Director of Nursing (DON)

Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation•Simmesport, LA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Nursing (DON) manages the Nursing Department with high professional and personal standards. This role involves planning, organizing, coordinating, and assigning all nursing tasks for both professional and nonprofessional nursing personnel to ensure the highest quality of care is provided with cost efficiency in mind. The DON exercises administrative authority, responsibility, and accountability for nursing service objectives, policies, 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 with corporate nursing staff.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited nursing school and a current, valid license or registration (RN) in the state where employed are required.
Management/supervisory experience is necessary.
Current state license to practice as a nurse.

Nice To Haves

Experience in nursing in a long-term care setting is preferred.
Current CPR certification desired.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the overall operation of the nursing department and direction of the workforce.
Plan, organize, and evaluate nursing care according to established policies.
Participate and orchestrate 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.
Contribute to the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT Team).
Assist in pre-screening, room assignment, and discharge planning of residents.
Ensure that residents receive treatment per physician's orders and has a triple-check system in place to verify physician's orders.
Supervise all nursing activities and promote improvement in nursing care.
Make rounds on residents daily.
Coordinate nursing services with other departments.
Maintain accurate reporting and recording to policies and procedures, evaluate and make recommendations for improvements for the welfare of the resident.
Maintain a comfortable and pleasant working environment.
Promote work safety for residents and staff and assist in the elimination of hazards.
Ensure 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.
Receive thorough report from nurses on all shifts and investigate and/or address concerns.
Give 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.
Participate in nursing care as needed and is responsible for the direct handling of emergencies.
Responsible for the overall Assessment and Interdisciplinary Care Planning process.
Ensure that all personnel on the shift are oriented to the duties assigned to them.
Assign personnel according to various skills in relation to resident needs.
Stimulate interest and attitudes in personnel to develop understanding of health and restorative nursing practices.
Give guidance to personnel as needed, evaluate performance, discuss progress and needs for improvement, and prepare evaluations of performance as directed.
Prepare and post time schedules at least 2 weeks in advance of days being scheduled.
Ensure that personnel are familiar with emergency plans.
Assist with interviewing, evaluating, and selecting new personnel.
Verify time worked on personnel timecards, as necessary.
Conduct orientation and educational programs for nursing personnel.
Assist in staff development through monthly and as needed in-service training.
Promote effective working relationships with the administrator, medical staff, personnel, volunteers and agencies, and management staff affiliated with the facility.
Delegate responsibility and authority.
May terminate undesirable personnel according to policy.
Attend required meetings and in-service training.
Function within the constraints of established policy and procedure consistent with accepted nursing standards.
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.
Communicate in a professional and courteous manner using effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills with residents, their families, co-workers, and vendors.
Maintain confidentiality of department, resident, employee information, communication, and documentation as well as compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
Clock 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.