Ambulatory Family Medicine Nurse Director

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Nursing Director is accountable for the results of the Department of Pediatrics and Family Medicine (the Departments), success related ambulatory clinical components of multiple sites.

n collaboration with senior leadership ensures coordination of patient care through the development and use of patient care and practice standards. Ensures that desired patient outcomes are optimally achieved and that variances from established parameters are evaluated and addressed as necessary.

Reports to the Administrative Director.

Responsible for the planning and implementation of the clinical based activities in collaboration with the Medical Directors and Operations Directors. Will identify opportunities for improvement, establish expectations, seek solutions and establish monitoring and evaluating strategies. Perform the quality review process in compliance with performance improvement plan, regulations and standards. Represents Family Medicine and Pediatrics at departmental and organizational level and acts as the liaison to multiple departments, particular Pharmacy, the laboratory and other ancillary services in order to optimize the delivery of high-quality, efficient patient care.

•Participates meaningfully in hospital-wide initiatives that drive performance against key goals (eg, patient access, patient satisfaction, EMR implementation)

Position: Nurse Director

Department: Ambulatory Family Medicine

Schedule: Nurse Director

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

Clinical Practice

• In collaboration with the health care team, directs, coordinates, supervises and provides clinical care to ambulatory patients may include:

• Participates with the Chair, senior faculty, and / or staff in planning, developing and implementing new clinical program initiatives for the department's educational, research and / or service activities.  Partners with the physician leads in the ongoing outpatient clinical services and programs.  Assists in the development of new programs, expansion and enhancement of current services and programs
• Assures compliance with BMC, JCAHO, OSHA, DPH and state and federal regulations.
• Providing direct care to patients and families with complex or specialized needs
• Develops and sustains an environment that supports excellence in clinical practice through planning and implementing programs that contribute to positive patient outcomes
• Assures appropriate skill mix to provide quality care, considering fluctuations in unit(s) activity and acuity levels.
• Coordinating interdisciplinary communication, e.g., patient care conferences and/or team meetings, based on data reflective of specific patient needs
• Collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to develop, revise and update clinical priorities and care management plans.
• Sets priorities for appropriate and efficient management of patient care that reflects cost effective management of time, available human resources, supplies, and equipment.
• Maintains interdisciplinary approach to planning and communicating
• Demonstrates awareness of community resources and assists staff, patients, and families to effectively utilize them
• Conducts regular staff meetings in collaboration with the clinical leadership team
• Provides the opportunity for staff to be involved in unit-based strategic planning, development of policies and procedures, and quality improvement activities
• Serves as a resource/mentor to staff regarding professional development encouraging continuing education, formal study, and individual learning opportunities as appropriate
• Encourages staff participation in professional organizations and attainment of specialty certification
• Remains current regarding standards of care established by the department, the profession, and regulatory agencies
• Supports and implements the hospital’s Risk Management program through the timely and accurate completion of employee injury reports, incident reports, and other required paperwork; conducts follow-up investigation and initiates corrective action as needed

Management – Clinical Staff

• Interviews, hires, trains, supervise, evaluate performance and disciplines as necessary for clinical staff and in doing so, seeks feedback, evaluation, and guidance from the professional staff as appropriate and according to established personnel policies and procedures
• Works collaboratively with Human Resource/Labor Management staff as needed
• Ensures that hiring and supervising practices and promotion recommendation actively support the organization’s affirmative action and equal opportunity policy, and diversity statement.
• Acquires, maintains, and utilizes knowledge of current labor contracts and personnel polices and procedures for all clinical staff.
• Initiates timely and appropriate management interventions inclusive of coaching, counseling, and progressive discipline for the clinical staff.
• Monitors clinical performance regularly against standards and prepares and implements steps to bring clinic in conformance with those standards.
• In collaboration with the management team, develops, monitors, and revises the clinic schedule to ensure efficient patient flow in the Practice.
• Conducts independent investigation of employee incidents involving clinical practice issues, including review of employee personnel file, discipline record, and evaluations. Imposes appropriate disciplinary action as needed.
• Recommend employees for promotion or non-promotion.
• Evaluates probationary employees’ work performance and recommends employment continuation or discharge.
• Maintains open communication with Senior Operations Manager, Nursing Director, and Clinical Directors of Ambulatory and Specialty Pediatrics.

Education – Clinical Staff

• Conducts formal and informal staff education for new and established clinical staff related to critical pathways, clinical practice guidelines/standards, and quality improvement findings
• Establishes, leads, and or participates in appropriate forums to provide programs, teaching information and seeks program effectiveness feedback Develops training modules as needed for the clinical staff, including competencies; conducts periodic audits to ensure compliance and quality.
• Communicates departmental goals to the clinical staff and fosters a work environment that motivates employees to achieve these goals.

Quality Improvement

• Performs ongoing evaluation of clinical outcomes of assigned caseload and identify opportunities for improvement.
• In collaboration with the interdisciplinary team, analyzes systems, trends, and critical pathway variances, and implements strategies to improve patient care/outcome. Evaluates the adherence to and effectiveness of unit-based, departmental and interdisciplinary clinical standards and programs through the establishment of quality improvement activities.

Maximizes efficiency of operational systems by:

• Identifying opportunities for intra/inter departmental operational process improvement
• Evaluating efficiency and cost-effectiveness of multi-disciplinary and interdepartmental efforts.
• Collaboratively identifying, implementing, and evaluating strategies to improve operational systems related to targeted patient population(s).
• Evaluates the specialty service’s clinical practice in relation to patient/family satisfaction.

Fiscal Responsibilities

• Assists in the evaluation of results relating to resource utilization before and after planned changes occur.
• Assists in the planning and implementation of strategies to improve cost-benefit for patients.
• Collaborates with appropriate departments to assure that clinical documentation is complete, accurate, and maximizes reimbursement.

Professional Development

• Identifies own learning needs and assumes responsibility for maintaining current knowledge, competency, and expertise in area of specialty.
• Completes annual mandatory educational requirements, e.g., safety review, infection control standards, departmental/specialty competencies, and maintains appropriate credential status.
• Participates as a committee member and/or chairperson when requested.

Other duties as required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

BSN required, Masters Degree in relevant field preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

• Licensed to practice professional nursing as a Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required.
• Basic Cardiac Life Support certification required.

EXPERIENCE:

Minimum 5 years nursing experience. Must have 1+ year(s) clinical experience including recent experience in the assigned specialty. 
 

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Broad-based health care operational experience;  Demonstrated knowledge of various health systems and cost reduction strategies.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills appropriate to the patient populations served.
• Self-directed, self-starter and able to implement new programs.
• Demonstrated ability as an effective leader.
• Demonstrated ability to apply principles of adult learning to provide