Job Description:

Directs and supervises patient care

• Oversees the coordination of staffing and patient care assignments based on patient needs and staff expertise.
• Ensures that all staff meets basic competency requirements.
• Evaluates care provided by staff and takes corrective action as needed to ensure safe, effective care is rendered.
• Provides orientation and ongoing education opportunities for the staff.
• Conducts patient care rounds and troubleshoots problems that occur with patient care delivery and intervenes/coordinates with staff as appropriate.
• Collaborates with physicians to ensure any problems with patient care delivery is addressed and resolved.

Staff Leadership

• Requests, recruits and selects appropriately qualified personnel to meet staffing needs. Utilizes peer interviewing as a recruitment and retention strategy.
• Strives to retain good employees by maintaining a pleasant, fair and efficient work environment and enforcing policies consistently.
• Motivates and mentors staff enhancing the area of expertise.
• Intervenes and counsels personnel in a timely and consistent manner when performance issues are in question. Documents such counseling sessions.
• Coordinates timely annual performance appraisals of personnel using the documentation collected during the year and conducts performance appraisal sessions with employees and submits for review on time.
• Follows personnel policies in dealing with staff and completes the necessary paper work accurately and timely.
• Supports staff involvement in Shared Governance meetings and activities
• Assists with maintaining unit based councils

Establish and utilize mechanisms for performance improvement

• Establishes evidence based performance improvement methodologies to improve care.
• Involves staff and other departments as appropriate in determining better ways for providing patient care.
• Communicates quality improvement data with staff to ensure staff's involvement and knowledge of CQI data.
• Utilizes performance improvement data in staff's performance appraisals.
• Ensures unit environment and staff are in compliance with standards JCAHO and other regulatory agencies.

Oversees the environmental issues of the unit

• Conducts monthly Environment of Care rounds.
• Follows up as needed with other departments to correct deficiencies.
• Identifies safety issues and coordinates corrective action

Assures the financial viability of the unit

• Monitors inventory and special purchases
• Regularly evaluates census, revenues, expenses and staffing to meet budget
• Prepares budget, payroll, and all fiscal reports accurately and timely
• Plans for purchases of needed capital equipment
• Monitors overages in the budget, i.e. overtime costs, etc and intervenes to maintain proper cost controls.

Strategic Planning

• Remains current in the field of Nursing and specialty area
• Works with the interdisciplinary team to explore and implement effective processes and delivery systems for enhancing the care delivered to patients.
• Fosters an attitude of openness to change and encourage the sharing of new ideas to enhance quality patient care.
• Implements the hospital and nursing strategic plans as appropriate to area of responsibility.

Minimum Education, Training and Experience Required:

RN currently licensed in Kentucky.

Bachelor's degree in nursing required.

Master's Degree preferred.

Specialty certification preferred.

Two to Four years recent leadership and clinical experience required.

Creativity, resourcefulness, superior communication skills and the ability to work independently.

BCLS / ACLS required