs for nursing personnel.

• Assists in staff development through monthly and as needed in-service training.

• Promotes effective working relationships with the administrator, medical staff, personnel, volunteers and agencies, and management staff affiliated with the facility.

• Delegates responsibility and authority.

• May terminate undesirable personnel according to policy.

• Attends required meetings and in-service training.

• Functions within the constraints of established policy and procedure consistent with accepted nursing standards.

• Is assigned responsibility/authority for decisions relating to nursing services; but may consult with administrator, nurse consultants, or other nursing professionals, or other resources.

• Must always be available via telephone with reasonable response time (not exceeding 2 hours) or notify Administrator, corporate designee, or appropriate facility staff prior to unavailability.

• Works beyond normal working hours (occasionally on weekends, holidays, and after hours) and in other positions temporarily, when necessary.

• Must act in ways that promote professional and positive representation of the facility to the community.

• Communicates in a professional and courteous manner using effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills with residents, their families, co-workers, and vendors.

• Maintains confidentiality of department, resident, employee information, communication, and documentation as well as compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.

• Clocks in and out for all working/training hours. Working off the clock will not be permitted at any time or for any reason.

• Maintain compliance with Legacy's Compliance program and plan.

• Adhere to Legacy's Code of Conduct and Dress Code.

• These duties are not all-inclusive but provide minimum performance expectations which will be reviewed in the evaluation process. Supervisor may edit, alter, add to, or exclude duties and responsibilities based on the needs of the facility. Communicates in a professional and courteous manner using effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills with residents, their families, and co-workers.

• Maintains confidentiality of department, resident, employee information, communication, and documentation as well as compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.

• Maintain compliance with Legacy's Compliance program and plan.

• Adhere to Legacy's Code of Conduct

• These duties are not all-inclusive but provide minimum performance expectations and will be reviewed in the performance process.

Qualifications/experience/

Requirements

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

o Freedom from illegal use of drugs.

o Freedom from use and effects of drugs and alcohol in the workplace.

o Anyone found guilty by a court of law of abusing, neglecting or mistreating individuals in a health care related setting are ineligible for employment in the position.

Education and/or

Experience

o Graduation from an accredited nursing school and a current, valid license or registration (RN) in the state where employed are required.

o Experience in nursing in a long-term care setting is preferred.

o Management/supervisory experience is necessary.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

o Current state license to practice as a nurse.

o Current CPR certification desired.