Director-Nursing - Recovery

Summit BHC•Athens, GA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Nursing is responsible and accountable for providing professional nursing care to clients and directing, planning, coordinating, monitoring, and supervising nursing operations and the safe delivery of behavioral health and nursing services. The role promotes a positive, empathetic, and professional approach and ensures that nursing policies, programs, and services support the facility’s strategic goals and objectives. This onsite leadership position manages daily nursing services, staffing, medication management, infection control, client care, quality and safety, budgets, supplies, clinical records, and regulatory compliance. The Director works with facility and corporate leaders, the CEO, pharmacy vendors, and interdisciplinary teams to maintain effective operations and high-quality client care. The position may also provide onsite coverage for other programs, training, case consultation, Administrator On Call coverage, and direct client care in emergencies.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited school of nursing.
Three or more years of nursing practice experience.
One or more years of psychiatric or behavioral health experience.
Two or more years of progressive managerial experience.
Valid current RN license from the state or a compact state, where applicable.
CPR certification and de-escalation training; training is available upon hire and offered by the facility.
Skills in assessment and considerable knowledge of nursing principles and practice, staffing, budgeting, employee management, regulatory requirements, and care documentation; ability to meet regulatory requirements.
If the candidate does not have an MSN, entry into a nursing consultation agreement with a master’s-level nurse for supervision, as required by state law.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in psychiatric or mental health nursing preferred.
Certification in Psychiatric Nursing preferred.
First aid may be required depending on the state or facility.

Responsibilities

Set the vision for nursing practice and manage the daily operations of nursing services.
Identify and prioritize important issues, collaborating with department and corporate leaders as needed.
Communicate instructions, expectations, and timelines clearly and concisely.
Develop, maintain, and implement nursing services, policies, and procedures consistent with nursing standards, accrediting requirements, facility policies, and applicable laws and regulations.
Monitor operational indicators, census, acuity, staffing, revenues, and expenses; address undesirable trends and allocate nursing resources according to client acuity and care needs.
Lead department staff through hiring, orientation, performance management, training, scheduling, coaching, and motivation; ensure adequate staffing and maintain contingency staffing plans.
Maintain productivity aligned with census and limit unnecessary overtime or excessive staff work hours.
Maintain accountability for personal and staff performance, quality, safety, attendance, conduct, and policy compliance.
Identify staff education needs and ensure staff attend appropriate education programs.
Oversee facility medication management, including inventory, standards, records, pharmacy inspection corrective actions, medication reports, and medication-room audits.
Make nursing diagnoses of clients’ medical and emotional status and recommend treatment options; consult with psychiatrists and behavioral health staff on treatment plans.
Supervise client assessments and care plans and coordinate nursing services with other departments.
Participate in management meetings to discuss client status, reassessment needs, census changes, and client or staff concerns.
Establish and oversee infection control and safety programs; review surveillance reports, identify trends, and develop preventive actions.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, departments, and administration to meet clients’ physical, biopsychosocial, age, developmental, and cultural needs.
Develop and implement health-care-related training to support effective delivery of health services.
Assist the CEO with organizational budget preparation and administration; manage operations within the approved budget and participate in strategic planning and budget development.
Maintain appropriate inventories of supplies and equipment for client services.
Oversee maintenance of clinical records, statistics, reports, and records used to evaluate and report organizational activities.
Stay informed about developments in nursing and behavioral health care and apply relevant information to compliance and performance improvement.
Assist the CEO in preparing staff for inspection surveys and participate in preparing and implementing Plans of Correction.
Monitor unit and floor operations through frequent rounds, intervene in crises, investigate incidents, and review and follow up on nursing and client-safety incident reports with Risk Management.
Provide onsite coverage for other programs when needed; develop and execute programs according to market needs; and provide training, case consultation, or Administrator On Call coverage during and after program hours as needed.
Conduct assigned Leadership Rounds, identify environment-of-care, safety, and infection-control concerns, and provide real-time education on new facility processes.
Assume client care assignments in emergency situations as needed.