Regional Director of Nursing New

Regional Director of Nursing

Oceans Healthcare (Lafayette, LA)

***Position is 50-75% Travel in Louisiana and Mississippi, will include overnight travel****

***Position must be located in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or surrounding areas***

 The Regional Director of Nursing is responsible for upholding the standards of nursing care as established by the Nurse Practice Act, Psychiatric Standards of Nursing, policy and procedures, and all other external governing, licensing and credentialing bodies.  The Regional Director of Nursing will support the facility Directors of Nursing to direct the staff and operation of the Nursing Department at all facility locations; coordinate, plan and manage nursing activities; formulate nursing program goals and objectives; manage nursing positions; evaluate staff; assist in the management of the nursing budget; maintain contacts with individuals both within and outside of the department who might impact on program activities; participate in recruitment and retention programs; determine the quality of nursing care; participates in performance improvement programs; collaborate with clinical instructors for educational programs; represent the Nursing Department in professional and/or community organizations; demonstrates age specific and cultural sensitivity.  All duties to be done in accordance with Joint Commission, Federal and State regulations, Oceans' Mission, policies and procedures and Performance Improvement Standards. In addition, the Regional Nursing Director will assist with onboarding and supporting new Directors of Nursing throughout the organization. The Regional Director of Nursing will support the start-up of new facilities and service lines that involve the provision of nursing care.

Essential Functions:

1. Utilizes the principles of management/nursing to support the coordination of patient care and nursing service activities towards positive outcomes; demonstrates fiscal responsibility in facilitating staffing patterns while considering patient safety.
2. Assists with identifying and selecting appropriate candidates for the facility Director of Nursing role.
3. Plans and outlines general nursing procedures to be observed by professional and nonprofessional nursing personnel.
4. Supports the DON in the supervision of nursing personnel including determining workload and delegating assignments, training, monitoring, and evaluating performance, and initiating corrective or disciplinary actions.
5. Recommends, advocates and/or implements new and/or changes to existing policies and procedures.
6. Contributes to problem identification, investigation, and monitoring of resolutions in providing quality care and customer satisfaction.
7. Participates in at least 80% of all assigned administrative, quality management, program, and clinical meetings and completes assignments for those committees.
8. Develops data collection tools, identifies trends, risk areas, and evaluates reliance of research.  Coordinates with others to collect data on the quality of Nursing services; analyzes data collected and reviews overall performance improvement trends that affect the nursing department.
9. Oversees and adheres to safety regulations of facility policies and procedures and external regulatory and credentialing bodies.
10. Provides support and acts as a resource for development and implementation of Infection Control, standard precautions policies and procedures.
11. Supports and coordinates patient safety issues in conjunction with Risk Manager; analyzes, reviews and follows up on incident reporting and risk management trends related to nursing/patient safety issues in conjunction with Risk Management.
12. Directs appropriate training activities for DONs and nursing department.
13. Works collaboratively as a member of the regional operations team and supports the Vice President Clinical Operations.
14. May provide short, term interim relief to facility DON or function in short-term, interim DON role when necessary.
15. Performs other duties and projects as assigned.

Educational / Experience Requirements:

• (BSN/MSN preferred) with previous Nursing Management and psychiatric experience.
• At least 3 years previous experience as a Registered Nurse.
• At least 2 years of nursing leadership experience.
• At least one year of inpatient behavioral health experience. 
• Experience with nursing budgets, performance improvement, The Joint Commission Accreditation standards, and state specific hospital licensure standards.
• Must possess a current Registered Nurse license in the State of Louisiana and State of Mississippi within first 3 months of hire. 
• Must be CPR certified and complete an Oceans Healthcare approved behavioral health de-escalation program.

Qualifications / Skills:

• Must be flexible with work schedule.  Involves discretion and independent action within prescribed limits. 
• This position requires a sound knowledge of nursing practice and leadership abilities. Must be competent in the provision of nursing care
• Should demonstrate the ability to solve practical problems and utilize appropriate steps for problem resolution, ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form, and ability to exercise sound judgment. 
• Must be competent in the areas of interpersonal communications, excellent verbal and written skills, knowledge of Medicare and regulatory and credentialing criteria standards, knowledge of safety standards, spread of organisms, and the adult learning process.

Work Environment:

Subject to many interruptions.  Occasional pressure due to multiple calls and inquiries.  This position can be high paced and stressful; must be able to cope mentally and physically to atmosphere.  This person might sometimes experience disagreeable odors, sights and/or unpredictable patient behavior.  Work requires spending approximately 90% or more of the time inside a building that offers protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.

It is the policy of Oceans Healthcare to provide equal employment opportunity in employment to all associates and applicants for employment. No person is to be discriminated against in employment because of race, religion, color, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, disability, military status or any other classification protected by applicable local, state or federal law. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. Although the company does not discriminate on the basis of citizenship, it is required to comply with federal laws to ensure that its workforce is legally eligible to work in the United States.