Are you ready for a challenging career? Are you ready to join a hard working team? Do you want to make a difference in your patient's lives? Do you like working in fast paced environment?
Look no further, come join us at The Center at Lowry, where we make a difference every day!!
The primary purpose of your job position is to plan, organize, develop and direct the overall
operation of your Nursing Service Department in accordance with current federal, state, and local
standards, guidelines, and regulations that govern our facility, and as may be directed by the
Administrator and the Medical Director, to ensure that the highest degree of quality care is
maintained at all times.
Delegation of Authority
As the Director of Nursing Services, you are delegated the administrative authority, responsibility,
and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties. In the absence of the Medical
Director, you are charged with carrying out the resident care policies established by this facility.
Job Functions
Every effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position. However, it in no way
states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of
specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related,
or is an essential function of the position.
Duties and Responsibilities
Administrative Functions
Plan, develop, organize, implement, evaluate, and direct the nursing service department, as well as its
programs and activities, in accordance with current rules, regulations, and guidelines that govern the
long-term care facility.
Develop, maintain, and periodically update written policies and procedures that govern the day-to-day
functions of the nursing service department.
Maintain a reference library of written nursing material (i.e., PDRS, Federal and State Regulations,
etc.) that will assist the nursing service department in meeting the day-to-day needs of the resident.
Develop, maintain and periodically update the Nursing Service Procedures Manual and nursing
service objectives and philosophies.
Develop and implement a nursing service organization structure.
Make written and oral reports/recommendations to the Administrator, as necessary/required,
concerning the operation of the nursing service department.
Develop, maintain, and periodically update written job descriptions for each level of nursing
personnel in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, OSHA, and other pertinent laws
and regulations.
Develop methods for coordination of nursing services with other resident services to ensure the
continuity of the residents total regimen of care.
Develop, implement, and maintain an ongoing quality assurance program for the nursing service
department.
Participate in facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies.
Assist the Quality Assessment & Assurance Committee in developing and implementing appropriate
plans of action to correct identified deficiencies.
Assist the Discharge Planning Coordinator in developing, implementing and periodically updating the
written procedures for the Discharge Planning Program.
Assist the resident and Discharge Planning Coordinator in planning the nursing services portion of the
residents discharge plan.
Perform administrative duties such as completing medical forms, reports, evaluations, studies,
charting, etc., as necessary.
If the facility has 59 beds or less, the DNS duties shall include providing direct patient care at all
times
Committee Functions
Serve on, participate in, and attend various committees of the facility (i.e., Infection Control, Policy
Advisory, Pharmaceutical, Budget, Quality Assessment and Assurance, etc.) as required, and as
appointed by the Administrator.
Provide written and/or oral reports of the nursing service programs and activities as required, or as
may be directed by such committee(s).
Assist the Pharmaceutical Services Committee in developing, maintaining, implementing, and
periodically updating written policies and procedures for the administration, storage, and control of
medication and supplies.
Schedule, attend, and participate in developing the agenda for Care Plan Committee meetings, as
necessary.
Participate in regularly scheduled reviews of the Discharge Plans and make such plans available to
the Care Plan Committee as required or as may be necessary.
Evaluate and implement recommendations from established committees as they may pertain to
nursing services.
Personnel Functions
Determine the staffing needs of the nursing service department necessary to meet the total nursing
needs of the residents.
Recommend the number and level of nursing personnel to be employed.
Assist the Administrator and/or the Personnel Director in the recruitment and selection of nursing
service personnel.
Ensure that all nursing assistants are enrolled in or have graduated from an approved training
program.
Assign a sufficient number of licensed practical and/or registered nurses for each tour of duty to
ensure that quality care is maintained.
Assign a sufficient number of certified nursing assistants for each tour of duty to ensure that routine
nursing care is provided to meet the daily nursing care needs of each resident.
Ensure that all nurse aide trainees are under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse.
Develop work assignments and schedule duty hours, and/or assist nursing supervisory staff in
completing and performing such tasks.
Delegate to nursing service supervisory personnel the administrative authority, responsibility, and
accountability necessary to perform their assigned duties.
Assist the Personnel Director in developing performance evaluation schedules, criteria, and annual
reviews for the nursing service department (e.g., RNs, LVNs, CNAs, medication aides, etc.).
Make daily rounds of the nursing service department to ensure that all nursing service personnel are
performing their work assignments in accordance with acceptable nursing standards.
Monitor absenteeism to ensure that an adequate number of nursing care personnel are on duty at all
times.
Develop, maintain, and periodically update the written procedure for ensuring that professional
nursing personnel, including private duty nurses, have valid and current licenses as required by this
State.
Review complaints and grievances made or filed by department personnel.
Provide complaint/grievance reports to the Administrator as required or as may be necessary.
Ensure that departmental disciplinary action is administered fairly and without regard to race, color,
creed, national origin, age, sex, religion, handicap, or marital status.
Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in establishing a TB management program for employees.
Report occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials, and hazardous chemicals in
accordance with the facilitys policies and procedures governing accidents and incidents.
Perform background checks on Nursing Service personnel in accordance with established procedures.
Ensure that all CNAs credentials are verified through the State Nurse Aide Registry.
Ensure that appropriate adverse personnel actions relative to CNAs employment criteria are reported
to the State Nurse Aide Registry.
Nursing Care Functions
Participate in the interviewing and selection of residents for admission to the facility, including
PASARR screenings.
Provide the Administrator with information relative to the nursing needs of the resident and the
nursing service departments ability to meet those needs.
Inform nursing service personnel of new admissions, their expected time of arrival, room assignment,
etc.
Ensure that rooms are ready for new admissions.
Greet newly admitted residents upon admission. Escort to room as necessary.
Make rounds with physicians as necessary. Schedule physician visits as necessary.
Encourage attending physicians to record and sign progress notes, phsyicians orders, etc., on a timely
basis and in accordance with current regulations.
Ensure that direct nursing care be provided by a licensed nurse, a CNA, and/or a nurse aide trainee
qualified to perform the procedure.
Review nurses notes to ensure that they are informative and descriptive of the nursing care being
provided, that they reflect the residents response to the care, and that such care is provided in
accordance with the residents wishes.
Schedule daily rounds to observe residents and to determine if nursing needs are being met in
accordance with the residents request.
Monitor medication passes and treatment schedules to ensure that medications are being administered
as ordered and that treatments are provided as scheduled.
Provide direct nursing care as necessary.
Authorize the use of restraints when necessary and in accordance with our established policies and
procedures.
Ensure that residents who are unable to call for help are checked frequently.
Staff Development
Develop and participate in the planning, conducting, and scheduling of timely in-service training
classes that provide instructions on how to do the job, and ensure a well-educated nursing service
department.
Develop, implement, and maintain an effective orientation program that orients the new employee to
the facility, its policies and procedures, and to his/her job position and duties.
Provide leadership training that includes the administrative and supervisory principles essential for
Nurse Supervisors/Charge Nurses.
Encourage the nursing supervisory staff to attend and participate in outside training programs.
Schedule times as appropriate.
Assist the Administrator in developing and revising the nursing assistant training curriculum used by
the facility. Submit to state agency for approval as required.
Assist the Director of Staff Development in developing annual OSHA and CDC in-service training
programs for hazard communication, TB management, and bloodborne pathogens standard.
Assist the Director of Staff Development in developing advance directive in-service training
programs for the staff and community.
Assist support services in developing, implementing, and conducting in-service training programs that
relate to the nursing service department.
Assist the Director of Staff Development in the development of in-service training programs for the
nursing staff. Ensure that these programs meet the continuing education requirements which allow
licensed personnel (e.g., RNs, LVNs, CNAs, etc.) to keep their licenses on an active status.
Attend and participate in continuing educational programs designed to keep you abreast of changes in
your profession, as well as to maintain your license on a current status.
Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in the development of a TB management program.
Safety and Sanitation
Assist the Safety Officer in developing safety standards for the nursing service department.
Ensure that the departments policy and procedure manuals identify safety precautions and equipment
to use when performing tasks that could result in bodily injury.
Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in identifying, evaluating, and classifying routine and job-
related functions to ensure that tasks in which potential exposure to blood/body fluids are properly
identified and recorded.
Ensure that all personnel performing tasks that involve potential exposure to blood/body fluids
participate in appropriate in-service training programs prior to performing such tasks.
Ensure that adequate supplies of personal protective equipment are on hand and are readily available
to personnel who perform procedures that involve exposure to blood or body fluids.
Monitor nursing service personnel to ensure that they are following established safety regulations in
the use of equipment and supplies.
Ensure that nursing service work areas (i.e., nurses stations, medicine preparation rooms, etc.) are
maintained in a clean and sanitary manner.
Ensure that all resident care rooms, treatment areas, etc., are maintained in a clean, safe, and sanitary
manner.
Ensure that all nursing service personnel follow established departmental policies and procedures,
including appropriate dress codes.
Ensure that nursing service personnel participate in and conduct all fire safety and disaster
preparedness drills in a safe and professional manner.
Assist the Infection Control Committee in the development, implementation, and revising of written
aseptic and isolation techniques.
Develop, implement, and maintain a program for monitoring communicable and/or infectious
diseases, including TB, among the residents and personnel.
Ensure that nursing service personnel follow established infection control procedures when isolation
precautions become necessary.
Develop, implement, and maintain a procedure for reporting hazardous conditions or equipment.
Ensure that personnel wear and/or use safety equipment and supplies (e.g., back brace, mechanical
lifts, etc.) when lifting or moving residents.
Report missing/illegible labels and MSDSs to the safety officer or other designated person.
Equipment and Supply Functions
Recommend to the administrator the equipment and supply needs of the department.
Ensure that a stock level of medications, medical supplies, equipment, etc., is maintained on premises
at all times to adequately meet the needs of the resident.
Assist the Maintenance Director in developing a preventive maintenance program for maintaining the
nursing service departments equipment and supplies in a safe and operable manner.
Develop and implement procedures for the safe operation of all nursing service equipment.
Ensure that only trained and authorized personnel operate the departments equipment.
Ensure that all personnel operate nursing service equipment in a safe manner.
Develop and implement procedures that ensure nursing service supplies are used in an efficient
manner to avoid waste.
Ensure that personal protective equipment used in the handling of infectious materials are available
and easily accessible to nursing service personnel.
Ensure that appropriate MDSs are on file for hazardous chemicals used in the nursing service
department.
Care Plan and Assessment Functions
Assist in the development of preliminary and comprehensive assessments of the nursing needs of
each resident.
Develop a written plan of care (preliminary and comprehensive) for each resident that identifies the
problems/needs of the resident, indicates the care to be given, goals to be accomplished, and which
professional service is responsible for each element of care.
Encourage the resident and his/her family to participate in the development and review of the
residents plan of care.
Assist the Resident Assessment/Care Plan Coordinator in the scheduling of care plans and
assessments to be presented and discussed at each committee meeting.
Ensure that all personnel involved in providing care to the resident are aware of the residents care
plan. Ensure that nursing personnel refer to the residents care plan prior to administering daily care
to the resident.
Review nurses notes to determine if the care plan is being followed.
Assist the Resident Assessment/Care Plan Coordinator in planning, scheduling, and revising the
MDS, including the implementation of RAPs and Triggers.
Review and revise care plans and assessments as necessary, but at least quarterly.
Develop and maintain a good rapport with all services involved with the care plan to ensure that a
team effort is achieved in developing a comprehensive plan of care.
Ensure that medical and nursing care is administered in accordance with the residents wishes,
including the implementation of advance directives.
Budget and Planning Functions
Prepare and plan the nursing service departments budget and submit to the Administrator for his/her
review, recommendations, and/or approval.
Keep abreast of economic conditions/situations, and recommend to the Administrator adjustments in
nursing services that ensure the continued ability to provide quality care.
Recommend to the Administrator the equipment and supply needs of the nursing service department.
Resident Rights
Maintain the confidentiality of all resident care information.
Monitor nursing care to ensure that all residents are treated fairly, and with kindness, dignity and
respect.
Ensure that all nursing care is provided in privacy and that nursing service personnel knock before
entering the residents room.
Ensure that all nursing service personnel are knowledgeable of the residents responsibilities and
rights including the right to refuse treatment.
Review complaints and grievances made by the resident and make a written/oral report to the
Administrator indicating what action(s) were taken to resolve the complaint or grievance. Follow
facilitys established procedures.
Maintain a written record of the residents complaints and/or grievances that indicates the action
taken to resolve the complaint and the current status of the complaint.
Ensure that appropriate notices are given to residents before their room or roommate is changed.
Report and investigate all allegations of resident abuse and/or misappropriation of resident property.
Ensure that nursing staff personnel honor the residents refusal of treatment request.
Ensure that such requests are in accordance with the facilitys policies governing advance directives.
Ensure that the facilitys policies and procedures governing advance directives are reviewed with the
resident and/or representative.
Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in developing and implementing a resident TB management
program.
Working Conditions
Works in office area(s) as well as throughout the nursing service area (i.e., drug rooms, nurses
stations, resident rooms, etc.).
Moves intermittently during working hours.
Is subject to frequent interruptions.
Is involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, etc., under all
conditions and circumstances.
Is subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel, and visitors.
Communicates with the medical staff, nursing personnel, and other department supervisors.
Works beyond normal working hours and on weekends and holidays when necessary. On call 24
hours per day, 7 days per week.
Is subject to call-back during emergency conditions (e.g., severe weather, evacuation, post-disaster,
etc.).
Is involved in community/civic health matters/projects as appropriate.
Attends and participates in continuing educational programs.
Is subject to injury from falls, burns from equipment, odors, etc., throughout the work day, as well as
to reactions from dust, disinfectants, tobacco smoke, and other air contaminants.
Is subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc., including TB and the AIDS and
Hepatitis B viruses.
May be subject to the handling of and exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Maintains a liaison with the residents, their families, support departments, etc., to adequately plan for
the residents needs.
Education Requirements
Must possess, as a minimum, a Nursing Degree from an accredited college or university.
Experience
Must have, as a minimum, _______ year(s) of experience as a supervisor in a hospital, long-term care
facility, or other related health care facility.
Must have, as a minimum, _________ months training experience in rehabilitative and restorative
nursing practices.
Specific Requirements
Must possess a current, unencumbered, active license to practice as a Registered Nurse in this state.
Must be able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.
Must possess the ability to make independent decision when circumstances warrant such action.
Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors,
government agencies/personnel, and the general public.
Must be knowledgeable of nursing and medical practices and procedures, as well as laws, regulations,
and guidelines that pertain to long-term care.
Must possess leadership and supervisory ability and the willingness to work harmoniously with and
supervise other personnel.
Must possess the ability to plan, organize, develop, implement, and interpret the programs, goals,
objectives, policies, and procedures, etc., that are necessary for providing quality care.
Must have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle
difficult residents.
Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into
existing nursing practices.
Must be able to relate information concerning a residents condition.
Must not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals in the workplace.
Physical and Sensory Requirements (With or Without the Aid of Mechanical Devices)
Must be able to move intermittently throughout the work day.
Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.
Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.
Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to
ensure that the requirements of this position can be fully met.
Must function independently, and have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work
effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.
Must meet the general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility whih include a
medical and physical examination.
Must be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at times
hostile people within the facility.
Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds. Requires infrequent lifting of more weight up to 50 pounds.
Occasional pushing and pulling of carts.
May be necessary to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations.
Must possess, as a minimum, a Nursing Degree from an accredited college or university.
- Must have, as a minimum, 2year(s) of experience as a supervisor in a hospital, long-term care facility, or other related health care facility.
- Must have, as a minimum, 2 months training experience in rehabilitative and restorative nursing practices.
- Must possess a current, unencumbered, active license to practice as a Registered Nurse in this state.
- Must be able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.
- Must possess the ability to make independent decision when circumstances warrant such action.
- Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, government agencies/personnel, and the general public.
- Must be knowledgeable of nursing and medical practices and procedures, as well as laws, regulations, and guidelines that pertain to long-term care.
- Must possess leadership and supervisory ability and the willingness to work harmoniously with and supervise other personnel.
- Must possess the ability to plan, organize, develop, implement, and interpret the programs, goals, objectives, policies, and procedures, etc., that are necessary for providing quality care.
- Must have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents.
- Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing practices.
- Must be able to relate information concerning a residents condition.
- Must not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals in the workplace.
Physical and Sensory Requirements (With or Without the Aid of Mechanical Devices)
- Must be able to move intermittently throughout the work day.
- Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.
- Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.
- Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to ensure that the requirements of this position can be fully met.
- Must function independently, and have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.
- Must meet the general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility whih include a medical and physical examination.
- Must be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at times hostile people within the facility.
- Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds. Requires infrequent lifting of more weight up to 50 pounds. Occasional pushing and pulling of carts.
- May be necessary to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations.
