Director of Nursing- NJ

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director manages the daily operation of nursing services within the community homes and ensures that health services are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of those with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

The Director also functions as the front line clinical resource person for both nursing and other clinical departments. S/he assists the interdisciplinary care team in resolving acute medical issues and ensuring appropriate medical follow up and care coordination. This individual works very closely with families, physicians, ancillary care providers, hospital care teams, and pharmacy staff.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management of Community Living Program (CLP) Nursing Operations

• Provides clinical oversight of nursing personnel ensuring that nursing practice consistently meets regulatory requirements, Elwyn New Jersey Policy and Procedure, and clinical best practice standards
• Provides supervision of assigned staff in the areas including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, leadership, coaching, training, performance management, promotion, discipline and termination
• Ensures that appropriate health care assessments are completed by the assigned nurse and ensures individual reports are accurate and complete; provides supplemental assessment of individual health needs as needed
• Communicates clinical data collected through direct observation, interview, clinical assessment, and records review to appropriate staff in order to guide care delivery
• Ensures timely follow-up and documentation of all recommendations for specialized services/ consultations
• Liaisons with community based providers to facilitate care coordination as needed
• Reviews medication recommendations of pharmacy consultant and liaisons with physicians/care providers for necessary review and follow-up
• Sets priorities for clinical care in accordance with professional judgment and presents to the larger Interdisciplinary Team for implementation
• Functions as a clinical resource person for individuals supported, families, and the Interdisciplinary Team
• Facilitates timely and effective communication between care team members and provides direction and support to ensure that individual health and wellness needs are addressed timely
• Facilitates rapid resolution of day-to-day triage/crisis management situations
• Identifies potential barriers to effective health care delivery and works with the Interdisciplinary Team to resolve
• Reviews medically complicated, high acuity cases with supervisor in weekly meetings recommending changes and improvements in care delivery as needed
• Reviews critical incidents related to the health and safety needs of the consumers and provides timely follow-up and communication to appropriate administrative staff
• Utilizes available technology to maximize clinical operations including but not limited to electronic health record, appointment scheduling software and external care providers portals
• Provides back up support and clinical oversight of the Nurse/Nurse Case Manager-On-Call
• Provides consultative services to other Elwyn New Jersey programs upon request
• Manages departmental scheduling of nursing staff

Policy and Procedure Development

• In conjunction with their supervisor, functions as a Co-Chair for the Nursing Policy and Procedure Committee (if applicable)
• Identifies specific operational needs and develops policies and procedures/training guidelines as needed
• Reviews and revises existing CLP Nursing Policies and Procedure on a bi-annual basis presenting revisions to the Nursing Policy and Procedure Committee for approval (If applicable)

Training and Education

• Facilitates, schedules, and tracks the completion of orientation requirements and annual training/education requirements for CLP nursing services ensuring that requirements are met
• Assists with training in the use of the electronic health record training as needed
• Participates in the ongoing development and evaluation of nursing staff through timely performance-based feedback and annual performance evaluations
• Monitors nursing licensure to ensure compliance with New Jersey's State Board of Nursing requirements

Professional Development

• Participates in ongoing educational opportunities designed specifically for the individual population served
• Attends professional association meetings quarterly to obtain updated clinical and regulatory information
• Applies new information to nursing practice and clinical operations at Elwyn
• Completes and maintains Certified Investigator training (If applicable)

Compliance

• Monitors nursing compliance through operational and clinical audits monitoring nursing documentation for accuracy, thoroughness, and overall compliance
• Reports audit results to the Quality Improvement Department through the development and implementation of appropriate assessment tools and utilizes quality improvement strategies to measure and address the following:
  • Clinical performance
  • Use of best practice guidelines in promoting health maintenance and disease prevention strategies
  • Compliance with regulatory standards as they relate to specific program areas, such as licensing regulations and current policy
  • Health care utilization data
• Assigns specific quality improvement activities/functions to members of the nursing team as necessary
• Facilitates and oversees peer review audits to monitor nursing compliance as needed
• Develops data management reports as needed and directed

Nursing Recruitment

• Collaborates with his/her leadership team to identify staffing, nursing recruitment, and advertising needs
• Provide supervision of assigned staff in the areas including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, leadership, coaching, training, performance management, promotion, discipline and termination
• Works with Human Resources to ensure timely interview of potential candidates and onboarding of new hires

Human Resource Management

• Reports issues, complaints, and concerns made by nursing personnel to his/her supervisor and assists in developing and implementing corrective action strategies
• Ensures timely reporting of all employee injuries or occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials and hazardous chemical in accordance with the facility's policies and procedures and OSHA guidelines collaborating with Risk Management as needed
• Assists in maintaining staff credentialing files that comply with regulatory requirements
• Works with, understands, and complies with terms and conditions of collective bargaining agreements (CBA) within a unionized environment

Fiscal Management

• Assists his/her supervisor in developing and implementing nursing labor and expense budgets
• Provides fiscally sound management of medical and operating expense at the program level

Other Duties

• Represents Nursing on Elwyn New Jersey committees, workgroups, and project teams as assigned
• Participates in Elwyn's Corporate Emergency Response and Preparedness (CERP) Committee and is actively involved in the planning and implementation of Elwyn's emergency management plan (If applicable)
• Maintains current state-mandated training and certifications
• Follows all current policies and procedures of Elwyn New Jersey
• Cooperates with Elwyn New Jersey and the State of New Jersey Department of Human Services, or any other authorized investigating body during an inspection or investigation
• Performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), safe crisis management, and medication administration using agency-trained protocols
• Performs other duties as assigned

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE/ SKILLS:

• Licensed as a Registered Nurse in the State of New Jersey
  • Bachelor or Masters of Science in Nursing preferred
• Management experience in healthcare operations
• Demonstrated strong leadership skills, troubleshooting capability, and ongoing development of staff
• Experience in the field of Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities preferred; Experience in community based nursing services preferred.
• Previous experience working within and managing a unionized workforce preferred
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage and prioritize multiple, often competing, priorities
• Demonstrated strong time management and organizational skills
• Demonstrated excellent judgment with the ability to independently solve problems and make decisions with little or no need for direct supervision
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate future needed changes or identify problem areas and take effective actions
• Must be able to perform CPR and safe care using agency-trained protocols
• Must possess excellent customer interaction, collaboration, presentation, and written and verbal communication skills
• Experience using/knowledge of Electronic Health Record (EHR) / Electronic Medical Record (EMR) preferred
• Must have current, valid driver's license in state of residence, three (3) years driving experience in the United States, and acceptable driving record
• Demonstrated intermediate proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; report writer experience a plus