AddressAccountable for management of a patient care unit(s). Partners with healthcare team to assure quality patient/family centered care.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Communication: Uses established channels of communication to share information, receive feedback and report problems. Communicates plans and decisions to staff and providers to facilitate linkages and flow of information to others. Builds credibility with physicians as a champion for patient care, quality, and nursing professionalism. Effectively facilitates consensus building to accomplish goals and objectives. Provides constructive feedback and effectively manages conflict. Creates and articulates a shared vision and goals. Follows up on feedback and reports problems as well as positive comments. Creates an environment which recognizes and values differences in staff, physicians, patients and communities. Collaborates with nursing programs to provide required resources.
- Clinical Practice: Acts as an expert resource for staff and utilizes knowledge in clinical area of practice. Analyzes and evaluates nursing practice, research and trends. Applies knowledge to the development of standards of care and practice to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Creates, modifies and evaluates policies and procedures as delegated and/or appropriate to the clinical unit and expertise. Directs the development of competencies so staff achieve maximize performance. Maintains personal and professional growth of self and others by participating in educational offerings and professional organizations. Partners with medical staff and other disciplines to establish patient care goals for unit development. Evaluates patient care delivery model and the needed staff, equipment and resources to provide safe, optimal care. Directs and supervises staff and ensures safe, therapeutic environment. Supports the development and implementation of an organization wide patient safety program. Ensures staff is educated on risk management and compliance issues and correct action is identified in areas of potential liability.
- Quality Improvement: Articulates the organizations performance improvement program and goals. Develops, implements and maintains quality monitoring processes. Formulates unit goals which are reflective of measurable objectives and evidence-based practice. Maintains compliance on unit with all regulatory requirements. Monitors unit quality assurance with safety, environment, pharmacy and documentation issues. Supports the quality expert role on the unit and assists with the quality plan developed by the staff. Formulates unit goals and quality management plans , which are responsive to the changing health care needs of the patients.
- Leadership: Recruits, selects, retains, coaches, mentors and counsels personnel. Facilitates inter-departmental relationships so that mission, vision, goals of department and organization are achieved. Demonstrates critical thinking and use of evidence based practice. Develops and supports the Department Partnership Council (DPC) or Unit Based Team (UBT) to accomplish tasks and goals. Actively participates in committees and task forces as needed. Ensures staff compliance with all mandatory classes and education. Facilitates a culture of creative thinking and acts as a change agent to challenge the status quo. Timely evaluation of staff performance. Consults with Human Resource department as needed for personnel issues. Responsible for own professional growth and supports work-life balance. Ensures staff has the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate, safe care to patients and families through education, coaching, training or experience. Works with outside vendors/agencies to assure coordination of services and represent the organization in a professional manner. Participates in at least one professional organization and supports and encourages others to participate in professional organizations.
- Financial Management: Participates, develop and submits unit budget to director for final approval. Educates team members on financial implications of unit operations. Manages within authorized budget and maintains ongoing process of identifying, evaluating, and implementing overall cost effectiveness in the unit.
