DON Director of Nurses

Mesa Verde Post Acute Care Center -

Position Description:

Under the direction of the Administrator, the Director of Nursing Services is responsible for the administration and management of Nursing Services to residents in accordance with orders of the physicians and total needs of the residents. Responsible for 24-hour supervision of Nursing Services.

Qualifications:

• A graduate from an accredited school of professional nursing

• Current licensure as a Registered Nurse in the state in which practicing

• Experienced or trained in nursing service administration, rehabilitation, psychiatric or geriatric nursing

• One or more years of demonstrated ability in nursing administration and/or supervision in a health facility in the last 5 years

• Supervisory or operations management experience, a strong understanding of skilled nursing standards of care, and federal and state regulations including Medicare, Medicaid, and Managed Care reimbursement rules

• Demonstrates knowledge of and ability to apply basic principles of nursing care and teaching

• Demonstrates leadership ability and capability to work effectively with all levels of personnel

• Maintains an interest and knowledge of current trends and new developments in nursing and health administration

• Demonstrates interest and ability to work effectively with the public

• A desire to work with geriatric and disabled persons

• Skills for critical-thinking and problem-solving

• Ability to generate enthusiasm and cooperation from others

• Ability to develop and maintain good interpersonal relationships

• Possession of good emotional and physical health

• A high level of professionalism and excellent communication skills

• A genuine interest in and respect for people and a desire to be of service to them

• Ability to accept and work with persons with different social and cultural traits

• Ability to work in a long-term care environment

General Duties and Responsibilities

GENERAL

• Assumes ultimate responsibility for coordinating plans for the total care of each resident which comply with physician’s orders, governmental regulations, and facility resident care policies

• Develops, maintains, and upgrades nursing service objectives, standards for nursing practice, nursing procedure manuals and written job descriptions for each level of nursing personnel

• Participates in the recruitment, selection, hiring, orientation, training, and dismissal of nursing personnel

• Assists in controlling nursing service hours and supply costs, including recommendation for the number and type of nursing personnel to be employed and nursing service equipment and supply needs

• Participates in admission and discharge planning for residents

• Communicating with doctors, residents, and family members about resident health

• Maintains contact with physicians as necessary according to resident needs, facility policies and governmental regulations

• Implementing new policies and procedures and training nurses

• Evaluates information to be shared with outside nursing personnel and allied services for continuity of resident care

• Assess community resources that may be utilized to improve resident care

• Maintains good interpersonal relationships with residents and their families, nursing personnel, allied professional services and the community

• Periodically visits residents to ensure maximum care and to ascertain need to additional or modified services

• Participates in professional organization activities, identifies, and meets educations need of staff through meeting and in-service classes

• Attends and participates in all required meetings, conferences and policy making committees in the facility

• Promotes a safe environment within the facility, which includes fire and accident prevention, maintenance of sanitary conditions and assurance that all nursing personnel understand their roles in the event of a disaster or other disruption of services

• Assures that an adequate orientation and in-service training program is provided for all nursing personnel

• Confers daily with the Administrator regarding current status of nursing services and submits written reports as requested

SUPERVISION

• Assigns duties and delegates responsibilities to nursing personnel according to their abilities

• Evaluates performance of nursing personnel reporting to her/him and maintains evaluation records

• Coordinates nursing service with other resident care services provided; such as physician, dietary, occupational, physical and speech therapies, resident activities, social services, medical records and business office

• Assures that a resident Plan of Care is established for each resident and that the plan is reviewed and modified as needed

• Encourages staff development and professional growth

• Assures adequate 24-hour nursing coverage in the facility each day

• Designates a responsible professional nurse to be in charge of the nursing service during the absence of the Nursing Director

• Provide close supervision and direction to the Charge Nurses to continually improve the nursing care of residents

• Participate in the Quality Assurance Committee Meeting

• Reviews and corrects findings and deficiencies of Pharmacy Consultant, Department of Health Services, Dietary Consultant, Medical Records Consultant, Quality Assurance Team and prevent reoccurrence by implementation of recommendations and follow through

• Maintains quality assurance in facility by frequent nursing rounds and continuous assessment of resident conditions from admission through discharge

• Assumes responsibility for investigation of alleged abuse or unusual occurrence as outlined within our established policies and procedures

CONSUMER SERVICE

• Presents professional image to consumers through dress, behavior, and speech

• Adheres to Company standards for resolving consumer concerns

• Ensures that all resident rights are protected