Director Wellness Services

Sunrise Senior Living•McLean, VA

About The Position

The Director of Wellness Services (DWS) is the nursing clinical leader for communities in the new development portfolio. The DWS is responsible for providing clinical support and coordination for the opening of new Sunrise communities and for oversight for the delivery of safe, evidence-based resident care. The DWS serves as the clinical expert during the development and pre-opening phases of new communities and provides leadership during the countdown (T-minus) period to assure comprehensive clinical operations requirements are identified and addressed to promote effective and efficient community openings. Once open, the DWS provides direct clinical oversight to new development communities during their first 2 years by conducting comprehensive site visits and by directing and monitoring nursing care, actively leading clinical quality and process improvement initiatives, identifying and mitigating clinical risk, and providing training, coaching and mentoring to community team members as needed while assuring compliance with all Federal, State/Provincial, board of nursing and other applicable regulations. At the conclusion of the new development management period the DWS works collaboratively with other leaders to assure smooth transition of the community to the appropriate Sunrise regional team. The DWS provides strategic leadership consistent with the Sunrise culture for the implementation of organizational initiatives by applying principles of change management while assuring effective communication and follow-up.

Requirements

Maintains current state/provincial license as a professional Registered Nurse (RN) per regulations in the states/provinces they oversee and support.
Minimum of five (5) years’ experience as an RN.
Minimum of two (2) years’ nursing management experience including hiring staff, coaching, performance management, daily operations supervision, progressive discipline, and counseling.
Experience in legal/regulatory compliance and ability to apply regulations to support sound clinical decision making.
Experience in risk evaluation and management and designing and implementing proactive strategies to minimize clinical risk.
Experience in tracking, trending, and analysis of clinical quality data.
Experience in clinical process improvement and leading change.
Experience in staff development, training and/or clinical education.
Ability to delegate and oversee that resident care is being provided according to nursing standards and company policies/practices.
Able and willing to travel across the United States and Canada as needed.
Able and willing to undertake regular, extensive travel (i.e., multiple nights a week for most weeks of the year).
Ability to work weekends, evenings, flexible hours as needed.
Proficiency in computer skills, Microsoft Office (Windows, Outlook, Excel) with the ability to learn new applications including electronic health record software (EHR).

Nice To Haves

Multi-site management experience preferred.
Experience in post-acute, assisted living, and/or long-term care preferred.

Responsibilities

Works collaboratively with the new community architectural, design, and construction teams to assure that essential wellness spaces are considered and appropriately placed within the community. These spaces may include, but are not limited to, wellness offices, medication rooms, care manager/documentation rooms, mechanical lift storage spaces, resident/family meeting rooms, etc.
Works collaboratively with the Executive Director and community leaders to hire for key community wellness positions based on the countdown (T-minus) schedule set for the new community opening.
Collaborates closely with the Executive Director and other community leaders to onboard Resident Care Directors (RCD), Wellness Nurses (WN) and other key community wellness team members to assure readiness for the new community opening and understanding of their role in caring for residents.
Works collaboratively with the Directors of Operations and Sales to promote successful development, opening and operation of new Sunrise communities while demonstrating the effectiveness of a successful trio leadership model for the new community leadership team.
Works collaboratively with communities on decision-making related to resident move-in and retention with a focus on promoting residency while assuring compliance with all applicable Federal, State/Provincial, and local laws and regulations and considering the capability of the community.
Works collaboratively with Regional Move-in Director and the new community Move-in Coordinator (MIC) and RCD to assure that timely pre-move-in assessments are scheduled for all residents with pre-leased deposits.
Possesses an in-depth understanding of the appropriate set-up and functioning of the community wellness office.
Collaborates with the Executive Director and other community leaders during the countdown (T-minus) period to assure that these spaces are arranged and equipped so as to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the wellness team.
Works collaboratively with Director of Sales, Executive Director and other community leaders in the development/pre-opening and post-open phases to develop relationships and partnerships with businesses and healthcare organizations to promote and drive occupancy.
Develops and maintains ongoing relationships with internal and external business partners which includes but is not limited to, team members, residents, family members, vendors, professional associations and affiliations, health care systems and providers and others in the service area.
Understands Sunrise’s resident-centered care model and provides leadership for the assessment and service plan development process.
Understands Sunrise clinical systems, policies and processes and provides leadership for their initial implementation and ongoing sustainability.
Maintains current knowledge of Federal, State/Provincial, board of nursing and other applicable regulations regarding resident care.
Monitors new clinical technology and evaluates products and/or services that have the potential to significantly enhance resident care and services.
Elevates recommendations to the new development leadership team and to the appropriate Sunrise review groups for review and vetting.
Following the community opening, conducts regular, comprehensive site visits with a focus on promoting positive resident care outcomes while mitigating risk; communicates actionable items for follow-up and validates that results have been achieved.
Works with communities on pre-opening and ongoing inspections and regulatory plans of correction.
Oversees Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement (QAPI) related to resident care to include tracking, trending and analysis of clinical quality data and collaboration with communities on meaningful performance improvement plans.
During site visits, reviews resident assessments to ensure that service, continence, and medication levels accurately reflect the resident care provided and that billing is accurate.
Maintains overall knowledge of fiscal business management.
Understands the internal cost associated with Sunrise programs and levels of service.
Understands and uses business intelligence reports/tools and dashboards to manage and enhance clinical care processes and promote excellence in the community’s business operation.
Implements strategies to improve nursing retention, decrease use of agency staff and enhance clinical cost saving methods.
Processes and submits expenses and budget data timely per Sunrise policies and internal business controls.
Identifies, selects, and trains RNs to conduct routine Medication Care Manager training and/or other clinical training for new and existing team members.
Contributes to timely performance appraisals as applicable.
Partners with Regional Director of Operations (RDO) and Executive Director to promote clinical accountability at the community and team member level.
Keeps abreast of professional developments in the field by attending conferences and training sessions; maintains active license and completes all required CEUs for re-licensure.
Maintain compliance in assigned required training and all training required by state/province or other regulating authorities as applicable to this role to ensure that Sunrise standards are always met.
Perform other duties as assigned.